1. Embrace motherhood with all your heart. Unless you embrace it fully, you will never enjoy it.
2. Realize that motherhood is a serving role. Give up your own rights. When you hang on to your own rights, you will be totally miserable. When you believe that you must have a full night's sleep every night, you will be miserable all day because you did not have one.
3. Confess that you are a joyful mother. When you get up in the morning, even if you have had a broken night's sleep with your little baby, confess, "Thank you, Lord, for your joy which fills my heart. I am full of joy because you live within me. I am a joyful mother and today our home will be filled with joy." Walk out to the kitchen to start the day and continue to confess that you are a joyful mother. Sing songs of joy to the Lord.
4. Determine to start each morning by creating a good atmosphere for your family. You, as the mother, set the atmosphere in your home. As the day continues, and the children get irritable and begin to fight with one another, instead of yelling at them, stop what you are doing. Gather them together and tell them a story, sing some songs together or read to them. It will calm the atmosphere and bring rest again to your home.
5. Make happy memories for your family. Do something special as a family at least once a week. Continually think of happy and exciting things that you can do together as a family. They do not have to cost money. The simplest things are often the most enjoyable. It is the 'togetherness' the children will remember.
6. Create lots of laughter and fun in your home. Let your walls ring with laughter. Laughter is a tonic. Proverbs 17:22 says, "A merry heart does good like a medicine."
7. Stop hurrying. Slow down. Relax and everyone will be much happier.
8. Trust God. When you try to do everything in your own strength, you will lose your joy. Trust in God's strength. You do not have to get everything done every day. Just do what is most important and realize there will be other days...When your children are little, you may not accomplish much more than just looking after them, but you are doing the most important task you could ever do. There will be years ahead to do all the projects that are on your list...Keep your heart fixed on the Lord rather than your circumstances and you will keep your joy.
I have been so blessed by Nancy's words so many times! Above Rubies is such an encouragement, and I've been enjoying their magazine for over 10 years now! When I'm stuck in bed during my pregnancies, my Above Rubies magazines are what I like to re-read. :)
14 comments:
Oh my...this was exactly what I needed to read today!
Thank you that you allowed the Lord to guide you into posting this. What an encouragement!
Wise words. Something I did after a day as in number 4, light candles at dinnertime. :-)For some reason, candles help to change the whole atmosphere of the home!
Blessings,
Anne
Thank you. I actually printed that out and hung a copy on the fridge. Someday's a mama just needs to be reminded!!
I see I am not alone in saying this was well timed for me...and printing it out sounds like a marvelous idea!!♥
I too enjoy Above Rubies and I have many saved old copies to re-read....
I'm so thankful that this encouraged you ladies!! :)
Anne, thanks for mentioning the candles. I haven't thought to do that in a while, but I'll have to make the extra effort. :)
Thank you for sharing! I think I will print it out too. May put it on my blog as well. :)
I have been receiving Above Rubies over a year now and throughly enjoy reading it!
You're welcome, Tanya! I'm glad it was a blessing to you. As I mentioned in this post, I took excerpts from one chapter in the Power of Motherhood book. There was more to it, but I just typed these words from my notes.
I should put that book on my wish list, I could use some encouragment right now. :)
It's very encouraging, Tanya! I think you'd like it. I'll be praying for you! :)
I had missed leaving a comment on this post, Joy, but wanted to come back to it and thank you for sharing these words of wisdom. They blessed and encouraged my heart, and many of the points can be applied and practiced in my life right now as a daughter. And as the other's commented . . . I think I will be printing this out! Thank you again for sharing!
Dear Sarah,
Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment! I'm so thankful this was a blessing and an encouragement to you. You are so right, many of these principles can be applied to other relationships (marriage, too). The idea of serving and putting others before ourselves...I am very challenged by this (I understand it intellectually, but actually living it out is the challenge!). :)
May the Lord bless you this weekend!
Thank you for this encouragement. It's so true that often the most enjoyable things in life are the simplest ones and the ones that don't cost anything.
This is such good encouragement!
Dear Anna and Mrs. Rabe,
Thank you so much for your comments, and I'm thankful that it was encouraging to you! :)
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