As we approach the week of Mother's Day, I thought this might be a message very much worth repeating and a Mother's Day gift to give yourself.
What's the message and the gift? Let's not seek perfection, but let's seek to do the best we can with the gifts God gave us. Afterall, the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
Let's lay the groundwork.
King Solomon, who wrote most of the book of Proverbs, was often called the wisest man who ever lived. He filled this book of the Bible with practical advice that teaches all of us how to gain wisdom and live a life that sets a good example for our children and one that's also pleasing to God.
Specifically in chapter 31 of the book of Proverbs, King Solomon creates this vivid picture of a wise women who is not only an inspiration, but she's resourceful, compassionate, integrity filled and, most importantly, she's completely devoted to God. Definitely someone to imitate and aspire to be like, right?
Sometimes these kinds of examples can be paralyzing though, because we see this example and we think to ourselves, "I can never be like her." What we miss is the fact that this wise woman, I'm sure, had her bad days too! Her bad days just aren't magnified and focused on here in this particular scripture. I bet she had those days where she was snippy with her husband, agitated with her children and probably even had unfolded laundry all over her living room couch. I bet on some nights, she even forgot to take something out for dinner!
Here's my point. All of us as moms have our good days and our bad days. The days where we are hitting the mark on everything and those days where we miss them all completely. It's just life! But here's the thing, don't compare your worst attributes to everyone else's best attributes. How unfair is that?
Let's face it! We all have our gifts, and we all have those areas where we weren't gifted at all. And that's completely the way it's supposed to be.
The woman Solomon described is an example of someone we can learn from and in some ways imitate, however in no way is the goal for us to be and do it all to perfection. The goal is to use our gifts and aspire to do the best we can with the gifts we've been given.
Philippians 4:8 says "Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable. Think about these things that are excellent and worthy of praise." https://truepostinc.com/products/celebrating-motherhood-bible-verse-cards-scripture-cards-devotions-happy-mothers-day In this scripture, Paul is directing the Philippians to program their minds with the right kind of thoughts. He recognizes that what goes into the mind directly affects a person's success in life.
Let's take Pauls' message to the Philippians and apply it to our lives as mother's. Let's not seek perfection, but let's seek to do the best we can with the gifts God gave us. Let's focus each day on scripture where we fix our thoughts on what is true, honorable and right. When we fix our thoughts on these things, perfection or not, we'll empower the children in our life for success.
W. R. Wallace, an American Poet, said it best... "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." Poem: “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Is the Hand That Rules the World” by W. R. Wallace | It's the Women, Not the Men! (kqduane.com) This is a powerful true statement, and it makes me hyper aware of the most important role, we as women play, in the lives of our children.
Definitely the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world!