blessed

Some blessings from God are undeniable, His goodness abounds. However, some blessings we may miss if we are not focusing on Him. Some are found in unexpected places.

A baby! My sister-in-law just had a beautiful baby. I haven’t even seen him yet and I know he is beautiful. He is a gift from God, how could he be anything else.

A new job! My husband recently got a new job that he hadn’t even been looking for but it has afforded him so much opportunity in such a short period of time.

An “A”! My daughter is a college sophomore and is finishing up another semester with top grades. So much to be thankful for. Abundant blessings from God.

…because of the God of your father, who will help you, because of the sovereign God, who will bless you with blessings from the sky above, blessings from the deep that lies below, and blessings of the breasts and womb.

Genesis 49:25

But what about “Mommy my ear hurts!” or “You aren’t doing enough Heather. I think you can do a better job.” Are these blessings? Could they be? Yes, I think they could be. Maybe not in the moment, but they can be.

Last year I got a “neutral” evaluation at work. I have never had anything but a stellar review in 20+ years. It was very hard to hear. I wanted to fuss, make excuses, blame others. But the truth is that I was working with no joy for what I was doing. I wasn’t blessing others so I didn’t deserve to be blessed. What I did deserve was a wake up call that made me draw closer to God. My Heavenly Father was there in my time of need. He pressed upon me to pray. I could hear His voice in my head so clearly, “Talk to Me. Let Me be a part of your life.”

Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.

Matthew 21:21

No mom ever wants their child to be hurt or sick. So how can “Mommy my ear hurts!” be a blessing? First it is another opportunity to pray. Invite God into the situation. Second, it gives everyone a chance to slow down. Even if it is only for the day, those snuggles, time to play together, and just a moment to relax are precious gifts. Blessings.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

I don’t want you to think I believe God allows bad things to happen. I categorically denounce that idea. Satan is alive and well in our world, sin runs rampant. Bad things, unspeakable things happen. But God is there. He will hold you and tighten His hold to help you get through. You will never be alone…and that is the true blessing.

‘no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the Lord.

Isaiah 54:17

You have heard “when the world hands you lemons make lemonade.” That is what God wants from us. Make a life that glorifies Him, invite Him into the brokenness. He will sweeten your experience and love you through it all.

My blessing is on those people who trust in me, who put their confidence in me.

Jeremiah 17:7

Dear God,

Bless our hearts. Attune them to your voice. Let Your love surround us and tighten in our times of need. Thank You for always being there for us. You are my best friend because in You I find my truest and best self. Thank you for that blessing.

Love,

All scripture used is from the New International Version.

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Galina N

Even in the difficult times, God is pursuing us and longs to pour blessings upon us.

Mother’s day is coming to a close, and I hope you have had a restful day of adoration from your children. I have been showered with hand-made cards, flowers, and a day spent hiking in the mountains and hiding in my room. Yep, my hubby has allowed me to hide away and be alone. It’s beautiful. The children are either running, screaming, or crying, but I don’t care. He’s got it all under control, and I have a glass of wine.

For years, Mother’s Day was difficult for me because I had lost my mom to cancer. I would spend it watching Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. The tag line for the movie was, “Mothers. Daughters. The never-ending story of good vs. evil.” Yep, that pretty much sums it up. I would laugh and cry the whole way through. And then… I became a mom. Thus began the tradition of breakfast in bed, construction paper cards, and feeling honored.

Honestly, what I really want on this day is to not have to do anything. To not have to feed any children. To not have to change a diaper. To not have to pick up toys. To not listen to crying, or whining, or arguing. Pretty much, I don’t want to be a mom on Mother’s day.

I know this will change. There will soon be a day when I will want all my children near me to celebrate this day, and a day I will feel sad because they are no longer near by. And my heart aches when I think about those who desperately want to be a mom, and have not been able to take that journey. I won’t stay in this place for long, but for now, this is how it is.

The stages of Mother’s Day

I so badly want to be a mom!

I’m so excited to be a mom!

I don’t want to be a mom today!

I love being a mom!

I miss my kids. Oh look, grandchildren!

Here is what some of you have said about your ideal versus actual Mother’s Day

Mom of 4 ages 10-14

Ideal: Church and then a relaxing day spent mostly outdoors. I’d love to go hiking and have a picnic that I don’t have to prepare or clean up after.

Actual: Church, then go to my mom’s and cook omelets with my sister for our families. After that, cook dinner and take it to my mother-in-law’s house. I thoroughly enjoyed it last year thinking of other mothers rather than myself.

Mom of 4 ages 14-18

Ideal: Take a walk, go out to breakfast, have someone else make lunch. And go spend the day with my husband somewhere.

Actual: I will go take my mother-in-law lunch because it is also her birthday.

Mom of 1 age 13 months

Ideal: Spending part of the day receiving some form of pampering (mani/pedi, massage, hair appointment) coming home to a clean house and not having to cook the rest of the day.

Actual: Spend the prior week cleaning so I can enjoy a clean house on Mother’s day, go to church, go out for lunch, and hangout with family the rest of the day.

Mom of 3, grandmother to 6

Ideal: All my children and grandchildren will be gathered in my home for a cookout. It will be a day of laughter and good food with good conversation while the children play and run in and out. I will grab hugs and kisses as they run by.

Actual: Church, eat lunch, visit my mom at the nursing home. Kind of makes me sad to think about it.

Mom of 3, ages 6-14

Ideal: For years I dreaded mothers day. It was a reminder to me of what I didn’t have and was told I could never have. There is so much heartache wrapped up in that one day. It was truly a day of mourning. For so many years I dreamed about it and prayed that that day would become a happy day for me. So when I finally became a mother myself, that became one of my favorite days. It is a day of deep reflection for me every year. It is very emotional. I pray I will never forget those emotions. There is nothing I would rather be doing on that day than to be with my babies that made me a mom.

Actual: My second favorite day of the year is the kid’s birthday party. This year their birthday party will be on Mother’s day. For me, it doesn’t get better than that and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my day.

Mom of 3, ages 8-14

Ideal: To take a day trip with my mom and soak up good foods and sights. In years past though, I wanted a day off from being mom. I wanted to be completely alone with no mommy responsibilities!

Actual: Spend the day with my hubby and kids, probably grilling out and playing games-which is a close second to what I wish I could do.

Mom of 3 ages 9-15

Ideal: Spend time with my husband and kids, having meals catered in, and cleaned up by hired help, playing games without any arguments and perhaps watching a movie together as a family.

Actual: Going to church, spending time with the family playing tennis or games. Unfortunately, there probably will be arguments. Also I will either be supervising kids making a mess of the kitchen and/or cleaning up behind them. Or I will be kicked out of the kitchen by my husband and therefore we’re not spending time together.

Mom of 2 ages 10-13

Ideal: Wake up after sleeping in, go on a family hike with a picnic in the mountains, come home to eat take out, watch a good movie, and go to bed early.

Actual: It’s really just a normal Sunday. They do make me breakfast, then we go to church, then come home, cook, clean, and host mothers day dinner. My husband does do the clean up after dinner.

I am truly so fortunate to have my husband and children. And even though a day off would be nice, a day to love those children is so much more. I feel humbled that they want to honor me in any way they know how. If your “actual” isn’t your “ideal” know that you are not alone. And know that even though you may not get to spend this day the way you would like, that you are still honored and loved and blessed.

Happy Mother’s Day! xoxo

Blessings: Seeing the Unexpected Goodness of God

All scripture used is from the New International Version.

If you have found this inspiring, share the encouragement…

Even in the difficult times, God is pursuing us and longs to pour blessings upon us.

Mother’s Day: Ideal vs. Actual

The stages of Mother’s Day

Here is what some of you have said about your ideal versus actual Mother’s Day