“I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…” Like “The Little Engine That Could” , this is the mantra of every christian mother, is it not? We keep trudging up hill, and while some days are smoother than others, sometimes we feel fortunate to have gotten through another 24 hours simply having kept everyone from going insane. By the end of a full day spent keeping the kids in line, it is often us who feel we are flying off the handle. It is at these times that “I think I can” starts to turn into a wearied “I think I can not“…
No one ever said motherhood was always a walk in the park. Cute babies are somewhere along the line exchanged for miniature people with adult sized attitudes, and we are left wondering what we got ourselves into.
“reap…”
But wait – a light at the end of the tunnel – what’s that you say about reaping, Lord? We’re all in! Surely all our hard work will eventually pay off?
Ah, but wait, the responsibility shifts back to us. “If we …”
“faint not”
Each one of us has a natural bend towards selfishness. Let’s face it, serving others is downright wearisome…to the flesh, that is. However, with God’s help and a lot of practice on our part, we can have a changed mindset towards service, and our spirits will only gain all the more energy! When we look outside of ourselves and outside of our children, we can see the bigger picture – our service is for God! (Colossians 3:23)
If we think we can’t muster up one more ounce of grace towards that belligerent child, we are too stressed to break up another quarrel, too tired to pick up the mess; if we are just about ready to throw in the towel…remember that it’s not about them! Our service to our family is a direct reflection upon our service to God. If we “can’t” serve them, what we’re ultimately saying is that we can’t serve Him.
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I know it’s hard to look beyond what’s happening right now. I know it seems that keeping order to a christian home should not be this hard. I know that sometimes it might feel like you aren’t good enough, but I will tell you this: None of that matters, because “in due season we will reap, if we faint not”. The struggle will be worth it; we know this is true, because it is straight from God’s word! The important thing is that we don’t give up.
Remember that Jesus came to earth as a servant. Who are we to display a selfish attitude towards our children when He was (and is) everything but selfish toward us?
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I encourage you to take time daily to invest in God’s word. Instead of letting our circumstances control us, we ought to be well prepared each day for the hard work that is parenting! The devil would like nothing more than to see our homes fall apart as we go into battle un-armed and ignorant. Let’s not give him the delight that he seeks, but rather please our Heavenly Father by being a mother filled with grace, fortitude, and nobility. With God, we don’t think we can…we know we can.
God bless, and take a chill pill!
Mrs. Dustin Bolks
Mrs. Dustin Bolks is a church of Christ preacher’s wife, and the home educating mother of two children. She and her family currently reside in Northwest Iowa.