Every once in a while I look at my children and I think, "Am I doing the BEST I possibly can for them? Am I training them in righteousness? Am I turning their hearts towards the Lord? Am I building their character? Am I teaching them to serve others? Do they see Christ in me?"
The other night I was lying in bed talking to the Lord and wondering if my children would remember the "good mom" or the "ugly mom" (am I the only one who has those if-my-friends-saw-me-act-like-this-they-would-never-speak-to-me-again moments?). And I realized ... parenthood, and in the broader perspective, life itself, truly is like a race as Scripture talks about. Even if you get a late start, cross into someone else's lane, get a cramp or fall down, all that truly matters is that you FINISH!! No one cares how you get there, they just care that you make it across that line.
So, of course, I had to search the Scriptures to see what they say about running a race and was encouraged and challenged by what I found.
"Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
An athlete would never run a race with a football helmet, jeans and swim fins on, right? Why? Because it is cumbersome ... it weighs him down ... there is no purpose in it ...
So why do we as moms try to run our race of motherhood with things that hinder and entangle us? Lack of sleep ... no exercise ... no time carved out for ourselves to refresh our minds and bodies ... focusing on things that do not have eternal value - how our house is decorated, do our kids look like a Gap ad, etc ... neglecting our husbands when we desperately need them to support our role in the home ...
These things are cumbersome ... they weigh us down ... there is no purpose in them ...
"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?" Galatians 5:7
How many times have you been having a fabulous day? The children are happy, obedient, you have a fun day together, they like what you make for lunch, they take their naps and then WHAM! Your sweet cherubs become stamped with the "Caution! Flammable!" sign on their foreheads and it is all downhill from there.
Or more importantly ~ you are faithfully reading them Scripture, you are consistently praying with them, you are training them in godliness and then WHAM! They lie to you, they hit their brother, they talk back and you wonder, who are these people?!?
Who cut in you and kept you from obeying the truth?
Satan loves to cut in on us as moms .... using those same things that entangled us .... he knows our weaknesses and he preys upon them.
And what is the truth?? We are raising our children for eternity!
The other night I was lying in bed talking to the Lord and wondering if my children would remember the "good mom" or the "ugly mom" (am I the only one who has those if-my-friends-saw-me-act-like-this-they-would-never-speak-to-me-again moments?). And I realized ... parenthood, and in the broader perspective, life itself, truly is like a race as Scripture talks about. Even if you get a late start, cross into someone else's lane, get a cramp or fall down, all that truly matters is that you FINISH!! No one cares how you get there, they just care that you make it across that line.
So, of course, I had to search the Scriptures to see what they say about running a race and was encouraged and challenged by what I found.
"Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
An athlete would never run a race with a football helmet, jeans and swim fins on, right? Why? Because it is cumbersome ... it weighs him down ... there is no purpose in it ...
So why do we as moms try to run our race of motherhood with things that hinder and entangle us? Lack of sleep ... no exercise ... no time carved out for ourselves to refresh our minds and bodies ... focusing on things that do not have eternal value - how our house is decorated, do our kids look like a Gap ad, etc ... neglecting our husbands when we desperately need them to support our role in the home ...
These things are cumbersome ... they weigh us down ... there is no purpose in them ...
"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?" Galatians 5:7
How many times have you been having a fabulous day? The children are happy, obedient, you have a fun day together, they like what you make for lunch, they take their naps and then WHAM! Your sweet cherubs become stamped with the "Caution! Flammable!" sign on their foreheads and it is all downhill from there.
Or more importantly ~ you are faithfully reading them Scripture, you are consistently praying with them, you are training them in godliness and then WHAM! They lie to you, they hit their brother, they talk back and you wonder, who are these people?!?
Who cut in you and kept you from obeying the truth?
Satan loves to cut in on us as moms .... using those same things that entangled us .... he knows our weaknesses and he preys upon them.
And what is the truth?? We are raising our children for eternity!
"I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me ..." Acts 20:24
I know I am going to make mistakes as a mom. I have already made many in my 8 years on the job. And yet, I serve a God who FORGIVES. He knows I cannot be a mother on my own. He knows I need Him to help me push through the hard days, find wisdom on the confusing days and seek comfort on the sad days. He has purposely given me this task of motherhood ~ raising my children and training them in righteousness is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I will fall, I will run in the wrong direction, I will hurt my children, I will make poor decisions but the beauty is that I am not running the race alone!
No matter how hard I run, how often I stop to walk and catch my breath, or how many times I fall down I have someone behind me who will patiently wait until I get up, dust myself on and begin again. He knows I cannot make it myself so He runs beside me ~ my greatest coach, cheerleader and fan.
The task the Lord has given to me in this season of life is that of motherhood. It is the most difficult and trying task I have ever had but it is also the most rewarding and life-changing role I will ever experience. The Lord refines me day by day through my children ... and I will never be as pure as I desire. But I know that if I keep my eyes fixed on Him, take off the swim fins and football helmet, and keep Satan from cutting in, I will be able to say with joy and confidence,
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." II Timothy 4:7
