Mama Bear

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom . 2 TIMOTHY 4:18 

 We’ve heard the analogies, seen the cartoons, or even fulfilled the role ourselves: Mama Bear, doing whatever is needed to protect her young, no matter the cost. That protective instinct might lie dormant and unnoticed for much of our lives. Then we become a mom, and it’s as if something inside us shifts. We know without a doubt that we’ll do anything in the world for our child. No questions asked, no excuses given. How reassuring to know that God feels the same way about us.

 Many stories in the Bible tell us how God protected those who loved and followed Him. God kept the Israelites safe in the desert for forty years until they reached their new homeland. He protected armies and gave them victory over more powerful opponents multiple times. God told people how to ensure their safety when their enemies or oppressors were bent on destroying them.

The ways God protects us today might not seem so obvious or far-reaching, but that doesn’t make them less important. We’ll never know how many traffic accidents God has saved us from or how much damage was avoided when a hurricane dissipated while still far off shore. We lock our doors at night, having no idea how many thieves God steers away from our homes.

 Bad things will still happen because we live in a world full of sin. Even in bad times, though, we can thank God for teaching us through those experiences and for protecting us from worse things. We stand ready to protect our children throughout their lives, no matter how old they get. How good to know that God stands as our perfect example and gives us the courage to be Mama Bear when needed.

 Dear God, thank You for loving and protecting me in all the ways I know about, but especially for the unseen ways. I praise You for being my faithful protector. Amen . 

Time to Feast

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” JOHN 6:35 

 It’s one of the age-old questions posed to moms around the world: What’s for dinner? Whether we’re celebrating with steak and lobster or scraping by with hot dogs or PB&J until the next paycheck, the menus all have something in common. The food staves off hunger and hopefully nourishes and strengthens our bodies.

 What we put on their plates might please our children or disappoint. Regardless, they trust us to think ahead of their needs and give them what we think is best. That’s why it’s important to ask ourselves: Are we filling their spiritual hunger on a regular basis as well? And how are we keeping ourselves filled?

 Finding time to renew ourselves spiritually can be difficult. But just like our bodies can’t survive indefinitely without food and drink, our spiritual selves will wither and fade without regular nourishment. The signs of spiritual malnourishment crop up quickly. Anxiety fills our minds. Surly words pop from our mouths. Negative thoughts control our attitudes.

 Fortunately, the cure for a hungry soul is always within reach. Sometimes it’s best approached in small steps, just like a person who hasn’t eaten for a long time starts with only a few bites of food. We can take five minutes to read a short devotional, or we can listen to Christian music while we run errands or exercise. We can choose a Bible verse to memorize each week or start a list of ways we notice God around us.

 Each little thing will build on the others until we’ve reestablished a two-way connection with God. As long as we keep that foundation in place, our souls will be satisfied. Then we can take what we’ve learned and teach it to our children so they’ll also be filled.

Lord, I usually rush to satisfy my physical hunger at the first rumbling of my stomach. Help me pay just as much attention to my spiritual hunger so I can fill myself with what matters most—You. Amen .

Best Gifts of All

God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him . JOHN 3:17

 Few things make us happier as a parent than being able to give something to our children that we know they’ll love. Whatever sacrifices we make to reach that point are worth it when we see their surprise and joy. God has gifts for us all the time, but they’re not reserved for our birthday, Christmas, or another special occasion. Some gifts are so small that we might not notice them every day, like a bird’s song or wildflowers along the road. Others are so big that we can’t ignore them, like being spared from a hurricane or tornado’s path or having a perfect but unexpected opportunity fall in our laps.

 The biggest and best gift God has given us is through His Son, Jesus. God sent Jesus to live on earth so people could learn about Him and want to follow Him. The culmination of God’s plan was for Jesus to die on the cross in our place so that we can spend eternity in heaven with God instead of being separated forever.

 Sending Jesus to earth wasn’t an easy thing for God to do, and watching Jesus die on the cross was the worst part of all. We cannot even imagine going through that as a parent. But God did it because of what it would mean in the long run—righteous sons and daughters for eternity. The joy we would have at being invited to live forever in heaven mirrored God's pleasure at giving it to us and made everything worthwhile.
 We know how much it warms our hearts to hear a sincere “thank you” from our children when we give them a special gift. Why don’t we do the same for God today?

 Dear Lord, thank You so much for giving me the best gift of all—knowledge of Your Son, Jesus, and the chance to spend eternity with You in heaven. Help me never take it for granted! Amen.

Praying for Prodigals

“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” LUKE 15:20

Lauren is in a position she never imagined would be possible: she is the mom of a prodigal child. Her daughter graduated from high school, moved out of state to find a job, and never contacted her family again. There was no big fight, no struggle with rebellion, no reason given for the change. Her daughter simply moved on with her life and out of theirs.

Repeated searches to find her have failed. Attempted communications through people who might know where she is have been dead ends. All Lauren and her husband can do is pray. They continually ask God to protect their daughter and to remind her of their love. They hold on to the hope that she might have a change of heart and return to them one day.

Most of us will never know the extreme pain involved with having a prodigal child. Unfortunately, the same can’t always be said for our relationship with God. Our closeness with God goes through different phases. At times we find ourselves excited about everything connected with our faith. We plan time to read the Bible and pray, we look forward to church each Sunday, we focus on following God’s directions. Then, for whatever reason, we enter a not-so-close phase. Other things fill our days, and we drift away from God. If something extreme happens, we might consciously turn our backs on God and pretend He’s not a part of our lives at all.

Whatever we may think or feel, God is never out of our lives. Just like Lauren and other parents of prodigals are eager to welcome their children back home, God will wait for us however long we’re away. He always says “yes” when we want to come back to Him.

Dear God, I can’t imagine how hard it must be to have a prodigal child, yet I do the same thing to You more often than I’d like to admit. Forgive me for when I turn away. Thank You for always waiting for me. Amen .

A True Reflection

So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord’s Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord . 2 CORINTHIANS 3:18

Before our children are born, we enjoy imagining how they’ll look. And later, people seem to enjoy sharing whether they think the children favor us or our husband, or are a good blend of both. The truth is, though, that our children’s appearances change as they grow.

The same should be true of our inward appearances—they should change because of our relationship with God. As humans, we’re all made in God’s image (see Genesis 1:27). As Christians, we’re meant to be a reflection of God through our thoughts, actions, and beliefs. We won’t ever be a perfect reflection of God because we make mistakes. Sin tempts us and sometimes traps us just like anyone else. But every time we back up from the wrong place, ask for forgiveness (from God and anyone else involved in the situation), and try again, the image of God within us shines through a little brighter.

 Our children see God in us when we apologize for shortcomings, respect their opinions, or pray with them. Strangers see God in us when we hold our tempers instead of reacting in frustration when our children annoy us in public. Other parents see God in us when we share each other’s burdens and support each other through difficult times.

We don’t need to try so hard to show God in our lives that we nearly blind people with our efforts. Day-to-day authentic attempts to follow God will reflect Him in just the right ways so that others will be drawn to us (and God) over time instead of driven away. Let’s honor our heavenly Father by challenging ourselves to reflect God to others each time we see them.

 

 Dear Lord, I love You and want others to learn about You through what they see in me. Show me how I can be a true reflection of You in every situation. Amen .

Who’s Really Listening?

“Listen to my prayer and my plea, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you.” 2 CHRONICLES 6:19

Some days, it feels like no matter what we say or who we say it to, no one hears us. Our husband and children are caught up in a favorite TV show or have their earbuds locked in place. The boss is focused on sales figures or is anxious about meeting with a prospective client. Our friend is too wrapped up in planning her daughter’s wedding to notice much else. It makes us grateful that we can hear ourselves speaking, so we know at least one person is listening. Even if it’s just us.

Those days can be drive-us-crazy frustrating, but what if we look at it a different way? We’re guaranteed to have at least one listener other than ourselves whenever we speak, and He’s the best listener of all. God never slumbers or sleeps (see Psalm 121:3), which means He’s always there when we’re ready to talk. He hears each prayer about whatever’s on our minds (see Psalm 66:19). Whether we’re talking through options as we try to reach a decision or muttering to ourselves about our shopping list, we’re talking—and God is listening.

 The next time a “no one’s listening to me” day rolls around, it can be a chance to remind ourselves that God is always listening, no matter the day or time or what we’re trying to tell someone. It might even be a good idea to walk away from everyone else and start our conversation with God by venting about our day or how we’re feeling ignored. Once that frustration is off our minds, we can say whatever we tried to tell the people around us. And then, we listen. Because we never know what God might have to share with us when it’s His turn to talk.

 

Thank You, Lord, for always listening to me whenever I’m ready to talk, even when no one else seems to pay any attention. Help me turn those days into special times to communicate with You. Amen.

Individual Love

The word of the  LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” JEREMIAH 1:4–5

 When our first child is born, we are often unprepared for the amount of love we feel. If we become pregnant with other children later, we might find it hard to believe that we can love any other child as much as our oldest. But then the new baby arrives, and we learn that all the assurances from well-meaning parents were true: we have more than enough love to spread around. In some sort of heart-based multiplication that only God could plan, we’re able to love each child in abundance and as an individual. We never need to take love away from one child to have enough for the other.

 The same concept is true for our relationship with God. No matter how many children are born or how many of us follow God, He has more than enough love for everyone and loves us equally and as unique individuals.

 God doesn’t care whether our figure is curvy or straight, and doesn’t prefer blonds or brunettes over redheads. He doesn’t think people with noticeable talents are more important than those of us who prefer to stay in the background. And although billions of people populate this earth, God never loses us in the crowd. He sees us and loves every detail that makes us unique, from the whorl of our fingerprints to each gray hair we might try to hide. We’re unique and special because God made us to be that way. Nothing we do—or don’t do—will ever make Him love us more or less than anyone else.

What a reason to celebrate ourselves and God’s love! It’s time to thank God for making us each a one of-a-kind woman and mom—and for doing the same for each of our children.

Thank You, God, for making me who I am. Help me learn to appreciate my uniqueness and remember that You love me just as I am—and just as much as anyone else. Amen .

Doling Out Discipline

 

The LORD disciplines the one He loves, just as a father, the son he delights in .

PROVERBS 3:12

 Our children are born with sweet dispositions, innocent minds, and pure hearts. We’d like to keep them that way, but sooner or later their humanness begins to show and they disobey us. Some missteps can be overlooked; others can be addressed with a simple conversation and time-out. Then we’re faced with situations that call for serious discipline.

Punishing our children can be one of the toughest responsibilities of motherhood. We want to wrap them in a hug, get their promise that they won’t do it again, and move on with assurance. When we look past our mother’s hearts, however, we realize that approach isn’t always what our children need.

The best way for our children to learn discipline is from us at home. Not that they’ll necessarily understand our reasoning. We can probably cringe at remembering a time when our children threw the “You don’t love me” accusation our way. The words cut straight through our hearts, but that’s when we remind our children (and ourselves) that discipline comes from God and is part of our job as parents.

Several places in the Bible direct parents to discipline their children and teach that although it isn’t fun at the moment, the benefits show in the long run. Verses also teach that we learn from being disciplined. Most importantly, we learn that disciplining our children is a way to show our love for them and that God also disciplines those He loves (see Proverbs 3:11–12).

 Disciplining our children can be easier if we’re prepared mentally and spiritually. We can start praying now that God will give us both grow from the experience and learn to honor God through it.

 Lord, disciplining my children can be so hard, but I know it needs to be done. Teach me to correct them while still showing love. Help them learn from it and understand my love for them will never change. Amen .

Mom Time

 

Very early the next morning, Jesus got up and went to a place where he could be alone and pray . MARK 1:35

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, as the old saying goes, but time to ourselves can be a mom’s most precious gift. That’s because mothering is a never-ending job, whether we’re looking after little ones at home or keeping in touch with older kids in college or on their own. ]

Carving out time for ourselves so we can unplug from being Mom for a while can be a challenge. But resisting the urge to feel guilty about giving that gift to ourselves can be the biggest hurdle of all. When the “I shouldn’t be spoiling myself” or “I have too much to do” messages start crowding our minds, we should remember two important things. First, allowing ourselves some time alone is good for everyone in the family because we’ll return to our mom world more refreshed and ready to handle things better. Second,even Jesus sometimes went away to be alone or to pray.

If Jesus had days when He needed to get away from the crowds, then why do we think it’s a luxury we shouldn’t indulge in? If we’re honest, we’ll see that the time away isn’t a luxury at all; it’s a necessity. We need the chance to do things we enjoy instead of what everyone else needs (or expects) us to do. We need one-on-one time with God away from the normal routine to reconnect on a spiritual level by talking to Him and listening to Him.

It might be for an hour, half a day, or a weekend. The length of time doesn’t matter as much as the fact that we’re allowing ourselves to enjoy the gift. Because nothing will recharge our mom batteries like a mom-God getaway.

Dear Lord, I need a break from family, from friends, from everyone and everything but You. Show me how to arrange things so I can have a mom getaway, just You and me. Amen.

Nudge to Something New

 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him . JAMES 1:5

All children have times when they’re nervous—or maybe even downright scared—about trying something new.

We can relate because we’ve been in that same spot ourselves. As often as we might tell our children that stepping into unfamiliar territory can have real benefits and that they don’t need to be worried, we don’t always listen to our own assurances. It’s often true that we are more tuned in to opportunities for our children than for ourselves. No wonder it can come as a surprise that God might have some new things waiting for us, if we’ll just pay attention.

We’re never too old for new goals or new dreams, whether we set them for ourselves or God does it for us. God can certainly send us in some new directions or invite us to try some new things, even well into our adulthood—even when we’re caught up in the world of motherhood.

The signs can be subtle, such as a long-buried interest or curiosity cropping up unexpectedly. Or we see or hear something that intrigues us but seems almost silly because it’s so different from our normal activities. A friend might introduce us to an activity we’ve never thought about before. When these things happen, they aren’t always coincidences. Instead, they may be God telling us it’s time to try something new. Before we rush on by, we need to take the advice we give our children, step back, and focus on what we’re feeling and where God might be leading us.

 Just as we pray for wisdom when guiding our children, we need to ask for God’s direction when we’re trying to figure things out for ourselves. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and resist trying new things. But we need to remember that those new things make us better people and therefore better moms. Let’s ask God to help us shake off the fear of unfamiliar territory.

Dear Lord, I want my children to have courage and try new things—and I want the same for myself. Please don’t let my routines block a path You might want me to follow. Give me the wisdom I need to know when You’re calling me to something new. Amen .

Apple of His Eye

 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings . PSALM 17:8

It’s not uncommon to hear that someone is the apple of another person’s eye. We might have even said it about our own children, meaning that they’re special to us and we love them in a way no one else can.

The phrase “apple of your eye” is found several times in the Bible, including one that literally translates as “the daughter of the eye” and means that one person is reflected in the eye of another. That’s pretty amazing when we stop to think about it.

King David knew how much God loved him and how far God would go to protect him. When David asked God to keep him as the apple of His eye, he was asking God to see him as someone precious who needed to be protected.

Doesn’t that sound like us with our children? We want to protect them whenever possible because they’re precious to us. How amazing that God sees us in the same way! No matter who we are or how old we might be, God has a place in His heart especially for us.

We are the apple of God’s eye just as our children hold that place in ours—someone precious who He wants to protect. We need to remember that today but also remember what “apple of your eye” can mean from the other viewpoint—that we want God to see Himself reflected in us. Some days it can be hard to meet that standard, but God will help us take little steps toward it if we only ask.

Whether we need extra care and protection or just want to be more like God, we can face the day knowing that God delights in us. We’re the apple of His eye!

Dear God, thank You for loving me so much that I’m the apple of Your eye and someone who is precious to You. Help me always remember that, and help me grow in my faith so You see Yourself in me. Amen .

The Sweetest Alarm

 In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart] . PSALM 5:3

 Until our children are ready to wake up on their own, we moms often play the role of alarm clock. It’s a simple task but one that can provide some of the most precious moments of our day. For each mom and child it’s different, but we might trace the slope of their noses or brush the hair out of their faces so we can plant a soft kiss on their foreheads. Our whispered “Good morning” or “I love you” are the first words they hear.

 God does the same for us. He caresses our faces with the warmth of fresh sunshine and makes us smile at the birds’ morning chatter and songs. He whispers that He loves us and that He has great plans for us to follow. He reminds us that we don’t have to face the day alone.

 The problem is, answering a squawking alarm clock and focusing on morning routines can steal our attention from God’s gentle wake-up call. We jump from bed and rush to get out the door. We think ahead to things that will need our attention that day in an attempt to stay one step ahead of the game. It might seem counterproductive at first, but the best way we’ll stay ahead is by stepping back. Even responding to God’s wake-up call with a simple “Hello” or “Come be with me today” can put us in the right frame of mind for the day.

 God delights in those early morning wake-up calls. We know how our children’s drowsy smiles and hugs warm our hearts when we wake them. Taking a few minutes to tell God “Good morning” is just as pleasing to Him.

Dear God, thank You for waking me to each new day. Remind me of Your presence, and show me ways to remember You’re near, from the very minute I open my eyes. Amen.