Everywhere you go you see it: parents snapping endless pictures of posing, fake-smiling children.
"Stand by your sister!"
"Put your hands down!"
"Stop crying!"
"Can we get this over with?!"
"Just one more!"
"Look over here!"
And on it goes.
Every tourist attraction, childhood vacation, day trip, field trip, or even quick little excursion to a park is filled with never ending snapshots of unruly children. And now with the omnipresence of smartphones there is always a camera to be had.
I probably used to be that mom. Always dreaming of snapping the perfect photo -- one that would be worthy of a beautiful frame and hanging on the wall in the perfect place forever. One that visitors would admire and insist that a professional had caught at precisely the right moment.
But one day something struck me. I realized that I was viewing my children's happiest days through the viewfinder of a camera. Always seeing their laughter and antics through a tiny square instead of in the panoramic view of reality. Not only was I not getting any pictures worth framing, I was also not remembering any of our most memorable times together.
I got rid of the camera. I stopped asking them to pose on the playground, in front of the sign marking our trips, with the stranger who was there to pose with tourists, with the pretty flowers they didn't care about. Those weren't the things we needed to remember. We needed to remember how we smiled, how the flowers smelled, the way the wind felt as we ran through the park, the sounds echoing through the historic landmarks we explored together.
I don't need drives filled with unmarked photos. I don't even need albums full of carefully scrapbooked pictures. I will take the actual memories in my head over those things any day.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Being a mom
Why do so many moms feel inadequate? Why isn't being a mom enough for them? Why do they need "extra credit" for being who God has called them to be?
I don't crave attention. I don't need congratulations for doing my "mom job" each day. I get up, I get the kids ready, I send them off to school. Sometimes I plop back down on the couch, sometimes I even go back to bed for a few hours! And sometimes I have to be responsible and actually accomplish stuff. I don't expect a high five when I get laundry done; I don't expect a bonus check when the dishes are all clean at the same time. It's part of my job.
God has called moms and wives to be keepers of the home. You can argue all you want that "things have changed" and that you "need to work" or whatever you want to say. Bottom line is this: if you are married and your husband works, you can find a way to stay home with your children. Cancel the cable, get over having brand new car every two years, stop convincing yourself that you "deserve" a vacation every few months. Your children need you. These are the most important years of their lives, and probably yours.
Satan wants us to be selfish. And indeed, it is in our nature from birth. Our nation does plenty to instill the "entitlement" doctrine in us, too. Everyone feel that they "deserve" stuff, that they have "earned" something. We cannot truly be at peace with ourselves and who we are until we are content with who we are and what we have. God has put you exactly where you are for a reason. BE CONTENT WITH THAT REASON, but also be still ... and listen to his voice and where it may take you. And I can assure you that it is not telling you to buy a brand new car or tv just because you are sick of yours, and I'm betting that a $10,000, 2-week vacation to Europe (all on the credit card) probably isn't what his voice is telling you to do either.
Moms, take heart. Our job can be frustrating. But until you embrace each day for what it is you will never learn to be content with where God has placed you. No one said the job was easy but then I don't know why you would have expected that in the first place.
Don't let your heart be tricked by Satan. Don't let your soul be uneasy and unsettled. Find your peace in what God has planned for you, and take heart in the fact that he has a purpose for your life. He has placed you exactly where you are most needed right now.
I don't crave attention. I don't need congratulations for doing my "mom job" each day. I get up, I get the kids ready, I send them off to school. Sometimes I plop back down on the couch, sometimes I even go back to bed for a few hours! And sometimes I have to be responsible and actually accomplish stuff. I don't expect a high five when I get laundry done; I don't expect a bonus check when the dishes are all clean at the same time. It's part of my job.
God has called moms and wives to be keepers of the home. You can argue all you want that "things have changed" and that you "need to work" or whatever you want to say. Bottom line is this: if you are married and your husband works, you can find a way to stay home with your children. Cancel the cable, get over having brand new car every two years, stop convincing yourself that you "deserve" a vacation every few months. Your children need you. These are the most important years of their lives, and probably yours.
Satan wants us to be selfish. And indeed, it is in our nature from birth. Our nation does plenty to instill the "entitlement" doctrine in us, too. Everyone feel that they "deserve" stuff, that they have "earned" something. We cannot truly be at peace with ourselves and who we are until we are content with who we are and what we have. God has put you exactly where you are for a reason. BE CONTENT WITH THAT REASON, but also be still ... and listen to his voice and where it may take you. And I can assure you that it is not telling you to buy a brand new car or tv just because you are sick of yours, and I'm betting that a $10,000, 2-week vacation to Europe (all on the credit card) probably isn't what his voice is telling you to do either.
Moms, take heart. Our job can be frustrating. But until you embrace each day for what it is you will never learn to be content with where God has placed you. No one said the job was easy but then I don't know why you would have expected that in the first place.
Don't let your heart be tricked by Satan. Don't let your soul be uneasy and unsettled. Find your peace in what God has planned for you, and take heart in the fact that he has a purpose for your life. He has placed you exactly where you are most needed right now.
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5
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