I had the privilege of spending four days with about 3,000 other moms recently for MOMcon 2014, the convention of Mothers of Preschoolers. While I was seriously hoping the whole thing would stir my soul, solve some trials in my heart and give me a clear path, it has led to more realistic outcomes.
Numbers 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
On Friday, Oct. 3, Jennie Allen, author, speaker and founder of IF: Gathering, talked about being brave because we are God’s. She used the above quote as part of her presentation. And then she used a word that echoed in my ears and brought tears to my eyes.
Diminishment.
We, especially we as moms, make ourselves feel small or insignificant.
Have you ever thought about it? How many times have you foregone a hair cut so that your kids can go to a birthday party or you just want to save the money? How many times have you thought you can’t do something because you are “just a mom?”
Look at the quote above, the God was telling his people to take back the land and they said “eh, we can’t.” They compared themselves to grasshoppers. If they called themselves grasshoppers, the enemy would see them as nothing more either.
I’m struggling with this right now as I look at my life. I’ve convinced myself that finding my own happiness and following my calling is less important than my children and their happiness. I’ve convinced myself that I’m less respected in my job because I work less than full-time and my first responsibility is to my family.
But that’s unfair and I have to find a way to break out of those thoughts.
My job doesn’t define me.
My role as a mom doesn’t define me.
My life as a child of God does.
I need to use my talents to serve Him, not please the world.
Through him I can do all things.
And now, I start the process of figuring out exactly what that means.
