Isn't it profoundly interesting how a child can somehow profoundly mess up an entire house within an hour? You spent the good part of the day doing laundry, scrubbing the toilet, and picking up toys only to find them just minutes later in the most mysterious places. Remember those nicely stacked clothes sitting on the couch? They are on the floor in a big pile with cookie crumbs. And one of your little beauties just spilled red fruit punch on your living floor even though they have been told to keep it in the kitchen. Yes, this is life. This is a life of all moms. Our days are a series of ups and downs, but the life of a single mom produces an extra layer of difficulty. You can not just say, "Okay husband. I have had it to my limit! I'll be back in 30 minutes!" It can be hard when your days blend together with no progress and absolutely no breaks. It is hard, but God provides us encouragement in 1 Peter 5 to "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." He does not want you to do it alone. We all know God can not help you with refolding that laundry, but he surely can guide your heart to a place of encouragement to get you through a few more hours of the day. Open your eyes. He is there with you. Throw the clothes in a basket, flip that tv on for 30 minutes for the kids, and throw some music on and get in the shower. Get your mind back in a better place and choose to not let Satan get a foothold of your mind. God is preparing you for something more, and this is just training. Single momma, you got this. Why is life is hard right now? Why is that no matter how hard I work life seems to fail on me? Why does it feel like I am giving all of myself and to just come up empty? Those are the questions that went around and round my head after I put in 65 hours of work to find out that the government took money out of my account because my name was connected to an outstanding bill of my previous marriage without my approval or knowledge. I questioned my life and why it felt like I could not make headway. I worked so hard to give my child a good life only to see the struggles continue. Proverbs 24:16 tells us that "though the righteous fall seven times, they raise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes." It is enviable that life will get tough. As humans, whether you believe in a faith or not, you will have tough times. It is a given. But if your heart is rooted in the One who loves you, the fall will hurt a little less. We need to remind ourselves that God is there beside you holding you in His arms. When times get beyond hard and you feel like you have fallen in life for the billionth time, let yourself cry, wipe off your tears, and get back up. I promise you it will get easier. I promise you. Hang in there momma. Living in the midwest can be unpredictable when it comes to its seasons. One can experience at least three different precipitations in one day, literally. Ohio receives the lake effect from the north, and then currents from the west and the insanity of the eastern coast. In the winter, the amount of snow is unpredictable but the winter is assured to be quite cold (Personally, I look forward to being force to stay inside and drink hot chocolate. It is a win-win!). Although this winter has already been quite cold, the warmth of love permeates my home. This Christmas is quite special for me. It signifies my first Christmas as an official single momma. Although I left my husband years ago, the paperwork was not final till this January 2019. Those years are quite memorable in an unmemorable way. I actually do not remember much of them, which is why I remember those years so much. The stress, the hurt, and the pain was great. So through all those years of verbal and emotional abuse, and then a stressful divorce, I just was not able to enjoy any holiday, especially Christmas. Christmas Eve church service was the most unbearable: to see families with a mother and father sit together in their handsome attire and sing Christmas hymns was beyond devastating for me. I distinctly remember one service where I left before the sermon because I just could not handle it. The pain hurt too much, and the winter cold was felt way too strong. And even though divorce is not what I wanted, it was necessary to happen. It provided me protection of myself and my child but most importantly, it allowed me to release so much of what I was holding on to that I was not responsible for. It gave me a chance to build myself back up, release the hurt, heal from the pain, and be more present in my daughter's life. So this Christmas will be filled with extra decorations, too much candy, and loud song in the presence of God and family. I am able to celebrate my little family, and enjoy those who love me unconditionally. I am so grateful. The holidays can be hard for so many of us. What is one thing you can do to make your Christmas better? If you are in a season of pain, choose to take a positive action that will help you through it. It may be as simple as watching Christmas movies with your kids every night or it may be putting them to bed early so that you can have time of prayer and reflection. Choose to make this Christmas bearable, good, or great depending on your season. You not only deserve the time and the peace, you need it. Sometimes in the midst of chaos we can forget our purpose. Our sole purpose is to be more and more like Jesus, each in our own ways. We are not able to be like Jesus if our happiness and joy is being stolen by someone or something. What is stealing your joy? As a survivor of abuse, my past can easily overtake my brain and steal my joy. Memories of what happened, thoughts of what could have been, and negativity steals my joy. If I am honest, sometimes it can still get a hold of me. Long-term joy is an active choice. You must choose to want joy and choose to get rid of whatever hinders that. The more I make a mindful and active choice to keep or not keep certain things in my brain and my heart, the more joy I have. I make the choice to make sure I am in God's word daily and spend time in His presence as much as possible. This provides me a safe haven and a peace beyond words. Don't let anything to steal your joy. Moreover, do not allow anyone to take it from you. Today, let’s give God our burdens just as Jesus did on the night he was betrayed by his own friends, and choose to not take them back. Make a list of five ways you can have more joy in your life. This may mean adding or subtracting something in your life. Either way, make joy a priority. It will bring more peace, love, and enjoyment in your life. |
AuthorMelissa Brown is a strong momma who lives in Wapakoneta, Ohio. She enjoys spending time with her daughter, Zoey, and taking long naps. Posts
May 2024
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