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Thursday, May 27, 2010

You Are Captivating


Last week I was given a little book by my Step-Father, John. The title is You Are Captivating: Celebrating A Mother's Heart by Stasi Eldredge. She is Coauthor of the Bestseller Captivating. It is an uplifting book about being a Mother. I have not had time to read it cover to cover yet, but I have scanned through each chapter. One in particular speaks to me. Chapter 6--God Sees the Good that is Hidden. It points out every day things that ring true to me...read below...

A woman's life, lived in intimate partnership with God, is a beautiful thing to behold. Often, however, the only one who seems to be doing the "beholding" is God himself.

Whether we work full-time outside of the home, full-time within the home, or some creative gymnastic combination of the both, so much of a woman's life is lived in secret; hidden from the eyes of the world and the accolades of others. So much of it feels mundane. You don't get an award for doing your 100,000th load of laundry. Your family expects to eat dinner. So much of what women do feels thankless, unappreciated, unseen. But God sees. And he esteems most what is done away from the eyes of others. He loves hidden, secret, small places. He does his best work there-in the home, in the womb, and in the heart.

Then it touches on personal sacrifice that we all as mothers know about...

Every choice you make to love, to serve, to offer, to sacrifice, God sees and is so very pleased. You are joining him in the amazing work of bringing forth life every time you say yes because it's the loving thing to do. Every single time we choose to put our children first, before our needs and wants, before our dreams and our desires, before our rights and what we deserve, a little bit of our selfishness dies and a little more holiness takes root in our hearts.

"Being a mother has brought out the best and the worst in me"....that's a quote from the book. It could not be more true! It truly brings out the best in you....how many times have I responded to my husband with "I can't do that....I'm a mother."?

And yes, it will bring out the worst as well. You still have an urge deep down to at times still want to be your "old" self. Wanting to do things that you used to be able to do never goes away. It's just a matter of choosing how often you will choose those things over your children. There is the occasional slip. BUT...it does not make you a Bad Mother! Sometimes you need a little time to yourself to do things for yourself...pamper yourself...in order to be re energized and rejuvenated in order to be a better parent. ......and NEVER let anyone tell you any different. This could be a day trip with a friend, a vacation with friends or family, a weekend spa getaway or even just a simple shopping trip to town without the kids in tow. Dad's...listen up....Moms need alone time, too!

So, if you have not picked up this little book....please do. It will help you feel more emotionally secure as a mother. And thank you to my Step-Father for the kind gesture.

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