Being Mrs. Mom®

Woman, Wife, Mother

You are here: Home / Archives for Encouragement

Encouragement

Remember to Be LED by the Spirit

By Leave a Comment

We must remember to be led by the spirit.

We have to pay attention to our surrounds and influences. We must be selective about who we follow and walk with. The enemy often sneaks in unannounced and begins to guide the paths of those that are unaware. Just because it looks good, doesn’t means that it is good. Just because it sounds wise doesn’t mean that it’s wisdom. All things should be held up to the Word of God and tested. Making these decisions are hard, but the Holy Spirit will help you in it. Remember Galatians 5:7-9 says “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”

Look at who influences those that influence you and begin to ask the Lord to reveal to you whether or not you should be linked up with them. Trust His leading and be prayerful in everything.

Romans 8:14 says “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

We have to choose to be led by the spirit. The flesh will fight us and so will the world. Still, we must decide to turn from the lusts of the flesh. We must decide to say no to the influences of the world. We must listen to the still inner voice within us. We must follow the “I don’t know how I know, but I know” unction from within.

This is not easy, but remaining in the word and being prayerful enables your spirit to become stronger. Taming your flesh allows you to line up with the word of God.

You can do this! Meditate on this word. Think and ponder on how you can apply it to your life. Then do it, everyday. See…this does not end. We are all making sure that we are walking in the spirit and submitting ourselves to the Lord. This is how you win.

It’s so easy to get lost in the noise. The best thing to do is to remember God’s perspective of everything. Don’t forget that it’s what He says that matters most.

Sometimes the easiest thing to do is walk away. You want great things to happen, but you may feel like it requires too much work and effort. When you desire great things to happen, you must have certain expectations of yourself too. You have to step up to the plate and give what’s required of you. In most situations, the best place to start, with giving of yourself, is prayer. When you spend time focusing on the need, how it can happen, and submitting that to God, you invite His will into the situation. Your participation calls the kingdom of heaven to earth in your life. From there, I’m sure you’ll get direction as to what you can and should do next. If you aren’t sure, go back to step one and pray. The clarity will come, as you continue to involve yourself.

Positivity does not come about on accident. When you want a good life, you must choose to be inspired by what beautiful, gracious, and lovely. Realize and make a choice to love what is good and live a positive life.

Remember to Live by Faith

By Leave a Comment

You have to remember to live by faith. You have to stay encouraged and keep moving forward. Sometimes life tries to punch you in the face. It attempts to try you and test your faith. Hold on. Be strong and be resilient.

Remember to walk by faith and don't walk away from a challenge

Let’s be honest. When fear steps in, everything looks like a mountain, but one of the most important things to do is change the way you see the situations that you are facing. Stop looking at it like mountains that you have to climb. Instead look at them as mountains that you get to tell to move. Walk in faith and watch what happens in your life. I dare you to try.

Remember to walk by faith and let God stir you up

When God gives you hope and a dream, He’s stirring you up. Don’t be afraid of what’s coming next. Just receive what He is giving you. Don’t be afraid to dream big. Don’t be afraid to do what no one else has done. Don’t be afraid to set a new standard. Look at your life, marriage, children, calling, and purpose as opportunities to use your faith and do great things for God in this earth. He has called you. Receive it, so He can help you to walk in it.

5 Tools You Need to Plan Your Day

By Leave a Comment

Ever wake up in the morning feeling a little frazzled and chaotic? Maybe you had a long night, the night before, because the baby wouldn’t sleep or one of your kids had a nightmare. Perhaps, you have too much laundry to do, groceries to pick up, and the kids have practice. Don’t forget that you still have to decide what to make for dinner, oh and lunch…but you should probably take care of breakfast first, right?!

If you ever wake up feeling overwhelmed by the thought of what you have to do for the day, you need to make sure that you are planning. Not just pretty planning, although that makes it fun, but actually planning your activities.

There’s a lot of talk about this topic of planing today, but it really isn’t anything new. Someone has just put a spin on it.

When I was a little girl, I remember seeing my mother with this big black book. It may not have been that big because looking back, I realize the my perception as a child was a bit skewed. Almost everything looked big to me.

Anyway, my mother had a black leather binder that she kept with her all the time. She wrote phone numbers in it. I saw her taking notes and keeping track of her bills. What I didn’t know until recently was that it was a Franklin Covey classic binder.

That might not be a big deal to you, or it might, but that’s big in planner society.

There I was, a little girl, witnessing, first hand, what it meant to take charge of my day and my life. I didn’t know what an impact that would have on me, until many years later.

Fast forward to today, I have my own Franklin Covey planner. Let me correct that. I have multiple planners in multiple sizes and they all have helped me get the job done.

My mother was a single mom and she got the job done. She had to do her job at work and then come home and get the job done at our house too. I never wondered how she did it as a child, but when I became a mother, I wondered. I realized a few years ago that she remained focused by using that system of writing down her thoughts and plans to stay focused on her goals.

See, we all wake up in the morning a little frazzled. We have to take the time to gather ourselves and focus on what’s important. We should not wake up on 100. We have to pace ourselves, or else we can get drained before the end of the day.

You have to put things in place to assist you with leveling up. Like my mother, you need the things that you are going to keep with you, so that you can focus and feel less overwhelmed.

5 Tools You Will Need

Here are the five things that you need to plan your day. I’ll go more in detail in a future post, so make sure to subscribe to get notified when it publishes. The list is below.

  1. The right mindset. You have to decide that you are going to have order and focus in your life. If you don’t take charge of somethings, disorder and chaos will wreak havoc in your life.
  2. A prayerful heart and your bible. You must have your bible, or bible app, to help you frame your thought patterns for the day. This coupled with a prayerful heart will help you make a well thought out and executable plan of action.
  3. Commitment to move forward and progress. There is no point in planning your day, if you aren’t going to be committed to the tasks. Everything might not always go according to plan, that’s life, but you have to be committed to moving forward and progressing.
  4. A notebook and a beautiful pen. These could technically be two different tools, but you can’t use one without the other. The beautiful pen doesn’t have to be beautiful to anyone else except you. If you like the way that it writes and glides across the paper, it will work. These two items will help you to focus your thoughts before you actually start planning. They will also help you not to lose focus while you plan. Let’s be honest. Things come up. People have requests and we can get side tracked, if not careful.
  5. A planner to write down your plan, track your progress, and review for hindsight. There are so many different types of planners out there to choose from. However, I suggest that you get something that is aesthetically pleasing. You will be using it daily. It also needs to be functional and durable. Don’t get anything that might fall apart on you in a month or six months, at that.

Again, we are going to go into more detail about these five things, in a later post, so make sure to subscribe, but for now, start thinking about what I’ve shared with you today. If you don’t already have a planner, begin looking around to see what’s available. Don’t purchase anything just yet, because we are going to discuss your options…and there are a lot of them out there.

If you have any specific questions that you’d like me to address in the future, regarding planning, post a comment below or send me an email at makeda@beingmrsmom.com

Will You Answer the Call and Fulfill Your Purpose?!

By Leave a Comment

When I first became a mother, I had no idea what it was going to be like.  I couldn’t imagine the amount of responsibility that I was going to feel for the lives of my children.  I went to a class for a few months that taught me a few things that I needed to know about taking care of my newborn baby.  I then acquired the “What to expect when you’re expecting book.”  However, that book stopped once the baby became one years old.  There have been other books and resources come out since then, but the truth is that many of us are still learning what is required of us when we answer the call of being a mother.  Yet, as you find out, will you answer the call and fulfill your purpose?

Yes!  It is a call.  

It’s not just flower peddles and roses.  It’s a calling.  If you are a mother, you were purposed to birth and raise your children.  (If you are not a mother, please keep reading because you may have a mothering spirit.)  Now that is the most general way to put it, but it encapsulates so much more.  It starts from day one of conception.  If I am to be real with you, it actually starts before our children are born, with taking care of ourselves.  I could go really deep into this, but let’s just briefly think about it for a moment.  

Your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health are all time stamped in your child, when they are conceived.  These are the things that will be a part of their reality, when they are born.  Once you find out that you are pregnant and begin to make the necessary changes, your child has a greater chance at living a healthy life.  Still, there is a lot that falls on our shoulders as mothers.  I don’t say this to remove fathers from the picture, but I am talking to you…the mom. 

From day one, we are feeding our children.  We are training them how to be emotionally fit.  As we listen to music and experience life, our children in the womb have those experiences.  None of this goes away once the children are born.  They are just no longer housed within our bodies.  Instead, we see them and have now gained the ability and responsibility of teaching them how to live, apart from our physical bodies.  We are still responsible for the feeding and nurturing of our children.  

No matter what the world wants to tell you about the relationship between a mother and her child, the truth is that mothering is one of your highest callings. 

I could sit here all day discussing some of the things that are required of us as mothers, and I can add to this at another time, but today I have one primary focus.  I want to sir you up in your innermost parts.  I want to call you to a place where you realize that you are needed inside of your household.  You may feel like you are called to do many other things, but they should never take you away from the call of being a woman of God, wife to your husband, and mother to your children.  You have a very high calling, sister.  

You and I cannot get distracted with the things of this world, that we are not able to recognize the ways in which God has assigned us to build up His kingdom.  Your children are apart of His kingdom.  Your calling is to man the post of your home.  You are supposed to cover your husband and children in prayer.  You are supposed to oversee what comes in and goes out of the home.  You are supposed to pay attention to what they are eating and taking in one a daily basis.  You are supposed to recognize the struggles that they have and go to war for them in prayer. If it’s required, you’re also supposed to go to war for them in the natural. 

When you feel like the burden is too heavy, you are supposed to wail for your children.  When you recognize that the future is too harsh for them, you are supposed to cry out to God, asking Him to fix it.  I know that you are probably saying that prayer doesn’t fix everything, but let me tell you God does and prayer is how we connect to Him. 

In His word, God makes it very clear.  He tells us that He wants to help us and gives us exactly what we should do.  

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ~2 Corinthians 7:14

Children are dying everyday.  We hear about the shootings, killings, cancers, diseases, and so much more.  Beyond that, they are being exposed to things that enable a slow deaths and are robbed of the blessings that God desires for them to have. 

The truth is that when we take the blinders off, our world isn’t so beautiful.  I tell you to find the beauty in this life, but don’t turn a blind eye to what is wrong in it.  It is too easy to be entertained and forget that our world needs us.  You and I can’t just sit by and watch what is happening.  I’m not calling you to request gun control.  I’m not telling you to leave the country and feed the hungry.  No!  I’m telling you to stay home and fight on your knees.  Start where you are, with what you can do.  Give your children a change.  Start there, and from there do whatever else God calls you to do.  

Pray that you are forgiven of your sins and the sins of your mothers and fathers before you.  Seek the face of God and ask Him to make a way for your children.  

Look!  You and I are not SUPER-WOMEN!!! We are not, but through God we are mighty and powerful.  (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Do you want to change the world?  Fall on your face and pray.  

Do you want the massacres to stop?  Seek God and cry out for the children.

Turn off the television.  I’m not saying that you can never have fun, but while we are busy playing, the enemy is executing his plan for our children.  Yes! I said our children.  

What are we going to do when they look at us and ask us to explain why their world looks the way that it does?  When our grand parents are gone and are no longer able to be held responsible, the burden falls on us. What will you say?  How will you help and still be in their lives?  How will you answer God when He says that He gave you a work to do, but you never did it and children died.  

Even if you don’t have children, you have a calling.  

We have to do something!  It goes beyond what we can see and into the unseen.  It goes into what we eat and drink.  It goes into what we hear and speak.  It goes into our spiritual and relational lives.  It has to do with God.  

Woman, wake up from your slumber and do the work of the Lord!  Your responsibility is great and you must answer the call!

Should you consider seeking God for wisdom?

By Leave a Comment

Have you ever felt overwhelmed in your decision making?  Perhaps you were at a place where life felt unbearable.  Have you ever experienced situations that threw you out of your comfort zone and left you wondering how you were supposed to handle life, live with joy, or even move forward?  If you know this feeling or have experienced it for only a short period of time, then you have also wondered how you could acquire the wisdom that you need to move forward in life.  You may not have contemplated these words exactly, but you have tried to determine the steps that were necessary to make good decisions in your life. You began, in some way, to seek wisdom. 

This may cause you to feel a bit distraught because everyone else seems to have it together, but the truth is that everyone is searching for wisdom.  They are searching in books, movies, people, social media, and in so many other places.  However, there is one place where we, as people should turn first.  We should turn to God.  Yet, many don’t because they believe that it is inconceivable to ask the Most High God for wisdom.  They wonder if He would even consider their request.  For this reason, they continue to utilize the wisdom of men.  

Should you consider seekingGod for wisdom?

The wisdom that comes from men, that is mankind, is sensual and wicked.  It derives from the flesh and stirs up strife.  If you want to know how to destroy your life and relationships, just seek the wisdom of ungodly people, who have no desire to seek God or encourage you to do so, either.  

That being said, if you desire to be successful in life and to have some sense of fulfillment, you must turn to the Lord.  When you do, He will give you wisdom and send people your way that are full of godly wisdom, as well.  

Let’s pause for a Biblical account

I know I’m doing a lot of talking on this topic, but let’s visit the Bible for a moment to get clarity on the subject. 

Have you ever heard of Solomon?  He was the son of King David.  Prior to his birth, his mother and father had a child that died, due to the sins of his father.  As a result, his father promised his mother that he, Solomon, would be the successor of his thrown.  However, there was a problem.  David had other sons that were older than Solomon.  They wanted to be king and had no knowledge of the promise that had been made to Solomon’s mother.  Just before King David’s death, while bed ridden, one of his son’s took it upon himself to establish his kingdom, and in his father’s name.  Solomon became aware of this fact, but he remained patient because he loved the Lord and kept the statutes of his father, a wise man. (1 Kings 3:3).  

In 1 Kings 1-3, we see the situation unfold, where God sent the elders to work out the situation for Solomon.  As he waited on God to establish his place on the thrown and his father to fulfill his promise to his mother, and essentially to him, he simply trusted God.  When the kingdom of Solomon was established, he was a young man.  He had to be younger than 30 and some believe that he could have even been 12 years old.  Can you imagine what it would be like to rule over a kingdom as a young person?  I don’t think that overwhelming explains how he may have felt at times.  Yet, this is how he handled it.  

7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.  ~1 Kings 3:7-10 

One translation says that he asked God for an “understanding mind to govern.”  This type of request takes great humility, but it also takes great faith in God.  Solomon clearly felt that he was incapable of fulfilling the call of king on his own, thus he did what he knew his father, a wise man of God, would have done.  He asked of God. 

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  ~James 1:5

God is pleased when we go to Him with our requests.  He is a loving Father waiting to give to His children.  He wants us to lack nothing and this includes wisdom.  When Solomon asked God for wisdom, the Bible says that this pleased the Lord.  Not only was God pleased, but He also responded.  He confirmed to Solomon, that He would indeed give him the wisdom that he desired and so much more.  (1 Kings 3:10-14)

 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.  ~1 Kings 4:29

Now if God gave Solomon the wisdom that he requested, you have to know that He will also give it to you.  He doesn’t look at you or me and determine that He isn’t going to give us wisdom.  His word says that if we are lacking wisdom, we are supposed to turn to God and He will give it to us. 

What is required to be able to ask?

Sure!  I understand that you aren’t seeking God to rule over a people as queen.  You may be asking Him for wisdom in your marriage, finances, or as a mother.  Perhaps you desire to be wiser in life.  Please make sure not to minimize your request because you aren’t being crowned as a queen.  You don’t have to be in a specific earthly position to ask of God.  You just need to have the position of a humbled heart.  

A moment of clarity 

Today, I want you to take a moment to think about how you have struggled in your mind and decision making.  It is important that you and I take the time to realize that without God, we fail miserably.  People that don’t have godly wisdom may appear to be successful, but the truth is that they are miserable and striving to achieve pleasure that will sustain them for a mere moment.  This earthly wisdom leads them down a path of destruction.  You and I cannot be like the people of the world.   We are called out and set apart, so we have to do things differently.  We have to seek God for wisdom.  When we do, He is faithful to supply wisdom and godly resources that are full of His wisdom.  

If you feel lost and confused, turn to God.  If you are unsure and afraid, turn to God.  If you need wisdom and direction, turn to God.  He is faithful and will respond to your request because He loves you and wants you to succeed more that you do.   If you are still wondering if you should consider seeking God for wisdom, you know my answer.  Don’t hesitate!  Seek God for wisdom today.

‘Tis the Season to Be Wise

By 2 Comments

It’s that time of year again.  We are celebrating the birth of Christ, the love of family, and making sure that our hearts are merry and bright.  Still, let’s not forget all of the other things that we are doing.  We are decorating, planning, and shopping.  However, in the midst of everything that we are doing, we need to realize this one thing. ‘Tis the season to be wise. 

Why Now?

You might be wondering why we are looking at wisdom during the holiday season.  

Well, if we are honest with ourselves, wisdom is the one thing that can be lacking at this time of year which will leave a lasting impact on the next year or so of your life.  

It can sometimes feel like the real reason for Christmas has been lost in all of the ads, purchases, sales, gadgets, trinkets, lists, and things to do.  We can easily forget about the birth of Jesus, being thankful for the gifts of God, and even having a festive occasion with loved ones.  

When walking out of the house and into any store, we are bombarded with the sales of things that we really don’t need.  When turning on the television, we are shown the latest gadgets and promised happiness. 

Now is the time for us to use wisdom.  

We have to be diligent to focus on what is important and lasting. 

I’m not saying that we can’t shop.  I’m not telling you not to go to the stores.  I’m just saying that now is the time for you to think before you leap.  

How can you use wisdom today? Do these 5 Things …

When considering the season, be excited about all that is happening.  There is no reason why you should be stressed about life, if you view it the right way.  Truthfully, you could go all out and spend as much money as you want, trying to make everyone happy.  You could put up all of the decorations and lights needed to feel like Christmas is coming, but at the end of the night, you have to make sure that you feel good about what you’ve done.

I want to encourage you to use wisdom today and everyday of this season by doing these five things.

  1. Encourage those that you meet and encounter to “Have a Merry Christmas.”  It is a small thing to smile at another person and ask how they are doing.  You’d be surprised how many people are having a horrible day, month, and even year.  Smiling at them might make a difference.  Asking how their day is going and waiting for an answer might help them feel like they matter. Saying “have a Merry Christmas” might give them hope.  This is the first part to using wisdom because it’s about you pouring into another person.  It gets you out of your own head and situation, so that you can see what life is like for other people.  Not everyone is happy that it’s December.  
  2. Make lists of things that you want to purchase for family and friends, prior to spending.  While there are sales going on, you have to remember that the advertiser is not aware of your budget.  Even if they were, I’m not 100% sure that it would matter.  The sales are going to be there and everything is going to look like the perfect opportunity to get a great deal.  However, it’s your job to make sure that you are staying focused on why you are in the store.  When you don’t have a list, you can exceed your budget and if you are not careful, that could impact your life next year.  Be careful with accumulating debt for Christmas.  Those bills will still need to be paid, so don’t spend beyond your means.
  3. Evaluate your spending before you get to the register.  This might seem a bit tedious, but it’s important that you look at what you have in your cart or hands prior to getting to the register.  You may not have realized all of the things that you put in it, while walking through the store.  You can keep a calculator with you and tally up your estimated bill, so that you can spend according to what you can afford.  Don’t worry about the people around you.  We should all take a moment to do this, so that we aren’t stressing later on about the money that has been spent on impulse.  You also want to make sure that things ring up at the price that they were listed on the shelves.  Many people are over charged by the stores because the system didn’t charge them the listed or sale price.  Don’t worry about how long it takes.  If the person behind you is in a hurry, he or she can go to another line.  If the cashier is in a hurry, that’s ok.  He or she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so make sure that you are being charged the correct price. 
  4. Be realistic in expectations from others for gift giving.  This might be confusing, so let me explain.  You might have told someone that you want something very expensive.  Perhaps you said that you didn’t want anything at all.  Yet in reality you are expecting the most expensive, high quality item that money could buy.  It is important that you don’t encourage excessive spending from loved ones.  You don’t want them to go into debt paying for items that they could not afford, just to make you happy.  Plus, that happiness will only be temporary.  If you know that you and your husband have a budget, don’t tell him that you want something that is out of the budget.  You know what you want to do for your children or other family members.  You know the bills that you have to pay.  As a woman of wisdom, you should find something within an acceptable price range to add to your lists of desired gifts.  Even if you don’t tell anyone what you want and receive items that were contrary to what you expected, make sure that you have a thankful heart.  They thought about you and gave you something that they thought you would like.  It’s nice to have expensive items, but expensive doesn’t always mean that it’s the best.  It just means that it costs a lot.  
  5. Let your communication be in a loving and uplifting manner.  Earlier I mentioned that you should pour into other people and you should.  However, you should also work on cultivating healthy relationships and conversations with other people in a loving and uplifting manner.  It is easy to get into an argument with someone during this time of year.  People are stressed about finances, relationships, health, and so much more.  They are even stressed because they feel like they should be happy and are not. Many people have lost a loved one, are experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, feel lonely, and lost.  They may never tell us what they are experiencing, but we want the love of God to be shared in our lives, even more at this time of year.  In your relationships make a point to let people know that you care.  Your gift for them could just be a call or an email.  Try your hardest to make peace with all people and not to hold grudges within your heart.  Remember the “Reason” for the season and share the love of God with others and with yourself.  

 I hope that you found this encouraging.  I pray that God would help you see the multitude of ways that you can walk as a woman of wisdom during this season.  Be blessed.