In honor of Mother’s Day, today’s blog is an excerpt from When Chocolate Isn’t Enough: An Inspirational Survival Guide for Moms by Michelle Medlock Adams (Worthy, March 2015).
As I was sitting down to write this particular devotion based on Proverbs 31:28, that says: “Her children arise and call her blessed…” my phone bleeped.
It was a text message from my youngest daughter, Allyson, who was finishing up her degree in Product Development at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, 2,200 miles from home.
Glancing at it, I noticed how long the text was, which is not characteristic of Ally’s texts. Her texts usually consist of a lot emojis and no more than two lines. I hoped everything was all right.
It was.
She wrote: “Btw, I never really REALLY realized how blessed I am to have you and dad. I knew I was grateful to have you two but we talked about the average debt for kids coming out of college and how most can’t pay for any of it and start their lives paying back school loans. Like the fact you pay for my college is the most amazing thing ever.
“And then on top of that, my rent, food, bills etc…I am so grateful to have you and daddy (and Nana). It’s unbelievable how good you guys are to Abby and I… I just never realized the extent of how blessed I was. So thank you so so so so soooooo much. I need to thank daddy too. Love you!”
Her text brought tears to my eyes. It was actually happening—my children were finally rising up to call me blessed! Let me tell you, there were some parenting days during their teen years when I didn’t think we’d ever get to this point—days when “I hate you! You’re the worst mom in the entire world!” comments pierced my heart. Of course, I knew my girls didn’t mean those hurtful words, but those are still tough to take when you’re already questioning your ability to parent.
I think every mother goes through those times when we wonder if we’re really capable of raising the children we’ve been given. On those difficult days, we have to stand on the Word of God and all of its promises, and we have to know in our knower that God has called us and equipped us to be amazing mothers.
READ MORE: 6 LITTLE SAYINGS OF MOM’S
So, press on, my fellow mamas! Your rewards will be great! Now that my girls are 20 and 22, I can testify that it only gets better. They are no longer just my daughters, but also my best friends and spiritual sisters. We have long conversations about career paths and love and God and how many calories are in one chocolate donut, and I am constantly amazed by their spiritual maturity, hilarious personalities, and overall awesomeness.
Abby, my oldest, sent me this text a few weeks ago after we’d had one of those deeply spiritual phone conversations the night before.
“I love you, mom & I’m sure you know this already but I really needed to hear everything you said tonight and I’m so thankful that I have such a wonderful, spiritually sound & strong mother like you! You really are my best friend and I look up to you in so many ways. I hope and pray that one day I will be half the woman & mom that you are. I love you so much & I can’t wait to be home on Wednesday. Ab”
Talk about seeing Proverbs 31:28 come to life! I am one blessed mama, and so are you.
Father, thank You for my children. Help me to be reminded of Your promises on the days when being a mom is really hard. I love You, Lord, and I’m so thankful You called me to be a mother. In the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.
Happy Mother’s Day!
