Manna For Moms

Devotions for Moms Like You!

August 2009

Winning

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

At three and a half, my son, Kenny, loved learning to do the things Daddy did. Once, while my husband was shaving, Kenny climbed up on the closed toilet seat, which was next to the vanity, and began trying to “shave” his own face with a spoon he’d brought for the purpose.

Oh, he still loved to cuddle with me and to do some of the things I did, but he was old enough to know that he was a boy like Daddy was, and his God-given instincts told him that he should learn to be like Daddy.

He was also convinced (and probably still is) that Daddy could do anything. Daddy was the best, the fastest, and the tallest. And Kenny knew in his heart that if he tried hard enough, he could be just like Daddy.

I don’t remember the exact circumstances on this particular day. All I remember was that Kenny wanted to race. The girls and I were there, too, and Kenny wanted to beat us to the van, or wherever we were going.

He even had a strategy. He was going to hold Daddy’s hand. “I’ll hold Daddy’s hand so I can run as fast as him, and maybe we can win,” Kenny said.

What a beautiful strategy, for three reasons.

First, if there was going to be a race, Kenny wanted to race with his daddy. “I’ll hold Daddy’s hand,” he said. He intended to link himself to his daddy so that they could run the race together. He knew that being on Daddy’s team was his best chance of winning.

Second, Kenny believed that if he held daddy’s hand, he would be able to run like Daddy. Kenny knew that by himself, he wouldn’t win the race. But linked with Daddy, he would be able to run like Daddy could because Daddy would make it so.

Third, with Daddy, he believed he could win. He trusted his father’s ability to lead both of them across the finish line first.

Friend, do we relate to our heavenly Father as beautifully as Kenny related to his earthly one? Do we want to be with Him in this race called life? Is He our first choice for a teammate, knowing that we have to run? If we are honest, most of us would say that there have been times we have chosen a friend or family member to be on our team, with God in the background to be a consultant if we get stuck. But as Kenny joyfully chose his daddy and joined his team, so should we choose to be on our heavenly Father’s team. This means more than just accepting His invitation to become a Christian. It means staying on His team, choosing Him repeatedly, as many times as things come up, to be the One to run with us toward the finish line.

Kenny also believed that his daddy could make him enough like himself so that Kenny could win. I can’t think of a better statement of God’s purpose for us. His goal is to make us like Himself by conforming us to the image of His beloved Son, so that we can win, thereby showing forth His glory. And that, precious mommy, is winning—being like Him. If we’re like Him, we have won.

What race are you running today?

Whether you’re racing against loneliness, grief, temptation, disappointment, physical illness, stress, or lack of sleep, do what Kenny did.

First, choose to run with your Father. Don’t choose someone else to run with, and leave God to stand on the sidelines, cheering you on. Run with Him.

Second, believe and trust that God can do more than anything you ask or imagine in making you like Him.

Finally, remember that when you are like Him, you win. Your circumstances may not change. In fact, they may be very bad, or even tragic. But if you define winning as being conformed to the likeness of Jesus, then you can win in the midst of loss.

And running with the Father, you will.

Ephesians 3:20-21—Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Loving Two

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

Shortly before my first child was born, I quit work to begin staying home. When she arrived, at six pounds and five ounces of precious perfection, I was thrilled. All the effort that had formerly gone into my career, I now put into my relationship with my daughter and being the best mom I could be.

We took walks together, played together, and listened to music together. I was delighted with everything about her. Ellie was bright and curious and fun to be with, and she was beautiful. Not only that, but she was a great sleeper. I was completely in love.

Nine months after her birth, I found out I was pregnant again.

My husband and I had wanted to become pregnant, and we were elated that it had happened. So I expected the excitement. What I didn’t expect, as my due date drew closer, were the mixed feelings about giving up my time alone with my precious firstborn.

By that point, Ellie was almost eighteen months old. She could walk and run, and she could even talk quite well for her age. She was full of personality, and we had really bonded.

I had mixed emotions about bringing another baby into the house. On the one hand, I was very excited. On the other hand, I was mourning the loss of my and Ellie’s special one-on-one time together.

And, if I was being completely honest with myself, I also had to acknowledge one nagging worry: how could I ever love a second child as much as I loved Ellie?

Friends of mine who had more than one child told me they didn’t know how it worked exactly, but God gives moms enough love for each child they bear. You don’t love the first one the most, the second one a little less, the third one less than that, and the fourth one not at all. It’ll happen, they assured me. Don’t worry.

I tried to take their advice, but I still wondered. Would it really happen? If so, how?

I found out how when Kenny was born. Maybe it’s more accurate to say that while I didn’t find out how, I found that every word of what my friends had said was true. I loved him as much as I loved Ellie. Somehow, instantly, it was true. I hadn’t yet built a relationship with him as I had with her. That would come later. But my love for him was there now, just because he was there and he was mine.

Aren’t you glad that God loves His subsequent children as much as He loves His first, too?

Aren’t you grateful that God has just as much love for you as He does for the first Christian?

And what a blessing it is to know that because of the never-ending nature of His love, God will have as much love available for your child as He has for you.

Let me offer you an even more incredible thought.

Isn’t it absolutely astonishing that God loves us as much as He loves Jesus, His firstborn?

It’s easy for us to acknowledge the all-surpassing love God has for His Son, Jesus. That’s different, we think.

But it’s not. Friend, the same overflowing, boundless love that He gives to His Son, He extends to you and me.

Can you even begin to wrap your mind around that amazing fact? That God loves you fully and completely, as much as He loved His Son, Jesus?

You see, God so loved the world that He gave His Son to die for us and redeem us. He would not give His precious Son on behalf of people He didn’t care about.

Human words aren’t adequate to describe the extent of God’s love for us. For you. For me. But God’s Holy Spirit is adequate.

Bow before Him now. Ask Him to help your spirit to absorb His love. Let it begin to trickle into the tiniest corners of your soul, until it fills you up and permeates your entire being. And even then, you will not know the full extent of it.

But oh, friend, if we can grasp even the tiniest spark of God’s love—if we can begin to realize just how much He loves us—it will change us completely.

Ask Him to help you realize His love in a way you never have before. Your life will never be the same.

John 3:16—For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Safety

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

My youngest, Jessica, is fascinated with how things work and what she can make them do. She loves watching us use a particular object, then trying to do the same thing with it herself. She also likes to figure things out on her own.

A couple months ago, I was sitting at the computer, and Jessica was crouched on the floor nearby playing with a toy. She wasn’t really familiar with it, and she was exploring it. After whacking on it in various ways for awhile, she suddenly hit the wrong button, and the toy started playing really loud music.

Immediately, she straightened up and came running the few feet to me, wanting up in my lap. I picked her up, and she looked back at the toy, giving it a wary glance.

I reassured her that everything was okay, and she soon got down and began playing with the toy again. It wasn’t frightening anymore, because she knew what to expect.

But when she was scared, she did exactly the best thing, in terms of what would produce the most immediate, best comfort: she ran to her mommy. Her first instinct was to seek comfort from me.

Do our instincts work the same way? When we are frightened, is our first reaction to run to the arms of our heavenly Father?

Often, it isn’t. We call a friend, or we read a book about fear, or we try some other technique we learned somewhere to take our mind off our emotions. There’s nothing wrong with doing any of those things, but why are they our first reaction? Why don’t we seek God first?

I’ve caught myself many times remembering to seek God in a particular matter only after I’ve sought counsel from others. Sometimes, it feels like I simply must talk to someone else about whatever happened, and I pick up the phone. Why do I think any human being can give me better help than God can?

Sometimes, God does touch us through others. I can think of times when God has ministered to me through someone else’s words, and I’m sure you can think of times when you’ve been ministered to in this way, too. But I don’t want God to be an afterthought. I want Him to be my First thought.

I want to seek Him as instinctively as Jessica sought me when she was scared. She didn’t take time to call a friend or read a book, and it wasn’t just because she doesn’t know how to read or use the phone. It was simply because when she was scared, she wanted Mommy. I want my seeking God when I’m troubled to be equally instinctive.

You see, whether we realize it or not, we need Him as desperately as Jessica needed me that moment. Not just when we’re scared, but every moment of every day. I want seeking Him to be as natural for me as breathing is. I want it to be both my first thought and my last, and to color every thought in between.

I know you do, too.

Let’s both do something this week. Let’s bow before God and confess our utter insufficiency in and of ourselves, and His complete sufficiency. Let’s tell Him that we want Him to be our “best thought, by day or by night”—that we want to live in an attitude of seeking Him. Then, let’s ask Him so to change and order our hearts and minds that we seek Him as naturally as we seek our next breath.

Beloved, nothing could make more of a difference in our lives, or be more worthwhile. Because the incredible thing is, when we seek Him, He has promised that we will find Him. He will reveal Himself to us. I guarantee that no phone call, no book, could ever satisfy you more.

Psalm 73:28—But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Fountain of Fun

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

I bet you can identify with the mom who wrote to me that her son is always asking her if they are going to do something fun. It’s hard, she explained, when you’re already spread thin emotionally, financially, etc., to come up with fun things to do, and then, as soon as you’ve finished one fun activity, to have your children want to know what fun thing you are going to do next.

I know I can certainly identify with her.

All of us have times when we are spread thin. Maybe our finances are tight this week, this month, or this year. Maybe we’ve been pouring ourselves out emotionally in so many different directions that there isn’t much left for us. Yet during those times, we still have to parent. When we’re too exhausted or stressed, we still have to think of things to do with our children.

So when we scrape the bottom of the barrel to come up with something, and our kids barely finish it before they want to know what’s next, it’s hard.

Even when we’re not spread thin, and life is reasonably satisfactory for the time being, it’s still annoying to have our children ask what’s next before we’ve even had time to ask them how they liked the first bit of fun.

Most of us have had this happen to us, at least once or twice. We know how exasperating it can be.

How much more exasperated, then, must Jesus have felt when the people around Him were always seeking a miracle?

We know how He felt. You’re not coming to me for my teaching, He told them. You’re coming for the miracles. In other words, He was saying, Look, I know you just want to be entertained. You don’t want me. You want the show.

Are we the same way? Do we demand that God always put on a show to keep us entertained? Do we complain when Christianity gets “boring” and we have to exercise some discipline to keep following through with prayer, reading the Bible, or going to church?

What is it we’re expecting from our relationship with God, anyway?

Far too often, we’re not seeking God Himself. We’re seeking how following Him makes us feel.

Please don’t misunderstand me. Living in relationship with God certainly can be exciting. It’s often new, as when He teaches us something. It’s fine to enjoy the mountaintop experiences when we have them. In fact, we should enjoy them. But if we are seeking the experience rather than seeking God, we have made an idol of our emotions and relegated God to second place or even further down the list.

Precious mommy, are you seeking God Himself, or are you seeking the fun? Where is your focus?

I pray that you and I both will walk closely with Him and keep our eyes on Him. I pray that even the most wonderful or the most terrible things that happen to us will not be enough to cause us to take our eyes off of God and focus on the experience.

But it’s hard. So I suggest you do the same thing I am going to do. Pray. Ask God to keep your focus on Him, where it belongs, and to convict you when it slips. Confess your lack of proper focus. Acknowledge His worthiness as the supreme Person upon Whom we should fix our eyes, and praise Him.

See? Your focus is back where it belongs. Rely on Him to help you keep it there.

2 Corinthians 4:18— So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Hebrews 12:2—Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Counting

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

love the age my children are now for many reasons. Not the least of these is the fact that my children think I know everything, or pretty close to it. They’re also pretty sure I can do everything. I love it when they come to me and ask me to do something that’s too hard for them, with total confidence that I can do what they can’t. It never even seems to enter their minds that I might not be able to do something. When, on occasion, I have to admit that I can’t do what they’re asking (carry a child or two as well as my purse, a diaper bag, and fourteen bags of groceries) or don’t know the answer to their question (“Mommy? How big is Jupiter?”), they are surprised.

They are also easily impressed. Feats of strength and creativity that seem average to me are incredible to my children. For example, one day shortly after turning five, Ellie was practicing counting. She would think of huge numbers (some of which were real) and try to count to them. Sometimes, however, she would get stuck on which number came next. So she turned to me.

“Mommy, are you a good counter?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m a very good counter,” I said.

“Can you count to 800?”

“Yes.”

“Can you count to twenty-hundred?”

“Yes. That would be two thousand.”

“Can you count to the last number hundred?”

“There’s not really a last number, but I could keep counting forever,” I said.

“Wow!” Ellie exclaimed, amazed.

As far as Ellie knew, I was a math genius, and she was impressed.

Friend, you and I live every day in the presence of One Who is truly a genius. Actually, “genius” doesn’t even begin to encompass the magnitude of His abilities in every area we can imagine. So why aren’t we more impressed with Him?

God is capable of far more than we can imagine. He can do vastly more than we, being limited and finite, can do or ever will be able to do no matter how hard we might try. Yet we fail to be half as impressed with His extraordinary abilities as Ellie was with my average ones.

When was the last time you stood in awe of God’s magnificence? When was the last time you were truly impressed, so much so that your heart was moved to praise, or maybe to silence?

Oh, sure, we know that God can do incredible things. We know about all the miracles described in the Bible. Yep, pretty neat, we think to ourselves, and we never really stop to contemplate the greatness of the One who commands the elemental forces of nature and the hearts of kings with only a word.

You and I can’t even sustain a single breath on our own. We are dependent on Him for the very movement of air in and out of our lungs. He is the One Who provides us the air to breathe and properly functioning lungs with which to breathe it.

You and I can’t create anything if we start with nothing.

We can’t speak a word and cause something to come into being.

We can’t orchestrate the entire universe so that our master plan comes to fruition.

You and I should be in serious awe of our majestic God.

Spend some time just being in awe today. Go before God. Ask Him to forgive you for taking Him for granted, if you need to do that. Ask that He grant you a fresh appreciation of His incredible power and skill in superintending the universe in general and your life in particular.

Then praise Him for all He is, and all He has done, is doing, and will do.

It’ll be a taste of the worship we’ll be privileged to render unto Him for all eternity.

Psalm 113:5—Who is like the Lord our God, the one who sits enthroned on high?

Psalm 145:3—Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

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