#265 - HEY MOM! You Are Raising World Changers!

Proverbs 31:29 Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.

Let's just be honest, if you are a mom with kids in the home, it can sometimes be overwhelming. I had that day the other day when I felt like all had gone awry, and it looked like I had gotten nothing accomplished. A "Favored One" (what we call our kids instead of "yayhoos!") had spilled juice - so MOM got to clean the table and floor, had to change kids clothes because they got wet, had to change my clothes because they got "spit up on", had to give kids bathes in the middle of the day because they got sandy, sticky syrup all over sippy cups and the table, pretzels & waffles under the table.... not to mention just preparing meals.... by the time one meal was done and cleaned up (which could take hours between all the interruptions and distractions) it was almost time to start on preparing the next meal.... and the list goes on! If you are a mom, you may very well know just what I'm talking about!

On days like this, it is good to remember two important conversations I had regarding my kids. One with the Holy Spirit in my quiet time one day and one discussion I had with my husband.

1) Holy Spirit: On one overwhelming day... I had asked the Holy Spirit how to do a good job as a mom. Not just ANY MOM.... but a Christian Mom wanting to raise up kids that will make a difference. WHAT does that Mom do? How does that mom model her day? There were so many voices coming at me! Watching other mom's do the job of "Mom'ing." You may know some of them.... those moms:

• The Overly "Involved in my kids Preschool" Mom   

• The "I make the classmates at my kids preschool awesome cookies, gifts and crafts" Mom  

• The "Have my kid in lots of sports" Mom  

• The "Go to activities with my kids all over town" Mom

• The "Uses Scissors and Glue and does crafts at home" Mom! (argh... ahhhhh) 

• The "Go to the library and read 100 books in 2  days with my Kid" Mom (ok, slight exaggeration, but u know the mom who has her kid counting and reading when they are practically still an embryo! ) 

• The "ambitious teach my kid how to ride his bike, go to the park, go to the zoo, go to the Lowes Building workshop, go to... go to.... go to...." Mom! 

You know.... THAT MOM!!!! Granted... on my more ambitious days, I may do some of those things, but I found myself looking at everyone else's best days and comparing them to my frazzled, no make up on, dishes piled up in the kitchen sink, fly-away hair kind of days.

So, in fellowship with the Holy Spirit one day, I had to be reminded of my MOST important job. And what He had told me was this, "It's not the activities, the busyness, the "things" you can get caught up in, but it is the atmosphere you create. What is the atmosphere in your home." 

2) My Husband - In our conversation, he basically reminded me of the GREAT IMPORTANCE of my job! I am raising up WORLD CHANGERS! YOU, fellow Mom, are raising up WORLD CHANGERS! For my kids, it is my job to teach, prepare and instill things into them that will allow them to make a difference in this world for Jesus! Whether they grow up to be the President of the United States or the President of the Girl Scouts, a business owner or a missionary, a musician or a ballet performer.... MY JOB right now in this season is to RAISE UP my kids learning the Word of God, learning principles from the Bible. At ages 4 and 2, those principles may simply be "sharing" or "being kind" or "talking in a kind manner," whatever it is based upon their age, MY JOB is to mold and shape the World Changer in each of my children.

So.... on those days, where I feel frazzled or while washing 'the sticky' off the kitchen table I wonder, "What I'm doing, does it really matter? I'm not shooting out Corporate America emails. I'm not dealing with winning a new multimillion dollar account. I'm not meeting with the CEO of XYZ Corporation. Is what I'm doing really important?" The answer is, YES! Wiping noses, washing peanut butter and jelly off the light switch, cutting sandwiches into 1/4th's,  peeling off the apple peel, giving smooches, tickling kids, chasing them around, jumping on the trampoline, and practicing Bible verses.... despite that fact some of these tasks seem insignificant all are important tasks of this Mama.

And what YOU are doing raising your kids, IT MATTERS TOO! YOU Mom, YOU are raising up kids who are going to change someones life! When Jesus' Mom, Mary, was changing the equivalent to a poopy diaper, she may have felt that task was insignificant, BUT Mary, that mom, was raising up a WORLD CHANGER! Friend, YOU TOO, are raising up someone very special. YOU TOO are raising up someone who can make an eternal difference in the life of someone else.

Mom, your job is important! YOU ARE RAISING WORLD CHANGERS!