More than a Mom
Dreams. Everyone has them. Little seedlings God has planted and strategically placed, positioned to perfectly grace our hearts and the lives of others. These seedlings flourish and wither throughout the course of our days, changing along with the seasons of our experiences and life circumstances.
Ready, set, grow, we say when we notice these seedlings taking root in our hearts, altering our mindsets in an eliciting way that connects us closer to the Creator. We are so eager to kickstart our relationships with the little seedlings inside of us, that we deem ours to have and to hold, that we begin to tighten our loving grip. Sometimes, we clutch our seedlings so fervently that no sunlight can penetrate through our tightly woven fingers. We love our seedlings so hard that we nearly smother them, stunting their growth.
At times, we love our seedlings more than the Creator himself, and fail in this way. Only when we release our grip and unleash our plant from its own personal prison can our seedlings flourish and grow. We must let go in order to “let God.” Our seedlings need the warmth and light that only our Heavenly Father can provide. God enables our seedlings to grow up and overflow out of our hearts, revealing his goodness, purpose, promises, and redeeming love in our lives when we choose to let go.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—
who can change his plans?
When his hand is raised,
who can stop him?” Isaiah 14:27 (NLT)
Nothing can stop God’s plan for your life. We may fight, squirm, and try to worm our way out of something that God has called us to, but ultimately God will have his way. In the story of Jonah, we are shown that when God calls us to something it is a command, not a recommendation. We are to listen and obey.
Something I tell my children often is, “Listen and obey, right away, with a happy heart!” Sometimes I think I need this reminder for myself when it comes to my relationship with the Lord. When the Holy Spirit calls us to something, it is not really a suggestion; it is a calling, something with eternal purpose and everlasting value that has been positioned perfectly for us to accomplish.
Like David facing Goliath, Mary bearing the Son of God, Esther entering the King’s court unannounced, Ruth serving Naomi, and Mary symbolically anointing Jesus by shattering an expensive bottle of personally purchased perfume and pouring it out over Christ's feet; when we listen to God and obey, we too are performing an act of worship. We can praise Jesus and bring God glory through the way we live our lives. Through our steadfast obedience in carrying out the Lord’s plans and purposes with happy hearts, we can be modern day Davids, Esthers, Marys, and Ruths.
The Lord equips those he calls. When God assigns a mission, He will give you all that you need to follow through. The strength, the courage, the wisdom, the accuracy, the provision, God will equip you.
Our first job is to listen. We listen to God through his Word. We listen through prayer. We listen through scripture spoken over us and wise counsel. In order to hear God’s heart for us, we must lean in and listen.
Our next job is to obey. We must obey the Lord in what he calls us to. I remember doing split leaps on the balance beam as a little girl. Jumping my highest and making my legs split as much as they could mid air on the 4-inch-wide beam was thrilling, but frightening at the same time. I could do a partial split leap with ease and comfort, but giving it my all was a bit daunting. A leap of faith can seem scary, but God has trained us through muscle exercises and cardio that has built up our faith. He will never call you to something that you cannot accomplish. And when it seems like an impossible feat, He is going to spot you through.
We must obey right away. In gymnastics, the longer I waited to execute a certain skill, the more terrified I became in imagining all of the what ifs. The best thing to do was to execute the skill immediately before hesitation set in. The same is true in our faith lives. We must do what God has called us to, right away.
We must obey with a happy heart. The Lord loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). Obeying God wholeheartedly is to be done with an attitude of gratitude and mindset of pure joy.
God has given you a specific assignment in furthering his Kingdom. This is something to be celebrated and faced with confidence. It’s okay to feel the adrenaline kick in, but ultimately we can have confidence that the Lord is going to aid us through all that he has called us to.
We are more than moms. We are vessels of the Living God, created in advance for good works. When our hopes and dreams align with God’s mission, and we say “yes” to carrying out God’s will in our lives, we are equipped with mountain moving power because of our faith in Jesus.