All Grown Up - Now What?

Mommy Mondays

In 3^rd grade, I wanted to be an executive secretary for IBM. I loved filling out my pink “While You Were Out” forms and taking imaginary phone calls for my brother.

Other career aspirations were: Hollywood Actress, Singer on Broadway, Famous Author, Voice of a Disney Heroine, Missionary.

But the number one settled desire of my heart was to be a mom. When I imagined myself all grown up, I was living somewhere nice with 4-6 kids, playing games, making lunches, and going to parks.

And last week it hit me – I’m there.

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Our girls, 11 and 8, just came back from their first week-long summer camp, and even though they crawled in at 10 PM, we sat and talked in their room until well after midnight. It was enchanting, seeing their faces light up as they shared the hilarious, embarrassing, inspiring, and entertaining events of the week. I went to bed with a contented smile.

Our four kids are all potty trained, we’re past the constraints of nap time, and I usually get a full night of sleep. (Hallelujah!) They love being together. Games have moved beyond Candy Land and into those that stimulate my brain cells. We draw together, paint together, read together, do laundry together, jump on the trampoline together… it’s a memory-every-moment kind of life right now.

I’m not talking perfect – we’re still on this side of eternity – but you get the idea. This life, where I am right now – underneath the laundry and dishes and Cheerios on the floor - has been my definition of “all grown up.”

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The question posed before me this morning is:

“Now what?”

Pastor Nate Irwin spoke this week on Psalm 39, Show Me the Measure of My Days.

⁴  “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days;
      let me know how fleeting I am!
⁵   Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, 

and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!     

  

And to quote Benjamin Franklin:

“Dost thou love life?

 Then do not squander time, 

for that is the stuff life is made of.” 

It’s time for some vision planning. Hmmm… will this require a trip away to a cabin in the mountains, a luxury I often imagine that all writers indulged in? Ha, not a chance. It will consist of a cup of coffee, my Bible, and the early morning before they start to stir.

I don’t know what my next phase of growing up will look like, but in the now, I can prayerfully make the most of every moment. "God, what do you have for me today?"

What does this look like in your life? Have you ever reached a point of being all grown up?

At a Family Reunion

A word of encouragement

My brother and sister-in-law just had their seventh baby, and for the 4 day weekend, my parents have all of their kids. My mom called me this evening.

"Becky, I just want you to know how much I can really appreciate all you and Andi do to keep your houses clean." We laughed at the energy it takes just to keep up with the kids. She then said, "Yeah, if I were doing this every day, I would need a maid!"


I really needed to hear that! This is a challenging time of life. I'm not a big weenie. Thanks, mom! You're the best!

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Praying in the new school year

As I begin to plan the next school year, I've claimed this as my theme verse:

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. (I Samuel 12:23).

Prayer and teaching - pretty much sums it up, doesn't it?

Prayer. When your children wake early and your husband comes home late, when do you pray?

God knows the heart of a mother. I've found that posting scripture around the house is a huge help, reminding me to pray for them. In my bathroom, I have a sheet posted on the door of scriptures to pray for your children. I also have been trying to pray over them at night as I tuck them in, rather than giving a quick kiss and running off to do my own thing.

Often, I will wake in the middle of the night for no reason, and instead of tossing and turning, I ask God, "What do you want me to pray about?" These have been sweet times with Him as I sit in the stillness and listen for Him. If we're memorizing scripture, I'll pray through the verses. Sometimes I'll be convicted of an area of sin, and other times a name will come to my mind.


"On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night." Psalm 63:6


And though all of this is good, I'm going to attempt a concerted effort to reclaim the morning time for Him. I've cleared a special spot in my closet for prayer, and I hope that if I'm quiet enough, I can slip in there and pray without waking the family! We'll see how it goes. :)



Reading through the Psalms has been a huge inspiration. It essentially a prayer book for the believer!


"Save me, O God, for the waters have threatened my life!" (69:1)
"God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us." (67:1)
"Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer nor his lovingkindness from me." (66:20)
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (51:10)
"O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling places." (43:3)


I mark prayer passages in green in my Bible. This is another way that prayer becomes a natural thing instead of a forced habit. Praying the words of God gives me confidence to approach Him.

When do you make time to pray? I'd love more suggestions. The more I talk to our Heavenly Father, the more I want to talk to Him!

"O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly, my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water."  (63:1)

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