So here we are, I'm here to open up the forum for all the NO ONE EVER TOLD ME's...that would happen, to expect that, that I'd have to deal with that, etc. etc. etc. It doesn't have to be just motherhood. It can be marriage (airing on the side of non-malebashing comments, please), teenagers...need I say more, it doesn't matter....here I am and here you are to share our stories. It really does take a village ladies. I think about all my invaluable girlfriends that have gotten me through so much that my husband wouldn't have a clue how to handle and I say, THANK YOU...you have saved my sanity, you've made me a better mom, a better wife and you've helped me feel validated! What an awesome gift!!!! Thank you LORD for the friends in my life. I hope I've been as good of a friend to you as you have been to me.
And I hope now that we can travel this journey together. To turn to each other when we are embarrassed to tell anyone else that such and such is going on. That we can rely on each other in a way that only the anonymous can provide...a way to confide without feeling exposed, a way to relate without feeling judged, a way to build each other at the times we need it the most, and a way to laugh at ourselves when we are taking ourself too seriously...afterall, we aren't perfect wives or mothers or sisters or daughters or employees or employers, but we can help each other become closer to the image that GOD made us in and continue to grow.
That is my goal for us all, to become better women. Lord knows, I need all the help I can get. The question is, do you feel the same and are you in it with me?
I'm not surprised to see you blogging Miranda. I love it!
ReplyDeleteFunny you should mention your increasing honesty as you get older. That's great! A theme for me in my mothering lately has been truth. I can't tell you how many mom friends I have who have told me stories over the years of how they tell their children what our culture would consider to be "little white lies." They are usually motivated to "protect" their children or to make their own life a little bit more convenient.
God has quite a bit to say about truth in the Bible. I don't think anyone would argue that truth is important to Him.
"But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." Romans 2:8
We might not think that we are "following evil" when we tell our kids a white lie but that's how the Lord sees it. And besides, if we as mothers create a pattern of telling lies to our kids even if they seem small, eventually our kids will figure it out. Then any trust and respect they might have had for us will be gone and not so easily recovered.
Denise Richards made a comment recently in an interview about how she has to lie to her kids about their father. That is certainly a tough situation for her to be in and as mothers we need to be prepared for our kids to ask us tough questions. But if we know the Lord, He will give us the wisdom we need to answer those questions in a way that is gentle yet truthful. Embracing truth is part of what makes mothering difficult, but if we take those small steps each day to model truth to our children, we will build solid relationships with them that will withstand the storms of adolescence and beyond!