Whew am I sore. Three weeks into running and two weeks into training and my body is objecting to my new exertion. BUT, I know that it will adjust and I am already starting to see my energy increase. So far, on this 18th day of 2012, I have run 23 miles. But that's not the hard part... strength training is kicking my butt. I have NO upper body strength, and the Tough Mudder will expect me to. I have been attending two boot camp/yoga classes a week, with training at home as well. Today was a hard class. We will see how tomorrow feels. :)
This verse spoke to me this morning:
Be
cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what
happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to
live. (1 Thess 5:16-18 MSG)
I feel God has been teaching me, molding me into the woman He wants me to be. It started with my role as Brock's wife. I have learned so much over the past three months just by studying His words and praying over Brock every day. Now, he is molding me into a better mother. My patience with my children has been my Goliath in recent weeks.
My children are my gift from God. I truly believe that. Becoming pregnant with my now almost 10 year old saved my life. He is God's greatest blessing to me and I love him so much. He is creative, funny, and compassionate. My middle darling has a genuine teaching and nurturing spirit. My surprise third is a spunky and intense, but extremely loving girl.
As they grow older, my days seems shorter. And now that I am taking time away from my family to train physically, I desperately rely on my hubby to pick up where I leave off. I hit the ground running before 6 every day with fixing breakfast, packing lunches, fixing hair, ect.. It continues with checking homework, karate, dance classes, church, play dates... Shall I go on? I know every other mother relates with the increasingly decrease of time in each day. It's hard to maintain control in my voice when I'm picking up the dirty socks off the floor for the fourth time in one day or cleaning up the toothpaste from all over the sink once again. It's hard to adjust when my plan to go running doesn't work out because someone has suddenly developed a rising fever.
But I hear God telling me over and over. "This is what I want you do right now with your life. I want you to sacrifice yourself to raise your children. I want you to wake before they do and prepare their day and their good attitudes. I want you to cook healthy meals for them. I want you to listen to them. I want you to pray with them. I want you to adjust your schedule and your time if they need you to. And I want you to do all this with a cheerful heart, praying and thanking Me that this is your life."
This is what I am hearing. And this is what I am trying to do. I am raising three future adults. They will all be future employees, bosses, spouses, parents, and friends. I am not only teaching them how to do live and succeed, but character and discipline. I am teaching them about the Lord and how to talk to Him and listen for Him and what He wants for their lives. All this takes time and the continual sacrifice of myself for their benefit.
I came across this quote last week and it has echoed in my head as God's message to me:
“[Motherhood
as a mission field] is giving up yourself. Lay yourself down. Sacrifice
yourself here, now. Cheerfully wipe the nose for the fiftieth time
today. Make dinner again for the people who don’t like the green beans.
Laugh when your plans are thwarted by a vomiting child. Lay yourself
down for the people here with you, the people who annoy you, the people
who get in your way, the people who take up so much of your time that
you can’t read anymore. Rejoice in them. Sacrifice for them. Gain that
which you cannot lose in them.“ Rachel Jankovic
I am right where God wants me to be and I will cherish my role. And this evening, if I lose my patience when I hear another complaint about dinner, I will ask forgiveness and try again. Because after all, God is still growing me as well.
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