Let me start out by saying the very obvious 'Happy Mother's Day'. I know it's sappy and a little 'Hallmarky' but seriously, thank you our moms. Whether your mom was the greatest thing since sliced bread, or the person who taught you not to lick electrical sockets, or just a woman who gave birth to you; they all deserve a thank you for bringing us into this world. They didn't have to do that. They could have chosen otherwise and the fact that they didn't gives us something to be thankful for.
Mother's day is different when you're actually the mom. In so many ways, it's totally awesome. For example, when our daughter woke up at 6:30 this morning instead of her usual 7-7:30 or her even nicer 9 am of yesterday, my husband said, "I'll get her. You sleep in."And if you know me, you understand how much I love this simple little gift. I love to sleep. I'm slightly obsessed with it. I know that sounds weird but it's true. I'm a bit crazy about tracking the number of hours I've slept and the number of hours my husband has slept and pointing out how they don't measure up. (Mainly, that he slept 30 minutes longer than I did... for shame!) Yeah, I know... crazy. But the point is, letting me sleep in is the best gift my husband could get for me and I really appreciate it.
So then I wake up and get my daughter ready for church, but she's super cranky so I put her down for a nap before we go in so she won't be mean to other children in the nursery. And I'm left with some free time in a quiet, empty house (the hubby has already gone in for praise team). Of course, I get on facebook to check out what's going on and read everyone's comments about mother's day. It's really great to see so many wonderful moms getting spoiled this morning. I know how hard they work, usually with no recognition, and it's great to see that today, their kids have gone above and beyond to show them how special they are.
One of these women is our home minister's wife. She has got to be one of the most amazing people I know. She has four beautiful kids (inside and out), she does everything around church, from praise band to youth work and everything in between, and she is still an out-of-this-world, awesome mom. She helps out with her kids' school as a volunteer. She makes the most amazing halloween costumes every year, which is going to be something really special that her kids will always remember about her. She makes each child feel like they are the most precious thing in the world on their birthday. She always puts together a cool theme, per their request, that is totally homemade and beats the pants off of anything you'd find in a party specialty store. And after all of that, she finds time to encourage me and all of the other women in our church. She sends homemade cards, she makes phone calls... she's just plain amazing. She's one of the best examples of a mom and a woman of God that I can imagine and I want to be just like her.
That got me thinking, what kind of a mother am I? I like to think that I'm a pretty good mom. But then I get to thinking about my minister's wife and think... there's room for improvement. Now, I'm not saying this to be self deprecating. I'm honestly saying, I think I could do better. I'm a good mom, but I want to be a better mom. I'm a good wife, but I want to be a better wife. I'm a good christian, but I want to be a better christian. Looking at her, it's easy to think, "man, I suck." It's harder to say, that's what I want to be. I think it's the same way we look at Christ. It's easy to see his example and say, "I'm never gonna live up to that" and just give up. It's harder to say, "That's my goal and I'm going to do everything I can to achieve it."
I hope one day, I can be like my minister's wife. I hope my daughter and son are thankful for more than me not letting them lick the electrical socket. I hope they see me as a teacher, an encourager, a friend, and their biggest supporter. I hope they see how much I love them. But even more, I hope I can be like Christ. I hope my children can see his unending love, his grace, and his mercy through my life. And I really do hope they don't lick the electrical sockets...
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