My son comes up to me with scrapes and bruises almost daily. Sometimes, he’s crying for me to give them a kiss. Sometimes, he just wants to show me his ow-ies like it’s a prize he just won.
But, when it’s the scrapes and bruises that hurt, he comes straight to me with out-stretched arms wanting the comfort of his mama.
I try not to react saying, “Oh my goodness! Are you okay? That looks like it hurts.” He’s coming to me for comfort. So, if I react in a way that reinforces his discomfort, he is going to continue to cry (and possibly cry about it throughout the day).
So, instead I give him a hug and ask what happened. He tells me his story through his tears. When he’s done, I give him a kiss on his cheek and tell him, “Son, you are so brave and strong. Let’s clean your ow-ie. It’ll still hurt for only a little bit; but, then it won’t bother you anymore.” And he goes on his merry way playing again like nothing happened.
Why? Because, “worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word lifts a person up,” (Proverbs 12:25). I try to encourage my son in any situation (good or bad). Every moment is a teachable moment. After all, my son is in my life to learn about life and become who he was born to be.
Isn’t this how my relationship is suppose to be with God? Oh yes, yes and yes.
Every worry. Every hurt. Every happy moment. I should run to my father with open arms and share it with him.
Philippians 4:16 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
When, I pray and lift my worries and hurts up to God, my heart changes. My bad moods, when motherhood gets hard, go away. Instead of keeping my worries bottled up, I should be more child-like and run to my heavenly dad with out-stretched arms. He’s there to comfort me and tell me how brave and strong I am, that my worries and hurts are only temporary and won’t bother me anymore.
“Take delight in the Lord , and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord . Trust him, and he will help you.” (Psalms 37:4-5)
Isn’t it so easy to give your child his heart’s desire when he’s doing what he’s suppose to be doing? I know that I don’t like giving mys son a fruit snack after he was mean to sister. Maybe it’s not the same; but, when I’m living according to my calling, my ministry called Mom, I know that God will give me the desires of my heart. When I want my worries to go away, he will take them away. When I need help, he will help me (of course in the way that is best for me; sometimes I need struggles and tests of patience because God wants me to grow).
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalms 107:1)
I love it when my son and daughter are so happy that they tell me, “thank you, Mama!” It just warms my heart that I can’t help but say, “You’re welcome. I love you!” When I have a mom win of the day, I get so excited. Sometimes, a mom win is few and far between. Sometimes, I have a couple twice in a row {insert happy dance}. When I get that excited, I shout, “Thank you God!” It’s awesome to have a great day. I have to be thankful for it. It’s so easy to go to God when there’s a problem. But, he loves hearing about successes and good days. He wants me to come to him about everything, not just the bad.
What’s even more awesome, is that his faithful love endures forever. It never changes. He will always love me, just like I will always love my kiddos. My kiddos can count on my love for them. It’s just the same or even more with God’s love. No matter how much I mess up or think I’m the most awful mom in the world, he will love me. He will be there for me. That won’t ever change. That makes me feel the most comfort of all.
Mama, every worry, every hurt, every happy moment, run to our heavenly dad. That’s what makes motherhood and life so enjoyable.
Read
- Proverbs 12:25
- Philippians 4:16
- Psalms 37:4-5
- Psalms 107:1
Reflect
- What worries and/or hurts have I been bottling up? List them.
- How can I put my worries and/or hurts in my prayers daily?
- What are some successes that I can share with God today?
Act
- Sometimes, giving up a worry can be hard. Start with one and work your way up to all of them. But, once you give them all up and pray about everything with full trust that God will take care of you, you will see such a huge difference.
I am such a worrier! These verses were so encouraging! I know I need to run straight to my heavenly Father. Thanks for the reminder!
I worry a lot too! It’s so easy to do, especially being a mama of little ones. We can definitely give up our worries. We will support each other, Stephanie!
Such a great post Lu! Absolutely love it.
Thank you Lindsay! That means so much to me, especially coming from you with all your bible wisdom. Love you, friend!
Great post, Lu!! Love everything about this. Letting go of worry is tough but LIFE CHANGING!
It really is life changing for certain. It takes a great weight off of you and gives you more quality time with the ones you love!