Tag: mothers

A Winter Mother

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“So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’”

Genesis 18:12 NIV

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Motherhood is a daunting task at any age. I would imagine Sarah, the mother of Isaac, struggled with thoughts of what she could offer a child at such a late season in her life. Would she have the energy to keep up with a rambunctious young child? Would she have the patience? Would she be able to relate? Would she be around for those critical milestones in her child’s life? 

Maybe you haven’t given birth to your child in your winter season, but you have taken on the role of mother to a grandchild, niece, nephew, or complete stranger. You may be a little skeptical of your ability to mother at this age, your ability to provide or, keep up with the child. BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL. 

God has given you wisdom, resources, and, most of all, love to share. Embrace your winter season of motherhood, because God is faithful and great is your reward. 

As God blessed Sarah, He will bless you. 

A Prayer for the Winter Mother:

Heavenly Father,

You are faithful. Even in my winter season, You have trusted me and called me to the role of mother. Though at times I don’t quite understand, neither do I think I am up for the task. I know I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. Thank You for providing everything I need to parent in this season. 

In Jesus’ Name, Amen

A Faithful Mother

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“Then he said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.”  

Ruth 3:10-11 NKJV

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Ruth had reason to throw in the towel. She left her family and her beliefs to follow her husband only to lose him without any children to carry on his legacy. She could have easily pulled the shade, curled up on her mat and slept her pain away. Instead, she held on to her newfound faith as if she was clinging on for her life, committing herself to her mother-in-law and her God. 

“For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.”

Ruth 1:16 NKJV

Her resilience, faith, obedience, integrity, and sacrifices ultimately led her to Boaz. Had she stayed in her room, she may have missed her kinsmen-redeemer—missed being the great grandmother of King David and being listed in the lineage of Jesus. 

Don’t let your situation keep you down. Get up and get moving. Your Redeemer still lives.

A Prayer for the Faithful Mother:

Heavenly Father, Despite my loss, You are still God. You are a restorer of all things lost when I feel like giving up. You give me the strength to relentlessly pursue and follow You in willful obedience, trusting You—for You are my God. On the other side of loss is joy and life that is available to me now.   In Jesus’ Name, Amen 

A Committed Mother

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“For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 

Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.”

 I Samuel 1:27-28 NKJV

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Hannah. A woman with a burning desire to become a mother—committed to giving her child back to the Lord to be used by Him. Nurturing little Samuel until it was time to let him go to prepare for his calling. 

My favorite part of her story is the little robe. I can almost visualize her making it. Praying as she knit, thoughts of how her firstborn would be used by the Lord, her heart swelling with joy, mixed emotions of sadness as she looked forward to her annual visit with her son to deliver her handmade gift. The little robe, a reminder of her belief in what he would become. 

Maybe it’s the money, time spent at the sporting activities, the back and forth from drop-offs and pick-ups from lessons, the continuous prayers, the constant show of support, and the encouraging words. A mother’s support and commitment to her children never ends—even when they are off on their own. 

A Prayer for the Committed Mother:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for lending us Your children. Creating us to nurture, love, and teach them—preparing them for their destiny and teaching them how to depend on You. Please give us the wisdom to instruct them in Your ways and to encourage them along the way. Use them for Your glory.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen

A Mother’s Heart

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I’m back! 

Back to one of my love’s…writing. Not that I have stopped writing or ever will (Lord willing) but writing has looked different for me in this season. It’s been more personal. It has been a vehicle for processing the tough questions…” Did I get it right?”, “Did I take care of the people and things that God has trusted me with?”, “What’s next?”. Writing for me this season has been a searching, purging, and cleansing of the soul. 

Life has also been “lifing”! Though I feel like I have been present, time seems like it is moving at a new rate of speed. Speaking of time flying, this weekend I had the privilege of watching my son receive his bachelor’s degree. It seems like somehow overnight I became the mother of a 22-year-old college graduate. My once bright eyed, full of laughter baby boy is now a man with the world in front of him. 

It is hard to put into words what I felt in that moment or even today. Not because there aren’t any words, but rather there are so many. There is so much to process, all the memories, the answered prayers, and wishing I could shrink him back into his pint size packaging. Excited and at the same time just a bit anxious about the journey ahead. The gratitude I have for being chosen to be his mother. 

I have often wondered what this moment would feel like. None of them compared to what I am feeling. There have been moments where my heart has been so full I thought it would leap out of my chest. The quiet moments reflecting on the memories, silent prayers, sacrifices and tears shed over the years trying to figure out how to get this mothering thing right. 

Then there is the moment. What now? How do I transition to being the mother of an adult? How do I let go to watch what I gave birth to, nurtured, prayed over go into the world to find his own place in it? The answer – trust God. If we’re being honest, the answer is much simpler than the doing. We think we know what is best for our children when it’s always been God at the helm teaching us, protecting them, and preparing the path they would take. 

God has given women the greatest gift and privilege, second only to the gift of Jesus, with the gift of motherhood. He has entrusted us with the care of His sons and daughters, calling us to be fruitful and give Him glory in the process. To be fruitful, we must be willing to release what we produced – trusting God to take care of the rest.  Releasing what we have given birth to demonstrates our trust in God. Releasing gives space for God’s promises to unfold. He has a plan for our children’s lives, just like He has one for ours. Releasing does not change who they are, who we are or who God is. My son was God’s son first and will always be just like I will always be his mother. No matter what. 

As we approach Mother’s Day and in honor of mothers in every season of life, I will be sharing daily devotionals from A Mother’s Heart, a gift I wrote to encourage the special women in my life. A reminder of the greatness of who we are, to honor the sacrifices we are called to make, and to celebrate embracing the call of motherhood. Whether you have birth children or not, God has given you a mother’s heart. 

Forever Grateful, 

Jennifer 

P.S. Scrolling through the pictures from this weekend, I came across this picture that gently reminded me “Mom, it’s okay to let go now.” LOL. 

Honor Her

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“Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring praises at the city gate.” -Proverbs 31:31

Whether she is your mother by birth or stood in the gap so that you could experience the love of a mother…

Whether you are blessed to still have your mother here or holding on to bitter sweet memories of her as she watches over you…

Whether she is your mother or someone else’s….

Honor her.

Each of us has been gifted with a woman to love, nurture, care, teach, encourage and celebrate us. Maybe her presence in your life was seasonal but her impact lasted a lifetime. These women have sacrificed of themselves so that we could be the best version of ourselves. They honored us. They cried for and with us. They prayed for us. They challenged us. They set a standard for us to follow. They always see the best in us, while lovingly helping us correct the worst in us.

It is because of them, we are the women, the mothers, the grandmothers, the daughters, the sisters, the aunts, and the friends we are today.

Celebrate her.

Love her.

Honor her.

Letting Go….

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Today I dropped my son off (my only child) to begin his college journey. One of the most difficult goodbyes to date – very bittersweet. Excited for all of the awesome things to come for him, yet sad to see him go off into the world on his own.

As I miserably failed at holding back the tears, I remembered this was a necessary part of the journey. Trying to hold on to my baby would hinder him from moving forward in his destiny…into greatness become the great man God wants him to be. As I said my final goodbyes, as I let my son go, I remembered that he was in very capable Hands.

I think of another mother who had to let go. Moses’ mother. The mother of a fine child, a future prince, a great leader, a deliverer. Her story condensed to less than a 100 words but her faith extending beyond that which can be measured. This mother had no idea what her son’s future held but she knew for sure was that he was destined for greatness. If he was going to become the man he was to become, she had to let him go.

“And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.” – Exodus‬ ‭2:1-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Letting go is hard. Letting go requires having faith. Letting go allows God to draw the best of out of children – even when it hurts us to let go.

As mothers (even fathers), this is difficult for us to do. Watching from a far as your child navigates the twists and turns of life, desperately wanting to reach in to push them in the right direction, wanting to steer them and protect them from the current events and waves of this thing called life. But there comes a time when we have to let go.

No matter where your child is in their journey, they are in the great I Am’s hands. It is okay to let go. God has them.

Heavenly Father, Help us to let go and leave our children in Your loving care. They belonged to You first and always. Your love for them far surpasses that of any parent. You care for them greatly and have great plans for them. We may not be privy to those plans right now and they may not even be what we had in mind for them,  but we know that they are in Your hands. They may take some unexpected turns on their journey but You are in control and know exactly what they need. You know what is best. You know exactly what it takes to draw them from whatever waters they are in and whatever mountains they may face. You are there with them. Position us to watch and trust You with their destinies.

In Jesus Name, Amen