Beth Moore was back on Life Today, today, with part six of the series Family Calamity and Restoration (http://lifetoday.org/video/family-calamity-and-restoration-part-6). Point 6: God can add to your family. Point 7: Christ can bring honor back to the family. The overall message that she gave was something that was on my heart last night, laid with me and slept heavy on my mind even through my dreams and greeted me as soon my eyes opened this morning.
Once a month, the second Tuesday of each month to be exact, I slide out of my home after the girls are quietly lying in bed pondering their day, the way little people do, to meet with other moms. Together we gather, tired and excited to be together, yearning for fellowship, connection, answers, hope. We share little bits of our lives, we laugh, we cry. We each slip in and out of vulnerability, easily, and, I believe, we walk away fuller just for having gathered together.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)
Each time we gather we have a topic to discuss. Last night it was how do we, amidst starting families, ministering, having careers, raising families, make time to spend with the Lord. I shared about how I am in this season of life where it seems like everything is hard. It’s hard to get up in the morning, hard to get out of bed, hard to lay down at night. Hard. Everything. And, because of this, how necessary it is for me to connect with my Savior daily, and best first thing in the morning, before I step foot out of the bed as a reminder that He is there with me, in that moment, and that He will continue to be with me throughout my day, moment by moment.
After I said this, I went on talking with some of the women throughout the night and I heard my words echoed back to me. Either they were in agreement, could feel where I was coming from because they had been there, were currently there, or they simply couldn’t relate. I thought about the ones that couldn’t relate. I thought about the ones who said they knew and had been there. I thought about myself and how I have been singing this song of desperation for some time now. This having a hard time song. And why am I still singing it? Why have I not overcome and passed over from hard times to good times? What’s going on, Lord? I’m so, so thankful for the gathering because without them, it would have taken me just a little while longer to come to this: I have not surrendered my hard time to the Lord. I have not embraced my hard time as weakness, have not cherished the opportunity for a 2 Corinthians 12:9 moment each day, moment by moment.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
I writhe and wiggle and struggle to produce a good day, each day, and each day I get frustrated and come up unsatisfied because I have not surrendered, truly surrendered to my Psalm 46:1 God
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Selah. And I need to Selah my way through my day, moment by moment by moment to give my God a chance to rescue me, instead of me rushing in to figure all of this out by myself. I need to push, but I need to push in a Psalm 121 sort of way. I need to adjust my vision and really see.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Beth Moore spoke today about other forms of family. Perhaps you need to tap into the family that God has provided for you that is right in front of you. It may be your family of origin. It may be a community of people outside of your family. It may be both. It be several forms of both. Surely He desires for you to be connected through community. Figure out who and what that is and get plugged in. You may be missing life and, due to your absence, so may they.
Thank you, Lord, for the community of moms who help me see you more clearly.
pamelluce.com 