Manna For Moms

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Encouragement for Moms

A New Year’s Prayer for Moms

Megan Breedlove No Comments

New Year's Prayer for Moms

A New Year’s Prayer for Moms
(Reposted from January 1, 2013)

Father God,

You are holy, awesome, and loving.
You are wise, kind, and good.
Your ways are perfect, and Your judgments are just.
We begin the new year by bowing before You in praise,
Offering You all of ourselves—
Our bodies, souls, and spirits,
Our desires, thoughts, and actions,
Our very lives.

We need you, Lord.
We need Your love, mercy, and faithfulness.
We need Your wisdom and instruction.
We need You, for You are Life Itself.
Teach us to know You, to love You, and to seek You,
Until doing so becomes as natural for us
As breathing.

May we breathe You into our spirit,
Allowing You fill our lives,
And then breathe You out to our precious children.
We want them to see You in us,
To know You through us,
And then to love You with us.

Lord, we confess that as we shepherd Your littlest sheep,
We desperately need Your help every day.
Every moment.
We deeply desire to love them as You would—
With infinite patience, creativity, and kindness.
But we don’t have the wisdom to rightly love our children.
Apart from You, we don’t have the generosity or unselfishness.
Often, we lack the energy.
We need You to strengthen and encourage us.
We need You to teach us.
We need You to forgive us when we fail.
We need You to make us the moms You desire us to be—
The moms our children deserve.

We want to do what is right for Your lambs.
And we know that You want that even more,
Because You love our children
Even more than we do.
You created them, You love them,
And You’ve given us the privilege of shepherding them
For awhile.

We humbly and gratefully acknowledge the gift of our children,
And we ask You to make us worthy of that gift,
This year and every year.
May everything we do as a mom
Be for their benefit
And for Your glory.
This we ask in the name of Your precious Son, Jesus,
Who once needed a mother’s love too.

Amen.

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A Prayer for Moms at Year’s End

Megan Breedlove No Comments

A Prayer for Moms at Year's End

Father God,

The year is almost over,
This year that You granted me
To enjoy and rejoice over my precious children,
To nurture and serve them,
To love them with a love that comes from You,
To pour out my life for them
As You poured out Yours for me.

Sometimes, I served with humility and selflessness.
Thank You, God, for Your grace
That enabled me to love my children well.
May any crumb of goodness they see in me
Remind them of the feast of love that You offer them.

Other times, I served not them, but myself.
Thank You, God, for Your forgiveness
And for my children’s forgiveness.
May any wound I have caused them not make them bitter,
But instead, lead them to rejoice in Your perfect healing.

There were moments this year that were beyond precious,
When I cuddled a sleeping child or held a small hand or talked heart-to-heart.
Then there were the joyous times,
When we watched a sunset together, or rode a roller coaster, or ate ice cream cones
And let the ice cream melt all over our faces and hands.
I thank you for all these matchless memories,
And I ask You to engrave them in my heart and in my children’s hearts
Forever.

There were also moments this year that were filled with sadness or grief.
Although I never would have asked for those circumstances,
I thank You for the indescribable beauty of Your comfort.
I thank You for these memories that were precious
In a completely different way,
And I ask You to engrave the feel of Your arms around them on my children’s hearts
Forever.

Engrave in them and in me the soul-deep knowledge
That You were with us through every failure and every success,
Every heartbreaking moment and every breathtakingly beautiful one.

You were in every step we took.

You were in every season and month and week and day and minute.

You were in every beat of our hearts
And in every breath.

You were above all,
And through all,
And in all.

You were, and are, Emanuel.

God with us.

Amen.

What Your Children Would Tell You If They Could

Megan Breedlove No Comments

Mother's Day CardI hope your children told you on Mother’s Day how much they love you. I know that if they gave you carefully printed cards expressing their love, those cards meant the world to you. And if they made you breakfast in bed, or served you in some special way, I’m sure your heart rejoiced, as mine did when my children did these things for me.

All these things—the cards, the gifts, the acts of service—are ways your children express love to you. But I thought that this Mother’s Day, it might bless your heart to look at all the other things your children would say to you, if they could.

Things like, Thank you for not getting mad when I spilled my milk all over the table and it dripped onto the floor. Instead of shaming me, you said, “These things happen,” and you helped me clean it up.

Or like, The other day, when I was sick, it was great to get to lie on the couch and watch movies. But the best thing of all was when you sat by me and stroked my forehead. Thank you.

Or Somehow, just when I’m running out of things to wear, clean clothes magically appear in my dresser drawers. I don’t know how that happens, but I bet you have something to do with it. Thank you…

Thank you for letting me crawl in bed with you in the middle of the night when I had a nightmare. When I’m scared, your arms are the place I most want to be…

Thank you for making my meals even when you were sick, because Daddy was at work and you knew I couldn’t do it myself. How would I eat if it weren’t for you?…

Thank you for teaching me the same things over and over, until I could master them…

The other day, you bought me new summer clothes, even though it meant that you didn’t get to buy yourself any. I’m grateful…

Thank you for potty training me. That’s got to be one of the most frustrating parts of parenting. But you stuck with me…

Thank you for cleaning up the same messes over and over again, sometimes only 30 seconds after you cleaned them up the first time…

Thank you for all those visits to the doctor and the ER, to make sure I stayed healthy…

Thank you for all the sleep, money, and free time you sacrificed so that I could have what I needed…

Thank you for taking me to the park, and pushing me endless times in the swing, because I begged, “More!”…

Thank you for teaching me how to be a good friend, and how to react when my friends aren’t good to me…

Thank you for that special smile that makes something inside me feel warm, fuzzy, and loved…

Thank you for being proud of me, and for showing it…

For putting my stick-figure drawings up on the refrigerator…

For all those times you did my hair…

For all those times you called me your handsome “little man”…

For all those birthday parties and Christmas presents and just-because celebrations…

For praying with me and for me, and for teaching me to pray…

For all those times you loved me more than you loved yourself…

For all the pictures you took of the special moments in my life…

For changing all my diapers…

For loving me well, even when I act wrongly…

For all the ways you’ve shown me who God is and how much He loves me, by the way you pour out your life for me…

I love you beyond words. I don’t know what I’d do without you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the greatest mom in the world. I know it bothers you that you’re not perfect. But it doesn’t bother me. Nobody’s perfect, Mommy. But you’re perfect to me.

These are the things your children would say to you if they could. But they don’t understand these things. They don’t know how to put what they feel into words.

Instead, they make you carefully printed cards and serve you breakfast in bed.

But they’re saying the same thing.

Proverbs 31:27-28a—[The excellent mom] looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed. (ESV)

 

Thank You

Megan Breedlove No Comments

Housework is definitely not my favorite part of motherhood. I find it frustrating for two reasons: first, there is always something to be done. The job is never-ending; and second, when I do manage to carve a precious hour out of my day to accomplish something, it gets undone by my children in five minutes.

God has shown me, however, that whether or not housework is a burden to me all depends on my attitude. If I choose to focus on how much it inconveniences me, my attitude won’t be very joyful. If, however, I consider the significance of the fact that I have housework to do, I can be grateful instead of grumpy.

I pray that this poem will encourage you and help transform your perspective on housework. You see, having housework to do is a blessing in disguise.

Thank You

Dear Lord, Your Word says ‘don’t complain’; I know that this is true.
But when it comes to housework or chores I don’t want to do,
It’s easy to resent the things to which I must give time.
“Taking up my cross” isn’t always what I have in mind.

But Lord, you have been teaching me to see the way You see,
To realize that household tasks are blessings You gave me.
And so, I choose to give You thanks for all I have to do,
Knowing that the privilege of doing it’s from You.

Thank You for the laundry dropped in piles upon the floor,
And for the dirty pairs of shoes left right inside the door.
Thank You for the shirts and socks and coats flung everywhere,
For OxiClean and Shout and Tide—it means we’ve clothes to wear.

Dirty cups and dishes clutter countertops and sink.
I sure hope no one’s hungry; I hope no one needs a drink.
If it could all just wash itself, it would be such a treat.
But thanks for dirty dishes, too—it means we’ve food to eat.

Thank You for the sink and floor and toilet I must scrub.
Thank You for the shower; thank You for the tub.
Thank You for the mirror and wet towels I know are coming.
Thank You for this bathroom; it means we’ve indoor plumbing.

The messiness of games and toys and books covers our floors.
And did I mention dolls and blocks and drawings taped on doors?
Sometimes, I think I’ve seen my fill of Hot Wheels, Legos, bibs.
But thank You for this chaos—it means I have four kids.

My front yard isn’t landscaped. It isn’t even mown.
It’s filled with plastic toys and shovels—things that aren’t my own.
It sure won’t win “Yard of the Month”, but I don’t need that anyway.
I thank You for my lived-in yard—my kids have space to play.

There’s so much work I must get done. I do it all, and then
An hour later, it’s a mess, and must be done again.
But Lord, I thank You for the time that I can’t call my own,
The time spent serving others. It means I have a home.

Oh, forgive me, Lord, for asking You for blessings great and small,
Then complaining when I have to clean or take care of them all.
Oh, Lord, the very fact that I always have much to do
Is not a cause for bitterness, but for giving thanks to You.

I see now that every chore I have to do reflects Your grace
In blessing me with earthly things until I see Your face.
May I do my work with gratitude for the opportunity,
Seeing in it a chance for joy, and not mere drudgery.

My heart responds in thankfulness for all that You have given.
I’ll serve You by taking care of it ’til You call me to heaven.
And may I serve in such a way that the world sees Your dear Son
In my heart and hands and words and work, that to Him, they be won.

Encouragement for Moms

Megan Breedlove No Comments

As moms, we all need encouragement. During those times when we need to be supported and uplifted, we often call a mommy friend and spend time talking with her. It’s wonderful to have mommy relationships like this. But it’s even better to have a relationship with God Himself, who can provide the best encouragement that speaks most directly to our soul. We should certainly cultivate mommy relationships by both giving and receiving. But let’s not forget the encouragement that God offers us in His Word and makes meaningful to us through the ministry of His Holy Spirit.

I’d like to share with you two verses that encourage me in my role as a mom.

The first is 1 Corinthians 15:58:

Therefore, my dear [sisters], stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Did you catch that? Our labor in the Lord-our mothering-is not in vain. It may look sometimes as if it’s in vain, but it’s not. God promises us that it’s not. Cling to that, mommy friend, when you’re exhausted or discouraged; when it seems like you’ve corrected the same misbehavior a thousand times, yet it still occurs; or when your prayers for your children seem to be going unanswered.

Our labor is not in vain.

The second is Matthew 25:40:

The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Jesus didn’t say, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these, I appreciate it.” He said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did it for Me.”

I was meditating on that verse one day a few years ago when God caused me to realize the implications. If everything I do as a mother is really done for Jesus Himself, then even changing a diaper takes on a vast, spiritual significance. Even the mundane, thankless tasks of motherhood become immensely significant. Why? Because we do them not primarily for our children, but for Jesus. Jesus takes our service personally.

I wrote a poem illustrating this realization. I refer to it occasionally when I need to be reminded that what I do matters. I’d like to share it with you in the hopes that it will encourage you, too.

Click here for the poem – “Loving Jesus”

Loving Jesus

Megan Breedlove 6 Comments

I started my day early,
Before the room was light.
I lifted my son from his crib
And wished it was still night.
But as I held him close and said,
“Hi, Kenneth, precious one,”
I knew that as I greeted him,
I greeted too God’s Son.

When my daughter woke up later,
Calling, “Mommy! Mommy! Down!”
I picked her up and hugged her
In her worn Elmo nightgown.
I know she felt the closeness
That a mother’s touch affords.
I welcomed not just Ellie,
But so, too, the Lord of Lords.

That day, I mixed some formula
And opened jars of peas.
I fixed some “pizza butter” bread
When she grinned and said, “Pleeeeease.”
I heated up some leftovers;
I had to nuke them twice.
And when I fed my children,
I was feeding Jesus Christ.

I made some funny faces,
And “played puzzles” on the floor.
I dressed kitties, ran around outside,
And played with them some more.
We laughed and jumped and tickled,
Making memories to be stored.
When I spent time with my children,
I spent time with my Lord.

I wiped up sticky cereal
And washed the dishes clean.
I straightened, picked up, put away,
And dusted in between.
I did six loads of laundry
And folded it like new.
When I cleaned for my children,
I cleaned for my Savior, too.

When my children were both crying,
I held them in my arms.
I cuddled them and whispered
That I’d keep them safe from harm.
I told them how their Father saved them
With His perfect Lamb.
When I comforted my children,
I comforted I AM.

Later on that evening,
I put them in the bath.
I washed their little bodies
As they kicked around and splashed.
I dried them in soft towels
And put their jammies on.
When I had washed my children’s feet,
I’d washed the Holy One.

I cooked and cleaned and rearranged,
Made beds and taught and played.
I made sure that we had food to eat
And that we often prayed.
I died to self. I made a home
From ordinary things.
But when I served my children,
I served the King of Kings.

To some, I have done nothing,
But to two, I’ve done the world.
I made eternal difference
To my precious boy and girl,
And to the One who watches over
Every pathway that I’ve trod.
For when I’ve loved my precious children,
I’ve loved Almighty God.

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