Home With The Boys

I know it’s all about perspective, but let’s take a little look at a few of the “harder” things about my past week as a mom…

• A teething baby
• Needing to take multiple trips to the grocery store because these boys eat a lot and we’re always running out of those favorite foods
• Following through with consequences EVERY TIME someone is disobedient or disrespectful
• Juggling meals and bedtime when we have activities three nights a week and The Hubby is on the night shift

Your list may look very similar to mine or very, very different. Sometimes these things can seem like the end of the world in the moment, right, moms? Any number of factors can amplify each problem to make stress levels soar. But when I wrote down these rough patches from my week, I realized pretty quickly how normal these problems are to most families. And how small they are on the “big problem” scale.

Now, this mothering job is not the place to get in to a comparison game. Your stress and my stress as moms will not be the same. Even our own tough situations may change from week to week. If you think that “thing” in your life is hard and trying and stressful, then it IS.

Comparison is not our friend on this motherhood journey, but perspective can be.

I stepped out of the house yesterday to get the mail, which is part of a group mailbox up the street from our house. The uphill walk to the mailbox is not far and not too steep.I was thankful for a break in the rain and a little fresh air. I was also pretty thankful to have a minute of quiet {keeping it real}.

My mind was on food. I had just added milk, cheese, and apples to my grocery list AGAIN. Didn’t I just buy all of those things two days ago?! As I reluctantly planned out another trip to Hy-Vee, I was captured by the thought of Samson’s mom.

No, not Samson from the Bible. Samson, our Compassion child in Tanzania.

I’ve never met his mom. I’ve never talked to his mom. I only know about her the few general facts in Samson’s Compassion profile and a mention or two from Samson himself – he’s a 7-year-old boy writing to people in a different country so there’s not a whole lot of detail {but his drawings are lovely}!

I know Samson’s mom and dad live with him. Both parents are “sometimes employed” as farmers. These things are a blessing in themselves, but as I was walking to the mailbox, I thought about the logistical blessings I enjoy as a mom – and usually take for granted.

When someone utters the phrase “nothing to eat” in our house, I need only hop in the van and drive less than five minutes to a grocery store to remedy that problem. And “nothing to eat” never actually means “nothing.”

What does Samson’s mom do when there is nothing to eat? Where does she go? How far does she have to walk? Do they have the means to restock food when they need to?

Loading up all three kids and taking them to the grocery store isn’t as bad as we make out to be when I ponder what women in poverty must deal with when there is nothing to eat. ACTUALLY nothing to eat. Grocery store trips are a blessing.

The ability to buy and make the food we need whenever we need it has been taken for granted and replaced with disdain for grocery store trips and meal planning. I’ve lamented the fact that my boys are “always hungry” but hardly ever stop to consider how I would feel if they were hungry – little-food-in-days hungry, malnourished, starving…

My mom heart can hardly stand that suffocating thought. I walked back with several envelopes and packages in my hand and opened the door to find The Hubby had given our boys an afternoon snack. I thanked God for His provision and prayed the same for Samson and his family.

And I said a special prayer for Samson’s mom…that she would know God’s love for her…that she would know He cares about her and her family…that she would know He is with her through the good and the bad…and then I asked the Holy Spirit to fill in the prayers I don’t even know to pray for her…

In His Divine Goodness, He brought this photo to mind…

I had forgotten I had this picture of her. The goat was our Christmas gift to their family that year through Compassion. I cried all over again at the smile on her face, the way she is looking at Samson, the picture of a loving mother who has been given a gift that will help provide nourishment for her family.

I need this perspective held close to my heart. I’m keeping this picture taped to the side of my fridge, especially for those times when the kids ask for a snack for the gazillionth time or I start to dread yet another trip to the grocery store.

This mom gig IS hard – for all of us – but I know when our next meal is coming. And this Mother’s Day, as I thank God for my own mom and other mothers in my life, I will also be praying for each mom who feels the extra weight of knowing her children’s basic needs are not being met…

Lord, You know each and every mom’s heart, from here in Nebraska to Tanzania and beyond. You have blessed us with children as a gift from You and entrusted them to us as part of Your Divine Plan. Thank You for each and every child. Help us to view our children as gifts, even on the hard days, and give us guidance to mother them well. Come alongside us in our everyday, whether it be carpooling and laundry folding or walking to market and drawing water from a well. Renew our strength and calm our hearts when the baby won’t stop crying and the food has run out and the day just won’t seem to end. You are our safe place, our refreshing spring, our Strong Deliverer. Thank you for the blessing of being a mom and turn our hearts always toward You as we walk this motherhood path. We love you, Lord, and lift up the needs of every mama today, especially the ones only You know… In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I hope you will join me in praying for moms raising children in extreme poverty, but could we also do something tangible to help them?

We can honor and support mothers who are living in poverty, through support of a Compassion Child Survival Program.

The Child Survival Program helps save the lives of babies and mothers in poverty by utilizing local churches to assist mothers of at-risk infants and toddlers. Mothers can give their children a fighting chance for healthy development with the supplies and training provided by the donations to this program.

Please consider making a one-time Mother’s Day donation or signing up for ongoing support of a Child Survival Program. We may not ever physically walk with these moms, speaking words of encouragement and understanding as we go, but our financial support can be just as powerful a blessing.

Happy Mother’s Day, Samson’s mom and all moms. You are doing God’s work and you are loved.

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