simple is as simple does.

This may sound simplistic.. because it is.


A toaster makes toast. Not much else it can do. In fact, that's all it can do unless you count frozen waffles or pop tarts.


Women are designed for bearing children. Not all women will marry or have children. Understood. 


Yet, if you are a woman and you have a child, you are a mom and you are designed like the toaster. Not to make toast.. (well, that, too!) but to give yourself wholly to motherhood.


This may not set well with today's mothers who have other worthwhile endeavors to pursue. We are great multi-taskers and can handle many responsibilities simultaneously. I find this to be a wonderful advantage and how I use it will determine my effectiveness and success.


Will I burn the toast?


Not if your God-given mother's heart will be shaped to grow as it is intended. We have the capacity for this growth and also have been given the freedom to choose if that growth will occur. I was very surprised at the ease in which I cared for my firstborn, not having been around babies all my life. There are instincts that are "in there". Amazing! But then, by night # 2 after coming home from the hospital and being up most of the night with a crying baby, I had my first lesson in "growing".


Moms have the hardware installed. We are wired to manage our homes. The hardrive truly has unlimited capacity. We are driven by love and yet, that love will take form and mature in they days ahead because there are no limits of opportunities for rebooting. 


You just have to make the choice to do it. The rest will follow.


We live in a day of so many, many distractions. Let's face it. We can easily spend 2 hours on Facebook. There isn't a need to get all our work done so we can watch our favorite program at night because we can DVR it and watch it anytime. Meanwhile, the baby is still in her wet diaper and the kids are on round 4 of watching cartoons and oh my it's 4:30 already and what will we have for dinner?


Or what about working moms? There are many reasons for a mom to work outside the home. I won't address them except to ask: do you really have to? I imagine much of the guilt that comes with mothers being away from home 40 hrs a week is because their heart is to be home. Toasters don't do well when used to make coffee.


We have to accept the fact that our life is not our own. We are wired even for this mindset. There is an ability within you to step back and serve your family unreservedly and when you choose this, you will find your capacity to accept becomes a deep well that is never wanting for strength. This is called growth.


What we give will come back to us. Will we always see wonderful results? No. Not everything is perfect in this world. Yet, there will be wonderful results. It may come in the form of a chubby fist holding a bouquet of dandelions or a son graduating college or a lopsided home-made birthday cake or your married daughter understanding your sacrifices.


Don't give up. We see good and we see bad. We laugh and we cry. There's plenty in your life to laugh about. Decide now to enjoy the goodness of God...and to accept all the mom stuff.