I'm a Better Mama When I'm a Better Daughter

While perusing blogs tonight, I found something that really struck a chord.

The Barefoot Mama: "It's important to identify what impedes you as a mom and then prayerfully and purposefully design ways to fulfill those needs and structure your time in the home in order to attain a balance for yourself"

I've just discovered Kelly's blog through comments and I must pause and say, "Lord, you really know how to introduce me to the right people at the right time."

For me, "those needs" are primarily spiritual - specifically time spent in prayer and studying God's word. I'm a much better mama when I'm a better daughter. Spending time with my heavenly father each morning sets the tone for the entire day. It determines whether I stick to my priorities, the measure of patience I have for life's everyday hangups, the peace in my heart, and the smile on my face. I don't want Micah to know a mommy who doesn't intimately know her Savior. I desperately want him to know a mommy who will teach him, through example, what it means to love and serve the Lord with all his heart and soul... to find strength in God alone.

Reading Kelly's blog cemented a decision I made yesterday to sacrifice that last hour of sleep in the morning. Micah's naps were becoming too unpredictable to count on them for quiet time. Quiet times fell by the wayside for a while because of this, and my heart suffered greatly. You can only go so long on your own strength before life's stresses begin to eat away at your peace and joy. Who on earth lives a life without some type of stress or ongoing problem? In a sin-plagued world: no one. We were never meant to live a solitary life - we were created to live in relationship to our creator. You can only talk on your cell for so long before you need to plug it in - and spiritually, we are all living on a very short battery life. Jesus said "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." Apart from Jesus, YOU CAN DO NOTHING. You may think you are doing all kinds of things, but is it fruitful? Is it meaningful?

For me, skipping my time with God each morning greatly impedes my success as both a mom and a wife. Sacrificing that hour of sleep in the morning not only gives me an opportunity to worship God with my obedience and devotion, but forces me to trust him to provide me with the energy to get through the day. I'm not going to lie, I don't think it's a coincidence that the rare opportunity to nap in the afternoon magically appears when I start the day off right. My little guy will decide the only place he wants to take his afternoon nap is right by his mama, and his tired little mama is only too happy to oblige.