I am going to be real honest right here for just a minute. This month I have been struggling with discouragement - especially as a mom. Some of it has been because my expectations and goals have not been met the way I had planned for them to be. Some of it has been because of just plain tiredness - everything seems so much worse when you are tired! Some of it has been because other people's opinions and criticisms hurt. I think I have questioned my role as a mom more this month than I have in a long, long time.
I'm saying that because this morning, God encouraged me with some amazing thoughts that have helped me put my doubts away (for now at least) and have given me a renewed vision for God's plan for my life. It doesn't matter if you are a mom or not, these thoughts apply to everyone, and I am hoping they will encourage you as much as they did me.
First of all, I was reminded that confidence comes from trust in something or someone. Who/what am I trusting in to make me the person or the mom I want to be? If I am trusting that what I do will make me a better person, then I am putting my confidence on some pretty shaky ground! My confidence needs to come from knowing that I am God's child, remembering that He values me far more than anyone else does and therefore has my best interests in mind in every situation, and not forgetting that I have been given the power of the Holy Spirit to change me and make me the person God wants me to be. WOW!!! That's a lot of good stuff in one sentence, and it's so true!!!
I can have confidence in my role as a mom - not because of anything good that I do - but because I know God has given me these five beautiful children - not by accident but for many wonderful reasons. The first reason being to draw me closer to Him! I will not be a perfect mom, and I am reminded of that daily, but I also need to remember that God knows my heart, and He sees my efforts. He loves me unconditionally, and He is not going to decide my children's fate based solely on what I have or have not accomplished as a mom!
Do I need to have goals and expectations? Absolutely! But when I fall short or my children fall short in those expectations, do I need to continually bang us over the head with failure? No! That's when I need to go back to the Source of my confidence and trust and remind myself that I know I am doing God's will because I know I am doing what God want me to do. Then, I need to place even more trust in my Source and ask Him for His wisdom and His power so that I can accomplish all that He has planned for me. I also need to remember that as long as I am doing my job with faith in God and His wisdom and power, I do not need and will not be able to please everyone around me. It may be that what someone says is true, and I may need to thank them for their words of wisdom, but it may also be that I need to remember that God may have a different plan for me than that person does, and I need to trust Him for the next step.
Those were the thoughts I found this morning in only about 20 minutes!!! It's amazing what can be accomplished when no one else is around to interrupt the thought process! I know it's Tummy Tempting Tuesday, and I am leaving a recipe, but I really felt like I needed to share this with all of you, and I also wanted to write it down so that I have something to come back to when I become discouraged again! Happy Tuesday to all of you! I hope you enjoy the thoughts and the recipe!
BEEF TIPS ON RICE
(What's for dinner at our house tonight!) :)
1 can of golden mushroom soup
1 can of French onion soup
Stew meat
Cooked rice
Cut the stew meat into bite size pieces. Place in slow cooker. Add the two cans of soup and simmer for 4-6 hours on low heat. Serve over cooked rice.
How easy is that? And very yummy too...I promise!
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