Real Moms... Real Jesus Chapter 2

The Truth About Worship

Jesus gets moms. I always knew he understood me, but now I know that he "gets" me. This book has been great and really shown me significant parallels between my ministry as a mother and Jesus' ministry. Jesus knew what it was like for people to constantly need him. Yet, it didn't seem to bother him the way it can get to me sometimes. It's because Jesus had the right perspective. Everything he did was an act of worship to the Father.

The point that really struck me in this chapter is that worry is the worship of our circumstances! Woah. Stop for a second. How often do I worry about things that are going on in my life? Um, a lot. How often am I praising God for everything He's doing for me? Not enough. I have been worshiping my problems! Yikes! That really puts things into perspective for me. I need to continue to be faithful in reading my Bible so that I can keep things in the right perspective every day. I need to remember that doing my daily tasks, even changing diapers and taking out the trash, are worship if I have the right perspective.

I have several things that can become false idols to me, mostly money, worry in general and my health. I have been getting better at conquering these things through having my daily quiet time. It allows me to start my day off calmly and give all my worries to God instead of carrying them with me all day. It's wonderful!

There are so many things that I do as a mother that can be an act of worship if I let them, loading and unloading the dishwasher (yay for dishwashers!), wiping off the counters & table, picking up toys, reading to my son, doing laundry, cooking, running around to therapy and doctor's appointments and even doing laundry. For me, I really struggle with cooking and changing diapers right now. I just don't have the motivation or knowledge base to cook well (I think). I am also really struggling with the diapers right now. Our son is at an age where he could potty train if he desired, but he's just not ready yet. I am having a hard time being patient with him and waiting for his timing. I will pray about these thing and ask that the Lord will give me patience, wisdom and perseverance to overcome them. :)

I think that the addiction I struggle with most right now is the computer! I love how easy it makes it to stay connected with friends, fellowship with other women, check the news and weather, find out my account balance and play games. I find myself seated at the computer a lot throughout the day, sometimes at the expense of spending time with my son. I need to be better about making sure he's getting the attention that he deserves and needs from me.

Take a listen to the song "God Shaped Hole" by Plumb. What have you been using to try and fill the void?

Real Moms... Real Jesus Chapter 1

I received this book at a Christmas present from a fantastic group of moms at my church's parent church. I felt like I could use a mothering boost today since my parenting ability feels like it has taken a nose dive today. So far today my child has refused to nap, told me repeatedly to go away and pooped in his diaper not 30 seconds after getting off the toilet. *sigh*

The Truth About Serving

The first chapter of this book was eye opening. I've never realized that my life in anyway resembles any of the things that Jesus went through. The point that really hit home to me was that Jesus used interruptions as a chance to serve others. I am interrupted about a million times a day! Jesus was a person that everyone wanted to know more about. People followed him around all the time. At one point, he even had to get into a boat to get away! (Sounds pretty good to me!) He was interrupted all the time, but instead of getting annoyed (which would be my default reaction) he used those opportunities to serve - the Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus and others. I need to cultivate a servants heart so that when my son interrupts me (for the sixth time) when I'm cleaning the kitchen, I can turn my attention to him fully for at least a few minutes. Who really cares if my kitchen is dirty? I'd rather have a son who knows deep in his heart how loved and valued he is than a spotless kitchen any day!

I had never thought about motherhood as the ministry of availability. Thinking of it as such really emphasizes the fact to me that what I am doing IS a ministry and I should treat it as such. I should put serious thought into what I'm doing, be intentional about it and be proud of it!

I have always talked to God as a friend. It's just come naturally to me. What I really need to work on is being sure to have daily fellowship with the Lord.

I do struggle with receiving other people's help. It's easy to offer to help others, but when they offer to help you, my first response is that I can do it myself. This is especially true when it come to house work. I don't want anyone to know how disorganized and dirty my house can really be sometimes!

I really want to remember this week to remember that motherhood is a ministry and a blessing, not an obligation.