MORE Than This

You, Mama, were made for MORE than this. (No, this is not an advertisement to send you back to the work force, or to that remote island you have been dreaming of.)

Mama, I know you, I have been in the trenches with you. I have heard your groans; I have shared your fears and your complaints. I know the enemy tells you that you cannot do this. This mama thing. I know the enemy wants you to think that the mama thing is too big, too hard, too overwhelming for you... that you are unworthy of carrying this banner day after long day.

Fact is, you were called to MORE than this.

Your life can be such that everyone around you says “who does she think she is?” Not you, but HIM in you. The Power that raised JESUS from the dead lives within you. The Power that raised JESUS from the dead. From the dead. The Encourager. The Holy Spirit. Inside you.

The last 2 and a half years, I have been in a battle that is so fierce I am not always sure I will make it to the end of the day.

Those closest to me have asked me if I doubt GOD. Thankfully, I do not doubt GOD throughout this, (I do not boast in this; I believe HE has supernaturally boosted my faith)... The LORD has dealt with me day after day because I have been doubting myself and my ability to minister to my family. I have literally laid on the floor telling him that I cannot handle this, yet HE says I can. Not me, but HIM through me.

I was writing in my journal the other day, and pondering the Scripture

Ephesians 3:20-21(NIV)

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

GOD IS more than we can “ask or imagine”. I totally receive that. That is beautiful and pure and true. Then HE spoke to my heart and HE told me that what HE has for me is more than I can “ask or imagine”. HE wants to do through me more than I can “ask or imagine”.

See, all I can imagine is barely being mama. For me that is enough, but HE says there is MORE for me and you.

In my strength alone, my superpower is being able to reduce my children to tears with one swoop of my box-cutter tongue, yet HIM in me has called me to be MORE than a mama.

I never thought I would even be a mama. While all the other little girls were dreaming big dreams, all I ever wanted was to be mama of 10 kids when I grew up (still do!).

See, this mama thing is temporary (until my kids are married). This marriage thing is only until death do us part. Of course, I will ALWAYS love my kids and my husband. First and foremost, however, I was Created to Worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for eternity. JESUS is my First Love. My most lasting identity is that I was created to Worship The 3 in 1.

I pray one day, I will live my life in such a way that I will reflect this Truth. Holy Spirit, please help us!

For now, what does this look like for me? Most days I do not know if I will have the Strength to get out of bed and face the endless monotony of tasks set before me, let alone the emergencies that have cropped up so regularly. We have weathered having no income for 2 ½ years, no help from disability, health crisis after health crisis, including surgery and pneumonia three times recently.

There have been some intense nights where I was not sure we would all be here the next morning, but in His Mercy, morning has always come. “Weeping may endure for a night, but JOY comes in the morning”. Psalm 30:5 NKJV

Why am I telling you this? I have been in hard places, but The Bible tells us to “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today” (Hebrews 3:13)

Regardless of my situation or emotional state at the time, He has called me to serve others and Glorify His Name. HE has had me encourage other mamas in the PICU, in the surgery waiting room, even in the Emergency Room. Every time I have obeyed, I have been blessed beyond ability to understand (or explain!), and the tide has shifted.

When we magnify our situations (no matter how terrible), we forget to magnify The LORD. HE is always bigger. HE is bigger than any situation. HE is never surprised. When I step out for HIM, HE brings the increase. HE multiplies my strength and fills me with His Peace. And somehow I am able to go on.

Think you are having a bad day? Look around. You do not have to look far to see someone near you who is having a worse day. Throughout all this I know our family is blessed to all be alive and together!

Ask The Holy Spirit to show you who you can encourage! Sow seeds of Hope and Strength in a friend or stranger. Tell your husband thank you for working today. HUG your babies no matter how badly they have behaved. Put down your phone, and connect with those around you.

See the woman screaming at her kids in the grocery store? Smile at her. She does not need glares, she knows she should not react this way, but she is so empty. Remember the woman on the field trip with the special needs child who makes your kids nervous? She is more lonely and tired than you.

LOVE them. LOVE them all. LOVE them with such Extravagance that it takes your breath away. One day, when you feel like you cannot breathe, someone will show up to encourage you, bring you flowers or just smile at you. One night a security guard in the ER smiled at me. A simple gesture, but at that moment when I felt I might fall off the face of the earth, it meant everything.

What does the enemy say that you cannot do? Whatever that is, GOD has called you to that and MORE.

What box does the enemy put you in? What limitations have you allowed him to put on you? GOD has called you to MORE than you can ask or imagine. More than carpool or the to do list.

Ask HIM what HE has for you. Who HE created you to be...

You, Mama, were created for greatness. You are more than a conqueror! You were created in His Image, to glorify HIM. You are a praise to his Name. What can you do today to Glorify Him?

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

Psalm 63:3-5 NKJV