God Won't Leave Us Hangin'

Happy first week anniversary to us! One solid week of writing. A girl needs encouragement, dontcha know! One week. Seven days. More posts than all of December. And I’m staying pretty darn happy – truly remarkable. I feel a sense of satisfaction at the end of every day, like I have done what I am supposed to do. It’s a good feeling, a God feeling.

I haven’t set the world on fire. I haven’t changed my name to Pollyanna with the accompanying mood change. I still get mad and frustrated, but at the beginning of my days I feel a purpose and I am given the where-with-all to accomplish that purpose. At night I feel good.

On Monday morning I simply could not get out of bed until 8:00. Each subsequent day became easier. I was more motivated to awaken earlier. Much has to do with you. I post in the morning what I’ve written the day before. And then I go about my daily round – the daily round that has changed considerably from the woman, the mom, I once was.

Years ago I was on that mom treadmill of activity every waking moment. We all know that feeling. Although there are parts of the stages of my boys’ lives that I dearly miss, I do not miss the perpetual motion. Nobody needs to do that much. Nobody should push themselves that hard. I wonder exactly how early into momdom we all burned out but kept up the pretense. Oh my, what I would change if I could.

But we can’t. I can’t. And I don’t really care as much about reversing actions as I once had. My mom’s philosophy: if we do the best we can at the time, then we can’t look back and regret. We did our best. It’s that simple.

I think a good word to sum up this time of my life is “acceptance.” I accept what comes my way. I may not like it, agree with it, or even believe it, but I accept it. Acceptance brings peace. It’s similar to what I wrote earlier; it’s not giving up or giving in. When we accept our life we give ourselves a much-needed break.

And what mom doesn’t need a break? We’re harder on ourselves than we should be. We screw up the natural order when we try to do it all. God didn’t mean for us to do it all. So why do we?

We have to listen to God to see what He wants. Remember, He only wants what’s best for us. Just as we only desire what’s best for our own children. God is a good God, a good Parent.

What if every morning, first thing, your children walked into your bedroom and cheerily said, “Mom, you are great. What would you like me to do today”?

You’d faint. I know. Me, too.

But what if our days operated like that? Can you imagine the happiness? The give-and-take, the love, the peace? So much would be accomplished. I can see it now. Pretty soon the messes in my house would be gone, and with such concerted effort, they’d stay gone. Next, we’d venture out. The physical cleanup would net many unneeded items. We’d give them away. We’d be helping others. You know…clothe the naked.

With our own house in order we’d take the time to look to other houses. We’d see that father who still hasn’t found a job. We’d make dinners for his family. You know…feed the poor. Before long our family would be transformed into an “other-minded” way of life as God intended. We would be giving the gospel by our actions. And the giving would come back to us a zillion fold.

In this light, how are these words any different: “Our Father…hallowed be Thy name…Thy will be done”? Not too different, huh? But what a difference in the magnitude of change if we all asked God what He wanted us to do, and we did it. Just that portion asked of us. Not everything, moms. God is not asking us to do it all. We should let go of what doesn’t matter.

The Bible contains the names of so many people who were called by God. Abraham, Moses, Mary, to mention a few. And what about all the canonized saints? Volumes have been written about them. And Blessed Mother Teresa. Who doesn’t recognize the profound good she’s done? Bible greats and hall-of-famers etched in the annals of His-story.

So, there must be some great huge differences between them and us, right?

Wrong!

They’re dead, and we’re alive. Alive to answer God’s call. Alive to do His will. To be sure, those I’ve mentioned fulfilled God’s plan for their lives. But I guarantee that every one of them had their own issues with God. I bet they questioned, and many fought and yelled one-on-one with God. How could they possibly do what God asked of them? I mean, for heaven’s sake, just think of Mary. Talk about faith. As a virgin she would conceive a Child. C’mon!

Do you think it was any easier for Mary to tell her folks than it would be for a young girl today? God’s will is a leap of faith. It always has been. It’s a yes when we want to say no. Mary said yes although she couldn’t fathom how. We must do the same. God will give us whatever we need once we say our yes. God won’t leave us hangin’. He loves us too much.