It’s the weekend and, like I do every weekend, I sit, with my computer on my lap, loading photos and selecting the “bests” from the week before.
Walking into school, wearing his backpack
Driving his “race car”
Her first birthday
Hugging after bath time
Bubbles
Little moments of joy that make a week.
That make a life.
She just turned one and he is days away from four.
The two of them are already the best of friends and experience more joy from a bathtub of bubbles than I sometimes experience in a day. I can’t help but marvel at the blessing of being their mother and the burden of doing it “right.”
They depend on me for everything.
Thoughts of the weight of motherhood lead me to cross.
How I can’t do it on my own.
The greatness of the love of our Father.
It’s funny how God uses the ordinary to teach the extraordinary.
The more I think about the importance of pouring into the two little lives God has blessed me with, the more I realize how much He wants to pour into my own life.
This is such a simple truth that I need constant reminding of – as my Father, God desires for me to depend on him the way my kids depend on me.
As an adult, with so many things stretching me thin, I often start depending on myself and others – but not my Father God.
But thankfully, God knows those struggles and extends much grace. He gently uses simple photos from my week to remind me that He is there, and that I will be able to experience full joy when I depend on Him.
How does God remind you to depend on Him?
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Thanks for this awesome post Jessica!!!! It was like a “From darkness to light” moment for me.
Somehow God just knows how to lead me to his reassuring message – somehow – one way or the other and today it has been your post. Here I am, contemplating – Yes, I want to experience the joy of mothehood, but will i be able to take all that comes along with it. And now I know and believe that I can becasue all I have to do is – Depend on the Lord.
Through a tough relationship at our church. I have extended myself several times and started conversations and it seems this woman is not interested but then I am reminded of God’s love for her and He challenges me to persevere through it. Reminding me that “sand paper” people are sometimes brought into our lives to strengthen or teach us something about ourselves. I have learned to pray and depend on the Lord in this situation.
I find it so easy to turn elsewhere before I turn to God. Thanks for this reminder.
to all who have left a comment ido not know who you are BUT THE LORDDOES . as forme thank you so much for your words of ecouragememt and sorefrehing . even when i have a down day this message reminds me THAT THE LORD REALYCARES
I need this reminder daily!
What a beautiful post and message, and reminder! I had just added a post to my blog today about how God reminds me he is there. Then I stop by here and read this beautiful message! I am truly encouraged! I just stumbled across Incourage yesterday – all I can say is … Thank you
so glad you are here. We hope you will stay awhile.
Just finished a wonderful study by Linda Dillow (Calm My Anxious Heart) – this was full of letting-go-of-control reminders. Completely trusting Him with everything. This is hard some nights when I lay awake worrying instead of sleeping! But I’d much rather He handle everything in my life than me at the steering wheel.
As a single mother of three, with undependable income and uncertain future plans, I often stress about my responsibilities – they are truly more than I can handle. One of my daily prayers is that God will fill in the gaps where I fall short and provide what we need, heal the hurts in the lives of my children.
I am a living witness that He is doing it! He is faithful and I don’t have to be the one to hold it all together.
Jessica,
I just had a realization because of your post….
“Lord,
I think I have a hard time depending on you because I have had such a hard time depending on my parents…”
Jessica, the ability for your children to depend on you is such a GIFT.
Thanks for the short but powerful post!
God is love,
Vanessa
Great help for the graveling heart. Becoming a good parent requires humility and perseverence and then courage somewhere inbetween. I can’t do it alone. God is my refuge.
As someone behind a photo blog, I appreciate this post and agree completely that photos of the everyday moments can remind us of God’s presence. Thank you for this post.
We are kindred spirits 🙂
What a beautiful realization that God wants to pour into us MORE than we desire to pour into the lives of those we love.
It reminds me of something I read by Debra Rienstra. She used the image of children helping their mother make chocolate chip cookies. It would be easier and more efficient for mom to make the cookies on her own, but she allows her children to enter into the experience, get messy, make mistakes…much like how God doesn’t need us, but He chooses us to enter into what He is doing. We are messy and broken, but He loves us and pours love and grace over us! 🙂
Wow…talk about timing. Today has been a rough day. I’m a single mom to an extremely high energy 3 year old. Did I mention I’m 43? I’m exhausted but blessed. I deal with a lot of fear and anxiety. But God is always there…I just need to stop taking my eyes off him.
Peace be with you today.
My pastor’s sermons teach me to look to Jesus when I’m not feeling joy, when I’m frustrated by an everything gone wrong day. It comes to mind to draw near, press in. And my day may still go wrong but I have peace and warmth from my Savior.
choosing joy and Christ can be hard choices on the hard days, can’t they? But doing so brings great relief and freedom.
“God desires for me to depend on him the way my kids depend on me.” ~ this is so simple but *so* profound. I will be holding this truth close to my heart.
Thank you, friend ~ you are a gift!
as are you, dear one.
“With so many things stretching me thin” exactly captures my thoughts of late. Whenever I feel I’m fading thin, I tend to cry out and pray to God for relief and direction. I think it’s His way of reminding me I need His fullness to make me whole and not a full plate.
I have been stretched thin for too many weeks…
Thanks for writing this!
I went through a though weekend, and didn’t even know i was stifling my tears till i was halfway through ur post. after i wailed like a baby to God, i was lead to
Romans 8:37 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us”
if i had not have my cry before reading the verse, the words would have fallen into a dry, weary, angry heart and swept away before i even knew it, so i’m thankful to God for u!
thank you for sharing this verse. What a beautiful reminder
I really needed to hear that today – thank you.
Exactly the reminder I needed tonight while weary from caring for my two young children in VERY hot weather! Thank you!