Moments of beauty in the midst of life. April 2019

There are so many moments of joy in my mothering journey, and it truly is the most fulfilling job I have ever done, but it certainly feels like hard work some days…in fact, most days. But I don’t think anything of such eternal worth is ever going to be a breeze.

There are many seasons in our lives. Some can be very tough, some full of laughter, joy and peace, but most for me have been a mix of the two. I’m so very thankful for the precious family that God has amazingly entrusted to me. But motherhood is a marathon, not a sprint (Sally Clarkson), and it requires, amongst many qualities, perseverance, strength and wisdom. As a new mum, having longed for children, I very much wanted our days to be as perfect as possible. Now, seventeen years on, I settle for moments of laughter, beauty, joy or peace in the midst of the mundane. And there are many of these if I choose to open my eyes and heart to them.

Prayer is an absolute anchor to my life as a mum, both prayers of rhythm and “help” prayers. Today I sent up some urgent help prayers for wisdom to deal with an unexpected situation and the effect it had had on one of our children.

This evening I needed to cry out to Him, to have a few moments to think without interruption. My soul quietened as I walked beside the water, watching the moon high in the sky and the sun sink into the horizon.  God is always there. The perfect Father. He will not give us an assignment without the resources to fulfill it. In Him we are able to start afresh each new day, and throughout the day. We can say sorry, forgive and know forgiveness. We can ask for his strength. We can receive vision for our mothering.

And in the midst of the mess and muddle of everyday life, there are so many small moments of beauty and of shared love. Today I enjoyed the feel of the warm sun on my face, some yummy and easy to make soup, the bright colour of tulips, the welcome of friends at Messy church, a snatched moment pouring out my heart to God in my girl shed, some shared smiles and chats with our boys. And this all the more precious as I feel particularly weary at the moment. I have to choose each day to keep giving, to keep persevering, but knowing that my Heavenly Father has a well of strength, wisdom and courage on which I can draw constantly.

The real world isn’t instagram perfect; it’s fallen and broken and we thus live with many challenges. However, by the grace of God there are so many things I am thankful for, and so many glimpses of His love and beauty in each day.