Embrace Your Mission

I've been seeing many posts on various blogs about being a Mother. Not a mom, but  a Mother, as a title.

I have read so many encouraging words about choosing to be happy caring for children, and making a home.

What if you're okay with that, but you're looking for something more? This post keeps coming to mind for me. I do have my struggles being a mom and homemaker, because I am just not a natural homemaker. However, I love being home with my kids. The problem is, I don't love being home here.

I have been suggesting to my husband for a few years that we relocate. The cost of living is high, good employment low, and things are just tough.

After reading the post at (in)Courage, I was sure we were supposed to go. Somewhere. Anywhere. We do not own a home, neither me or my husband are tied down to a long term job (my husband is still working with a friend, after being laid off in late 2009), and I felt like we were being set up to go. Where, I'm not sure. Maybe a long term mission trip?

God said no. I can hear it loud and clear. It's currently in the form of a song by Everybody Duck. I last heard the song 12 years ago at camp with my church. It goes like this:

Use Me Here, Where I am
I'm not gonna pray anymore
that You'll change Your plans.
Despite my fear, I place my life in Your hands. 
The future can wait, tomorrow might be too late,
So Jesus use me here.

I haven't even thought about this song since I heard it at camp that year.

A few days ago, I watched the Inside 9/11 documentary, and it really moved me. It made me realize how much prayer our country needs. Not just our officials, our military or our President.

Our cities need prayer. Our states. The families that were affected by the tragedy, who, after 11 years, still will not see their lost loved ones. The children that lost one or both parents in that tragedy need prayer.

People in our everyday lives, who don't know Jesus, need us.

I know now that God did send my family on a mission trip. And it just so happens that travel wasn't involved, because we just happen to live in the chosen city, in the chosen state.

It's time to embrace my mission as a Mother and an at-home missionary, instead of fighting it and hoping to go globe-trotting with my family.

Where is your mission field?

There Really is a Time for Every Season

Lately I've been feeling like my list is way too long, and nearly impossible to keep up with. This is not a written list, it is my on-going, never-ending list in my head.
My list is similar to this one, with one exception. I never expect to get to the bottom of the list. I am okay with skipping a few things. Although I would love to have the house spotless, dinner done, and the children clean from head to toe with big smiles when my husband gets home, I am just as happy if my dirt covered babies run outside with big smiles to greet their daddy, while I am pulling my hair out trying to figure out what to do for dinner (I haven't been that great with the menu planning!)

I was blog-hopping the other day, and this post really overwhelmed me. There is no way I would be able t o do everything on this list, every single day. I skipped on over to another blog, and ran into this post. I let out a sigh of relief.

Even if I don't get dinner on the table within 5 minutes of my husband walking in the door, and I spend time playing with my kids instead of scrubbing the house down, I know that I am still blessed. I do not have to be perfect, I just have to be willing. This was my favorite from the list: "Blessed is she who serves laughter and smiles with every meal; for her cheerfulness is an aid to mental and physical digestion."

I spend too much time comparing myself to others, and what they can accomplish. I tend to forget that we are all in different seasons of our lives. I am not in the season to be able to sit down and scrapbook every memory we have, because my children are young, and what to help with every single thing I do. Someone else may not be in the right season to blog, even though they long to, because they have newborn twins. And at the same time, a stay at home mom may have sent her youngest child off to school, and is having trouble adjusting to this new season, with extra time on her hands.

Whatever is weighing on your mind, remember: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1

If you have a pile of craft items (or is that only me?) that you have been meaning to get to, maybe you aren't in the crafty season. If you are struggling with making all of your food from scratch, but aren't able to get dinner on the table before 9 pm, maybe it's time to give yourself a little break: buy some frozen veggies, a few healthy boxed meals, and frozen chicken breasts. You will save yourself some sanity, and time.

My extremely short and sweet movie review

I have a confession: I love Pirates of the Caribbean. There, I got it off my chest.

I am not a movie review type person, because I normally don't "see" into the movie any deeper meanings other than the main story line.

My husband and I went out on a date and saw Pirates of the Caribbean-On Stranger Tides. The movie started out slow to begin with, and there were quite a few different story lines. However, I was extremely surprised to find that this movie had a very spiritual aspect to it. Throughout the movie the subject of redemption and forgiveness was brought up.

One line from the movie came from a Spaniard in search of the Fountain of Youth, "There is only one source for eternal life". How true this is!

I won't give out any spoilers, but the ending was a little confusing (if you have been watching the movie from the Christian bible-based point of view). This would be a good topic to discuss in a bible study, on how easy it is to have idols in our lives that could take us on the wrong path.

 This movie might be a great conversation starter for high school aged kids, in regards to the subject of true salvation. It's rated PG-13.

I would give this movie a 3 out of 5 as an entertainment movie, and a 4 out of 5 as a learning tool.

Have you or do you plan on seeing this movie? If you've seen it, what's your take on it?