For every other mom out there who has had those days when the never endingness of being a Mommy has threatened to overwhelm and consume. For any woman who has had moments of feeling consumed by and stuck in daily demands.
This came in my inbox this morning and so aptly titled, "I want to Run Away".
"It's the rhythm of life. The ebb and flow of struggles and victories."
Maybe there is something in it that can encourage you this morning? Encourage you and me to hold fast...not to the things that keep us stuck but to God; El Shaddai - God Almighty, Yahweh - I AM, Jehovah Jireh - the LORD will provide.
The only source of strength and comfort.
7 comments:
Hi Leanne, Interesting post. In talking with some of us older moms who are through the "little" kid stage, we are kind of concerned about the stress level alot of young moms are facing who do not have extraordinary circumstances. This is not meant as lacking compassion, but at times it is difficult to understand why a young mom with healthy kids, faithful-hardworking husband and an adequate home just wants to run away?!? Is it maybe a negative influence from our society that encourages us all to put self before others and not have a servant's heart? I have such fond memories of my mom delighting in having us around. She loved it when we came home from school! We knew we were loved, wanted and (mostly) a joy to her and my dad. Our culture tells us kids are a nuisance - for some they are a project to pump up our pride or to parade in the latest fashions so we look good. Let us value our little lambs as treasures who we can train to make fit to be jewels in His crown!
I agree we all need and deserve a break sometimes...but just so we can refresh ourselves to get back to our calling....
Anonymous said...
Hi Leanne, Interesting post. In talking with some of us older moms who are through the "little" kid stage, we are kind of concerned about the stress level alot of young moms are facing who do not have extraordinary circumstances. This is not meant as lacking compassion, but at times it is difficult to understand why a young mom with healthy kids, faithful-hardworking husband and an adequate home just wants to run away?!? Is it maybe a negative influence from our society that encourages us all to put self before others and not have a servant's heart? I have such fond memories of my mom delighting in having us around. She loved it when we came home from school! We knew we were loved, wanted and (mostly) a joy to her and my dad. Our culture tells us kids are a nuisance - for some they are a project to pump up our pride or to parade in the latest fashions so we look good. Let us value our little lambs as treasures who we can train to make fit to be jewels in His crown!
I agree we all need and deserve a break sometimes...but just so we can refresh ourselves to get back to our calling....
Sue K.
Thank you, Sue. I hope my kids also know they are very loved and not a nuisance. For me this morning it was the 2 beds that were wet, the getting out of bed in the middle of the night to deal with them and the washing everything in the morning when first thinking wash was done for the day. It's the tiredness that starts to snowball. In a sense I indeed ran away in that I packed Cara and Cody into the stroller and went for a long walk in the not-rainy weather. Was I frustrated or stressed out? No but I was weary and felt clearer in my own head when I came back inside. It was not my thought to encourage us moms to complain or validate a spirit of discontent with this post. Only to remind other moms having a weary day that there is only one source of strenth and renewing of mind. Quite possibly I should have been more thorough in my original post and maybe I have to read through it again and see if it was actually saying what I took away from it.
Dear Leanne,
My comments under your blog post are not meant to be personal to you at all! I am very sorry if it came across that way. I was honestly speaking about an attitude that can so easily creep into our christian community from the influences of the world. I only know you as a loving, caring mom who I am sure deserves an honest break every once-in-awhile. Being a mom of little people can be exhausting, but it is so scary when it is expressed as more of a cross than a blessing to be called to raise precious jewels for His crown. I believe as older women we are called to come alongside young moms, give them a break, encourage them in all they do so well and be available for the times they need to re-energize and just rest awhile. I really admire when a young mom who is diligent in her calling admits that she needs to have a break and rest. They certainly should not feel guilty about it either and they should not blame their kids for being kids. God has put us in communities so we can assist each other.
Leanne, I know that your kids know that you are crazy about them and love them dearly! You are doing a great job!!
Love,Sue
Thanks again, Sue. As for your being the older woman here, should I remove the post/link so it doesn't encourage a wrong attitude? I guess now I'm asking for your opinion if the link is actually not helpful?
Leanne, I loved this article. It made me pray. For God to give help and strength because I cannot do it alone. I really don't think the article encourages a wrong attitude. I think it encourages us to carry on because He will help us. And as it said it the article, she had the same feelings later in life (about something totally different) that brought the same feelings of running away. Her point isn't that it's the kids that make us want to run away, but our feelings and our lack of trust in God. Thanks for posting it Leanne!
Oh definitely leave this link! If it blesses loving hard-working moms like you and Heather then I am sure others will be blessed by it too. I really don't want to discourage at all but rather encourage all of us to see our children as blessings not curses to run away from. It is just so easy to be influenced by our "ME" centered culture, which has the devil as its' master. Even Jesus went away for awhile to rest and pray and meditate - but only to be refreshed to carry on the task!
Love,
Sue
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