I just finished watching a movie and it only took me 4 days #momlife
I slept in until 7:30, trying to ignore my kids who were up at 6 for as long as I could. I now have a clogged bathroom sink, all the candy is gone, and the playroom is a disaster. #worthit #momlife
I don't really take Bathroom Breaks anymore so much as Go To An Enclosed Room Where No One Can Hear Me Cry breaks. #momlife
It would seem my child gave up sleeping for Lent. #momlife
You know you're a mom when you understand why mama bear's porrige was cold. #momlife
The more I read, the more I laughed (of course). Because they were funny, yes, but because I could relate. I've been there...or in similar situations. I get it. And you probably can to...at least on some level. This mom thing gives us all a common experience to some extent. We share a bond that those who don't have children can't quite understand. It gives us a sense of being understood, of community, of not being alone in this.
Have there been times you feel alone? That you haven't been understood? That no one gets it? That there isn't anyone you can lean on or talk to that would have a clue? That no one sees?
My hope is that this year you have made connections at MOMS TO MOMS that will continue to grow. That you have felt the freedom to share and, in doing so, have been heard and understood by other moms who do get it. If you haven't taken that chance yet, let me challenge you to do so. God created us for community, for fellowship. You cannot imagine what can come of your friendships with these precious mommas if you will reach out to them.
As well, I want to encourage you with the truth that God sees you. Where you are. Where you live. Where you love. Where you hurt.
You may or may not be familiar with the story of Hagar in the Old Testament. Her story is found in Genesis 16. (This is the Sara Translation :-) ) Hagar was a servant of Sarah (Abraham's wife). Abraham and Sarah were well along in years. I'll say it...they were old. And childless. But God promised that Abraham would be "the father of many nations". So Sarah decided that instead of patience she would kind of help God out because, surely He didn't mean she would have a son. So, she decided to have a son through her maidservant Hagar (this sounds strange to us, but was not terribly uncommon in this culture). Hagar became pregnant. Apparently, she then started to think she was all that and a bag of chips. So Sarah showed her the door (don't let it hit ya on the way out).
So, here's Hagar, wandering in the wilderness, vulnerable, no food...no real hope for survival. God sees her in her suffering, in her time of need, in her brokenness. He sends an angel to speak to her. She was to return and submit to Sarah. And God would bless her and her son. Even though the original promise was for Abraham and Sarah's son (which God would still miraculously fulfill), God saw Hagar and also blessed her.
From then on, Hagar referred to God as "EL ROI", or "The God Who Sees".
And just as He saw Hagar, He also sees you. Psalm 139 tells us "You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me."
Can you see it? He is with you. He sees you. He is ever near. And He. Loves. You.
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