A Prayer for Working Moms

 

Dear Lord,

I bring to you all the working moms.  

May you bless those of this generation who are daily inspiring their own children with bravery, work ethic, and fortitude. For with every day-in and day-out, there can be weariness, chaos, and disorganization.

Bring to our homes a steady ebb and flow, and fill us each with enough energy for our own brood, where the real work begins.   Give us the energy to actively parent, but also the opportunity to appropriately decompress.

Inspire each of us to make life at home a place of joy, love, creativity, safety and rest— rich in Your teachings and words.  Help us each to still speak in love when we are running dry.  Enable us to allow ourselves some grace when forgetfulness or haste enters. 

Bless our days at work, so that our efforts are not in vain, but make indelible differences in the lives of others. May we reflect Your love both inside and outside our homes. Thank you for the gifts within each of us to fulfill needs in our community and nurture a family at home.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Photo by Benjamin Manley on Unsplash

Two More Words

 

How is it even possible that it’s time again to put up the Christmas tree, and start the merriment of another December? 

This past week, as we began to unpack the bins that have been in storage since last year, my mind started to swirl with some wonderful thoughts. 

The handling of ornaments of my childhood takes me back to a different living room of a different decade, with records playing Kenny Rogers’ Christmas album. Sweet, homemade kid art reminds me that not-so-long-ago, our children were a bit younger & smaller.  And any decoration that was newly acquired last year, still holds some novelty as I find just the right spot to place it.

Out of all the pretty little things that have passed through my hands today, the most precious and sentimental of all is the little nativity set that Tim bought me early in our marriage.  The ceramic figures are daintily painted and the stable is rustic and mossy, housing most of the figures. Pointing us past the Santas, the twinkle lights, and garland, this little nativity set does much more than bring around memories of years past. 

God’s Spirit, rather than my mind, conjured up a deep reverence and thankfulness for God’s plan to show His love to all mankind. In a quiet moment, I offered up a prayer of thanks as I placed the figures carefully.  Years ago, I read the saying, “If ‘thank you’ was the only prayer you ever prayed to God, that would be enough”. Have you also heard this?

I get it. “Thank you, for the Savior you sent, Lord.” This statement perhaps embodies the whole idea that Jesus died for us and rose again to conquer sin and death. This “thank you” is both acknowledgement and acceptance of His plan.  But I have just two more words to be added to “thank you.”  

“Use me.” 

After all, that would be our prayer of thanks in action. You see, we could all say “thank you”, and mean it for the moment, then go on living the life we have planned, never to give pause or thought as to how God could change our trajectories. We could all believe in Christ, yet live in isolation, never really finding an outlet for the joy inside of us.  Not one person would know the difference if Christ lives in us or not. 

And shouldn’t they?  

“Use me” enables us to live ultimately for His glory and no longer our own.  

Matthew 5:16 reads, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”   And John 3:30 reads, “He must become greater; I must become less.”

Recently in a YouTube sermon, I heard a pastor say, ”within 30 seconds of meeting us, a perfect stranger should be able to tell that you are a Christ-follower.”  I whole-heartedly agree!  If “thank you” & “use me” are our go-to prayers, our lives will simply ooze with love, kindness, joy, and gentleness.

The world, more now than ever, needs to see and hear all things Jesus, and you are just the person for the job, if you are willing to be used by Him.  There could be no nobler use of your time, no higher calling to your life, and no better, genuine way to express your gratitude to our Father.

“Use us, God, however you see fit. With the talents and gifts you have given each one of us, let us not spend a lifetime wasting or hiding away so as to never bring another soul hope or joy. Use us with the people we are with, in the places we go, to be your love in the flesh.  Let us put aside the selfish or perhaps, uncomfortable notions that live inside to further your kingdom.  Use us for Your glory and not our own.  May we most sincerely express our thanks to You by allowing You to use us.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.”🙏

Photo by Kelly Sikkema Unsplash.

When the Well is Low

“… Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.””

‭‭John‬ ‭4:1-12, 14-18, 20-26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Whew, that was a long passage. If you stuck through it, I am glad! 

In a very transparent way, I would like to tell you that lately, for the first time in a long time, my well is running a little low as of late.

For a strand of months, I have been fighting sleepiness, apathy, and distraction in my morning time devotions. My intentions do not equal my actions, and before I know it, my 

6 am wake-up has unfolded to 7:15, and I am scrambling to get a shower, no closer to the Savior than I was the day before.

We are busy, yes. But no more than in previous school years. I cannot say for sure why I am currently experiencing a dry season in my walk with Jesus, but I am living in a haze of sorts these days. I am ok. I will get back on track for certain. But in this season, I find that my greatest enemy is prayerlessness. It’s not a habit I recommend. I can’t afford not to pray for those I love.  

When the spiritual well is low, I can say for myself, my peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22) are all suffering, too. And I can imagine the same was true for the Samaritan woman at the well. After a lifetime of chasing men, she was no closer to the Savior than yesterday either. Likely, she was bearing none of those fruits.

What’s interesting to note is that Jesus, fully God, fully man, did not NEED her to dip in the well for him. He could have managed to quench his thirst in any way He desired.  

On the contrary, SHE needed Him to to be there. She was the one living in a desert season (or desert life, for that matter).  She was absolutely parched spiritually, and all she needed was to sit with Him that day... to linger with him and bask in His presence and be FILLED to live a life that honors Him.

That’s exactly what Jesus calls us to do today. If our device or our bed pillow has replaced the time we simply sit with our Savior, our wells will evaporate. We will walk around parched, desperately needing to be filled. No amount of Prime deals or social media will FILL us.

For the days that accumulate between my morning prayer and devotional routine, my heart has hardened to God’s word and His Spirit…. Make no mistake— His Spirit has not left me, but my senses are dulled, I am elusive, and my intentions grow lax.

If anything, I pray that I can live a life of intention. ——-

Intentional in learning from God’s Word. 

Intentional about loving others I come across in my day. 

Intentional in parenting to bestow the best of Godly wisdom to our children.

Today and every day, may you and I both stop and be with Jesus at the well. Let us rest, renew, and be filled with Living Water!

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭

Photo by Frank Albrecht on Unsplash