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Will You Answer the Call and Fulfill Your Purpose?!

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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!

‘Tis the Season to Be Wise

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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. 

Being Mrs. Mom the Not So Average SuperWoman

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It’s been pretty busy on my end for the past few months, but that’s nothing new. I’ve spent a lot of time praying, seeking God, and writing.  As I look at the world that we live in today, and continue to be prayerful, I realize that more women need to understand  and receive the call of God on their lives. Not only do they need to receive the call, but they need to step up to the plate, with the bat in hand, ready to answer the call and hit the ball out of the park. 

Did you like my analogy?!  I really mean it though. So many women have forgotten the true call of God on their lives because they are too busy trying to be Super Woman. They are trying to do it all and be it all for everyone.  They are wearing themselves out because they are all over the place, trying to accomplish every goal, and do every activity. At the end of the night, they are worn out, but they still can’t sleep because there is too much on their minds. 

Can you relate to this woman?

If you do, I understand. I used to be right there with you. I just wanted to do what I had to do, and I really had a lot to do. I wasn’t sure what was God-given or Makeda given. I couldn’t stop going or moving, long enough to hear the Lord tell me the right direction to move in. I was working so hard, that I almost missed my call.  Today, I know how to be busy doing the Lord’s work and being about my Father’s business. 

I know you’re wondering what call I’m talking about, right?!  

I’m talking about the call to be one of the Not So Average Superwomen that God has so graciously placed in the world. 

You may not know who she is or why her call is so important, but after I explain it to you, you’ll see why I talking to you about this woman.

Titus 2: 3-5 says “the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—  that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”

In this, the admonishment and call are to the women of God.  It is first, an admonishment, to the older women to make sure that they are living the way that God has called them to live. Then they are called to admonish the young women and teach them how to…

This implies that the older women had to first know how to do the thing that they are going to be admonishing the younger women to do.  This is not a just talk of what to do, but an actual type of mentorship in how to do it.  

Next the word is for the young women.  They are called to make a difference, first, in their homes by  loving their husbands, loving their children and being homemakers, and obedient to their own husbands.  Second, it is to maintain their character in accordance to the word of God.  They are admonished and called to be discreet and chaste so that the word of God may not be blasphemed.  

Later on, the young women would become the older women, called to younger women and the cycle would continue.  What’s important to notice here is that the women are first called to their homes and to their own personal development, before they are called to the world.  

I think that today’s woman has it backwards.  Many women are taking the time to help others and working outside the home, but are forgetting their commitment and call to their own families and personal development.  

When we first work in our homes we are a support and pillar to our families.  We establish an environment in the home that makes it a place of dwelling that they always want to come home to.  Nurturing our relationship with God and our family also builds a strong foundation for the woman and understands her value, as she takes her place.  

Look around at the broken world today and you will see that the place of women has not be fulfilled in the home, thus the family is missing a key member.  Women have done great things for society, but they have also left the foundation of society empty, the home.  

The call to be the Not So Average Superwoman is to lay hold of that calling once again and answer it with a “yes.”  It is to be diligent to be different from the women of the world that only focus on building their positions and the facilities of the world.  It is to stop trying to find your strength in yourself and other things, so that you can find your strength in God.  It is to drop your cape at the door, so that you can put on the armor of God.  

I know that this is a lot and it feels like a big challenge.  You can see what I’m saying, but need more information.  That’s what I’ve been busy doing.  I’ve been putting together the book to help you with this.  It’s called “Being Mrs. Mom the Not So Average Superwoman: Find Your Strength in God, Drop the Cape, and Put on the Armor of God.”   I encourage you to get your copy today from Amazon, so that you can make sure to answer the call of God, today.  

Open Letter to a Celebrity

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When was the last time that someone held you accountable
Told you when you were right and wrong
When was the last time that they didn’t just listen to your beat or dance to your song
How long did you spend thinking about the decisions that you’ve made
Not just about the opportunity or how much you’ll get paid
When did you consider your influence and the power to inspire change
Have you realized that you could motivate some to do good and others to fail
Maybe you don’t realize they’re hanging on to your coattail
You say you want to make a statement and you have something to say
Have you considered your actions
Humbled yourself for a moment to just pray
Why are you so adamant on going against the grain
Not the one that makes you popular but the one that declares His name
I know your not religious or at least when it comes to this
You believe you can do whatever you want and still receive His blessed kiss
Now up until this moment, you were considering my words
Don’t let what others say confuse you and make you act absurd
Yes there are things that you can do which defame your name
They make you look bad and bring you shame
There are those that may pay you very well
But the price that you pay…it’s your soul that you sell
Now consider my question and consider your call
Do you have someone to hold you accountable at all

Sincerely a praying sister concerned and watching,

Makeda

On Parenting

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Wow!!!

Was that Wednesday?  I had my share of ups and downs yesterday.

I had moments when everything went well and others where they just didn’t.

But that’s how life is, right?!

Each and every day…in every season of our lives we are faced with new challenges.  We have to make new decisions.  We have to decide to either commit or not to commit to a task, function, or a role.

I find that these are the times when I begin to reevaluate my priorities.  I look at my progress.  Am I consistent in what I do?  Am I holding myself accountable or do I have someone in my life that can do it for me when I can’t?

Yet, parenting is one of those things where you never know what trials or tests we are going to face.  Parenting tests our ability and our inabilities. It is one of the many roles in life that test or check our character.  Parenting proves if we are who we say we are…who we hope to be…or who we said we would never be…

It is in this, that we have to stand strong in the promises of God…cast all of our cares upon Him…for He cares for us…

When I need wisdom…I ask…He supplies…

Parenting causes me to say “Lord, help me to push when I need to push, but not pass the limit that you have set…that is needed…Help me to hold on when I should and to let go when I need to…Help me Lord to raise them right…pleasing in Your sight. For you gave them to me…Let me stand up for them and with them…when I should against their will to do wrong…to quit, to not try…help me to teach them resilience and accountability.  Help me to show them the way that you have shown me…”

This is my hearts prayer…for me…for my husband…for my children…my grandchildren…

I even pray this for you…that you would be encouraged and strengthened to influence and assist a young person in their growth and maturity.  When you feel like giving up, that God would equip you with the strength to continue to go on and to see the task all the way through…

That was Wednesday…over that hump…

Now, this is Thursday…

Taking The Steps To Grow…Spiritually

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Taking Steps To Grow

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

~1 Corinthians 13:11

There is a normal cycle in our human existence.  We all go through a span of life development.

We are born into this life as a helpless baby.  We mature into a child, adolescent, and adult.  Even our adulthood is filled with a maturing process.  We go from being young adults to middle adulthood.  Finally we become an elder.  While this process is a natural one, there is also a spiritual process of development that we all must go through.  Yet there is a slight difference in the two.

The natural process of development takes place without our participation.  Every year we grow older, age, and change.  Life’s situations and circumstances cause us to develop, even in our minds.  Our brains change, developing the essential qualities needed to live a healthy life. Yet, the spiritual process is not the same.

As an adult that is a newly saved Christian, we are a new creature in Christ.  This means that we are born again and a babe in Christ.  After spending time in relationship with God through His word, we begin to mature.  However, this process of maturing requires more than what is required in our natural lives.

What I mean is that as a Christian ages, this is not equivalent to their level of spiritual maturity.  However God calls us to a place in Him where we go from being a child in Christ to being a young man or woman in Christ.  After that it is important that we begin to mature into an elder in the body of Christ.  In the body of Christ, new babes are always being born and we are called to help train them for service and for their lives in this earth.  (Titus 2:3-5) Yet we cannot do this if we stay babes ourselves.

This process of becoming spiritually mature requires our participation.  In the scripture above, Paul distinguishes some of the changes that take place.  He says that when he became a man, he put away childish things.  We must put away from us speaking as a child.  We must be willing to take the time necessary to acquire the understanding of a spiritually mature adult so that we no longer understand as a child.  Even our thoughts have to change from being childish to being spiritually mature, thinking on the things that are pleasing to God and replenishing to our spirit.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. ~Philippians 4:8

This is one of our first steps.

We must change the way we think.  We cannot do this on our own.  Instead, we have to allow God’s word to permeate our beings.  As we do, we will renew our minds and change the way we think. (Roman 12:2)

We also have to change what we do.  It is not enough to simply read the word of God.  We have to do it.  We have to decided that if our lives conflict with the word of God, we will bring things to a clear resolve by doing what the word says. (James 1:22)

In all of this, it is important that we seek to build a relationship with God, in faith as a changed individual. (Hebrews 10:22)

We all want to be our best.  We want to be good wives, mothers, daughters, friends, aunts, sisters, cousins…you name it…we want to be our best.  If we want this, we have to do what it takes to be that.  We have to afford ourselves the opportunities to be our best.  Yet, when we do not pursue the things of God, we rob ourselves and those in our lives of experiencing us at our best.

I hope this message comes across in a way that blesses you.  I have found that being my best means saying no to some things and yes to others.  I have to trust God at His word and do what He says, so that my life can be a reflection of His love.  It might be challenging, but when we look back and see how far we have come, it will all be worth it.

As we bring this week to a close, let’s think about the things we can change in our lives. What are new habits to build and old ones to break? How can our relationship with God and others be better? What is our relationship with the Word of God?

Basically, let’s do some evaluating so that we will be ready tomorrow to start a new week, moving forward spiritually.