Inspiring Moments for Busy Mothers

Between dishes, laundry, floors, children, spouses, in-laws, parents, church groups and work, moms often find themselves too busy to find time to allow themselves to grow in Christ. This page was designed to give mom a moment to quiet her soul before Jesus and bask in His love. The short readings on this page only take a few minutes to read, but hopefully they'll give moms something to think about all day long.

With five readings on each page, check out the links below to find even more inspiration created especially to help moms keep focused on the One who loves them more than we can possibly imagine.

Devotions You'll Find On This Page

• Spring has Sprung
• God Called it Very Good
• Let's Make Some Bread
• As Soon As
• The Vacuum in My Soul

I remember those Spring days when my girls were small. I loved the longer days and the fresher air. The trees began to bud and the grass would begin to turn green. Daffodils and crocuses dotted yards nearby and we would see calves and lambs in the fields; they were so adorable. I loved Spring and all the newness and life that it represented. There was only one drawback to the season . . . my children.

Considering all the rain and the fact that the days aren't yet warm enough to really get outside a lot, I'm assuming your kids are in the midst of "Spring Fever." Much like their parents, children can sense the coming thaw. They know that any day now they'll be able to leave the coats at home and run outside like crazy men. There's something in the air that gives us all the hope that the cold and drear of winter is nearly a thing of the past, at least for the next few months, and that feeling, that hope, can make you want to sell your children! They are probably a little more antsy than usual and don't hear as well, as if they listened perfectly before. I'm here to tell you not to sweat it, it's normal. If you were six, you'd be acting exactly the same way. Like us, they just want to get out of their heavy winter clothes and enjoy the sunshine. They'll be back to normal soon enough, just try not to kill them until it happens.

By now you might be wondering what kind of devotion this is. I was thinking this morning, as I contemplated what to share with you, that in the midst of your children driving you nuts, you might need reminded that God loves you! Jesus Christ is there for you, and His Holy Spirit is just waiting for you to call on Him for guidance, support and power. So here are a few ideas for you to meditate on today and perhaps for the next few:

Did you know that you are the "apple of God's eye"? Check out Deuteronomy 32:9-11 and Zechariah 2:8 and remember that Christians have been grafted into the tribe of Jacob. You are special to God. There is no one who loves you more!

Do you need reminded that God has called you by name, you belong to Him? Isaiah 43 tells us that when we pass through the fire we won't be burned, and when we walk through the waters He will be with us. Our Heavenly Father says that we are precious and honored. Do you feel precious to God today? Take a few moments just for you! Tell yourself over and over that you are precious to the Creator of the Universe, He formed you, He knows you and He loves you!

Psalm 139:13 reminds us that the Maker of all Things knit us together, stitch at a time, in our mother's womb. You are as special and valuable as a handmade, one-of-a-kind work of art created by a master painter or craftsman. There is no one exactly like you, you can never be replaced and there is no substitute for you.

God knew you'd make a tremendous mother. On those days when you feel as though you've blown it in the parenting department (and yes, that happens more frequently the older they get) let Proverbs 23:18 and 24:14 & 20 as well as Jeremiah 29:11 & 31:17 assure you that God goes before you working everything out. He promises that you have a future hope. He guarantees that the children of His chosen people will return to "their own land."

Don't kick yourself during these days when your children are just anxious to work off some of their winter energy. Instead, pray with your children and teach them that the Lord Almighty loves them. And the next time you're watching them sleep, and you're reminded of how you'd give your own life to protect them regardless of their behavior in the hour before bed, remember that your Heavenly Father loves you even more than that. In fact, He did, indeed, give His own life. He loves you that much.

Genesis 1

This morning I began my day thinking about my grandchildren and how I can help their parents encourage them to be good. What kind of positive influence can I be, what can I say, what kind of reinforcements can I give them? As I posed those questions to myself I felt God calling me to the end of Genesis 1.

In Genesis 1, as most know, we read the description of God creating. The chapter ends with these few words: "God saw all that He had created, and it was very good." (Genesis 1:31a) Everything that God created was and is good. My grandchildren, my children, your children, all of them are inherently GOOD just because God created them, and more than that, according to verse 26 in that same chapter, He created them, us, every human being, in HIS image.

This made me wonder, how might children everywhere change if they were told daily that they are good? Not because of the way they behave, but simply because they are creations of the Almighty, Sovereign Master of the Universe. How might their self-esteem and demeanor change if they realized they are good creation that sometimes misbehaves?

I learned long ago that humans everywhere tend to live up to the image given to them by the authority figures in their life, whatever that image may be. A child, or even an adult, when called "bad" often enough, will indeed be bad. If we are convinced we can't, then we can't. It doesn't matter that given the right nurturing and opportunities we each can probably do much more than we believe. If we have that word imbedded in our brain often enough, we will believe it, and anything we believe strongly is a truth in our life whether it is a truth from God or a lie from the devil.

Fortunately, God calls us clay. (Isaiah 64:8) That means we can be remolded. We can be remade from a misshapen pot into a valuable vessel. As adults, if someone has spoken untruths into your life, and you've believed them, your shape and outlook can be changed by replacing those negative words you've heard with positive ones. Find friends and groups that will help reshape your thinking. Read books, especially the Bible, that will help you see the truth. The truth is you were created in the image of the Living God, and He has hand carved you into something absolutely wonderful, something useful and of value, someone who can go further, dream bigger and achieve more than you ever thought possible.

The beauty of this discovery is that you can help mold the clay that is your child. You can speak positive words into his life. You can help convince her that she can do anything. You have the power to help your child believe at an early age, he has been created, she has been formed in the image of the Omnipotent Creator. How will the demeanor of your child change once they are convinced that although they misbehave and often will have to apologize or even be disciplined for their actions, God Himself says they are "very good."

Matthew 16:5-12

Kneading dough can be a very relaxing endeavor. Push and roll, push and roll, turn and smash again. It's a nice quiet task that allows us to take out our frustrations and feel productive at the same time. However, the purpose in kneading is isn't to relieve stress. We knead to work the yeast, to get the leaven all through the dough so that it will raise properly. And for some reason the kneading also causes the yeast to work better.

I have a sugar cookie recipe that came from my husband's grandmother. It's a family favorite because these cookies are the lightest and fluffiest you've ever tasted. One of the secrets I've discovered for very light, yet thick cookies is letting the leaven sit in the dough for a long time and then kneading. It's just baking powder and baking soda, but the longer the dough is in the refrigerator (or freezer) and the more I knead, the better the cookies.

Jesus said to beware of the yeast, the teaching, of the Pharisees. I wonder if He compared it to yeast because the more a teaching is presented and the more we ponder a teaching, the better it works into our very fiber. Think about it for a moment. You probably have things you do in your life simply because they were "kneaded" into your life on a daily basis. Perhaps you comb your hair the way your mother did, or use hand gestures like your father. Each of us has quirks, knowledge, habits and even hang-ups that are harbored way deep inside of us because our parents "worked" them in, generally the kneading was done very subtly and often without a thought that their words and actions would affect us for the rest of our lives.

As we raise our children, we need to be aware that our "teaching" is like yeast. Everything we do, every word we speak is similar to leaven being measured into the dough. And each time we repeat the action or word, we are kneading. If we yell more than necessary or speak judging toward others, we are kneading that behavior into our children.

Jesus didn't tell His disciples that "yeast" was bad. He simply told them to guard against the "yeast" of the Pharisees, teachings that sounded like something God might say, but weren't really from His Father. As you go about your day, consider the kind of "yeast" you are mixing into the soft, pliable minds of your youngsters. Is what you are teaching them from Christ or from the world? Are they learning how to love God and others or how to help themselves?

We have an awesome responsibility "raising" these children God has given us. So take a minute to check out your brand of yeast, and have some fun kneading the dough!

Philippians 4:10-13

I have learned to be content . . .

Just the other day, I caught myself saying it again. I thought I was done with those phrases, but I allowed one to cross my mind again. I’m pretty sure we’ve all thought them. There’s “as soon as” and “one of these days.” I’ve used “pretty soon” and “Someday.” If someone overheard any of them, they would assume that I wasn’t happy with the current situation, and nine times out of ten when I use those kinds of phrases, they’d be correct.

I praise God that, for the most part, like Paul, I have learned to be content in any situation. I have discovered over the years that God really does have everything under control. Which means because I love Him and serve Him, He’s using every situation and circumstance for good in my life. (Romans 8:28) When I remember this simple truth, it’s much easier to be content in every situation.

But there are days when I find myself wishing my life away with the “as soon as” and “one of these days.” It usually happens when I feel “stuck” in a situation, when life takes a turn that I hadn’t planned for. Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe that contentment is the same as complacency. I believe that if you feel “stuck” in your job, it’s OK to go out and look for a new one, the job that Christ has waiting for you. However, I also believe that while we’re out looking for employment, we should learn to look for all the blessings that God has given us in our current situation.

When it comes to raising children, the “somedays” can become very attractive. “Someday when the kids are a little older we’ll be able to . . .” “One of these days when they don’t need me so much . . .” “As soon as we get them through this stage . . .” Again, there’s nothing wrong with planning for the future, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of enjoying every moment God has given us.

If we read these verses from Philippians, we discover that Paul wrote these words demonstrating that he’d learned contentment in the midst of hunger and imprisonment. And while sometimes our days of wishing life away may seem like we are facing these kinds of hardship, most of the time our “somedays” are just in the midst of a bad day or a situation we prefer not to be in.

Paul learned the secret to being content. He shared it in a verse that we now label Philippians 4:13: “I can do everything because Christ gives me strength.” Paul knew that the secret to contentedness was to lean on Christ instead of the situation. He understood that the peace in troubled times is found when we focus on Jesus instead of the situation. When we believe that God knows what He’s doing and trust Him to take care of us, we can put away those phrases that wish away today and spend valuable time focusing on the future. When we live in the strength of Christ, we can enjoy the blessing of the present and find joy in each contented moment.

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This week at church I shared an object lesson during the children’s chat that I believe is a good lesson for every age. I was inspired by my granddaughter’s bath earlier in the week. I am constantly amazed at the way that Christ shows me truth in the simple things of life.

You see, Elizabeth likes to go through my “Tupperware cupboard” before getting in the bathtub. Everyone in my family has one of these. It’s the space where we store the plastic leftover containers, and even though many of them are really old butter bowls and cottage cheese tubs, we still call it the “Tupperware cupboard.” At any rate, I also keep my squeeze bottle in there, and for this bath excursion, she chose a bunch of plastic cups and the squeeze bottle.

Elizabeth is nearly three so I figured she was old enough to understand the concept of squeezing the bottle, putting it under the water and letting it fill up by sucking water back into the tip of the bottle. While she understood, the bottle was a bit rigid, so it was difficult for her, but squirting the water out was a fun new game!

As I helped her fill up the bottle for the umpteenth time, I realized that you and I are just like that bottle! Maybe you have a look on your face similar to my church family after I told the kids that Sunday. It seems a bit strange, but it’s true.

When we’re born we are perfectly shaped, exactly the way God created us and full of His image. But almost immediately after birth the world starts crashing in. From the vaccinations that cause us pain to our tumbles and falls, physical pain crushes us a bit. Each time we’re scolded whether it’s legitimate or not, like the bottle under pressure, a bit of our spirit is pushed out of us. When we start making friends, we’ll find bullies and kids who hurt our emotions, and the walls of our life come in a bit more. Some children even experience abuse that crushes prematurely. Whatever the cause, by the time we’re teens (or younger in many cases), all of the life has been crushed out of us by the world.

Like that bottle that I squeezed for my granddaughter to play with, a vacuum is created in our lives that longs to be filled. And filled it will be.

When I put that bottle under the water and let go of the sides, it immediately started filling with water. And in our lives, whatever is surrounding us when life’s vacuum has become as much as we can handle is what will fill us. If we are surrounded by negativity, then we’ll be filled up with it. If we have immersed ourselves in worldly friends who continue to cause us pain, we’ll be filled up with that.

Psalm 1 says blessed is the one who does not keep company with those who scorn God and 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that bad company corrupts good character. As parents we often are mindful of who our children hang out with, we diligently keep them away from those who could hurt them or mold them negatively; as we should. But do we do the same for ourselves as adults? Are we careful to surround ourselves with positive Christians who are led by the Holy Spirit?

We can’t remove ourselves from the world. In fact, the Bible says we’re to be a light in those dark places. However, we can make sure that the things of the world that will push the life out of us are minimal and the things of Christ that will fill us with His love, joy and peace are all around us.

Today let’s take inventory of our schedules and our address books. Have we left time to fill ourselves with scripture and the things of Christ? Is worship and fellowship with other Christians important enough to have a spot on our calendar? What does our Facebook friend list look like, and more importantly who has made our real life friend list? All of these things will determine what fills our spirit when we begin to breathe in again after life knocks us down and drains us.

It’s time to breathe in and be healed from the things of this life that hold us down, squeeze us and create a vacuum. It’s time to surround ourselves with things that will help us focus on the love Jesus has for us and be filled with His goodness, His patience and His Spirit. It’s time to accept Paul’s Romans benediction for ourselves and invite the Holy Spirit to fill us with all His joy and peace so that we overflow with hope in Jesus Christ.