Why Blog? What’s the point?

Why blog? What’s the point? I asked myself this question multiple times, over and over again as I slowly but surely felt God pulling me towards this endeavor. I had a thousand excuses not to do it.  Legitimate excuses like I’m busy or I’m not a trained writer.  To pathetic excuses like my pantry needs organized or I need to walk my dog.  However, when God calls me to do something it feels like a song that’s stuck in my head, I can’t turn it off, and it randomly plays even when I don’t want to hear it.  So, after ignoring the call for almost a year, I decided to get brave and do it.

So, back to the question…. Why do a blog? What’s the point? The honest answer is because I love you. I truly do.  Whoever you are who is reading this, I love you.  Because likely, you are a wife and mom like me.  We share similar battle scars and have fought the same fights.  There’s a kinship that moms share that can’t be explained.  Husbands are great and can relate to you to an extent but another mom can say to you, “I get it, I’ve been there”.  For example, I’ve felt the EXHAUSTION of having a newborn.  The kind of exhaustion where you’re moving in a fog and your eyes burn and all the make-up in the world won’t cover the dark circles under your eyes.  Because lets be honest, when you are that tired and you hear your husband yawn and say he’s tired bc he only got seven hours of sleep… when you’ve had seven hours of sleep spread over 3 days, he’s probably not the most relatable person.  Also, no mom will judge you for throwing a spit up covered burp cloth at him for daring to say he’s tired in front of you. Just Kidding! Don’t do that.

Another mom can also factor in a very fun thing called hormones. And by fun, I mean terrible little things that can wreak havoc on you mentally and physically.  I picture them like ugly little gnomes that march around my body looking for someone/anyone to mess with.  I have to remind myself that I am the queen of the gnomes and I have the power to control those evil guys. A fellow mom just gets it.

As many of you know, I’m a business owner.  I own/operate a 3D/4D ultrasound business.  So, I meet with tons of moms on a regular business.  Fairly quickly after opening I noticed that all moms are different. Some are young, some are older.  Some eat only organic, some go to Taco Bell weekly (guilty!).  Some want an epidural, some don’t.  Some plan to breastfeed, some don’t.  I could go on and on.  However, one thing every single mom had in common was when I showed them compassion and acknowledged the fact that they were doing an amazing and difficult thing by growing a little human, they opened up to me.  Especially the ones who came in with a chip on their shoulder.  The ones who walk in the door (usually late) and you can just tell that they’ve lived a hard life.  Time and time again I would watch these women let down their walls in my ultrasound room.  They were honest and sometimes told me shocking things about their past or their personal lives.  This proved something to me… that we all crave what Jesus told us we need all along, friendship and love.

I read a quote the other day by the great Billy Graham and it blew me away.  He said, “It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge, and my job to love.” Wow! How simple is that?  What if we just did that? I know, I know, it’s easier said than done, but isn’t that a world you want your kids to live in?  Wouldn’t you much rather your kids see you showing love to those around you than being a crazy, frantic, overwhelmed mom who snaps constantly?  I’m not naïve, it’s hard when you are caught up in the everyday moments of your life.  I know I’m not alone here when I say that sometimes it’s easier to be kind and patient with a stranger than our own family.  Why is that?  Maybe it’s that whole familiarity thing because you know your family will forgive you.  Lately, I feel like God has made me more aware of my daily reactions and I must say…. I don’t love it.  Full discretion…. I HAVE NO PATIENCE! Like none.  Sometimes I will tell my 3 year old to be patient and I will actually hear my husband chuckle in the next room clearly thinking that I am the pot calling the kettle black.  Many times I will justify my lack of patience thinking that I’m just too busy and it has to be this way.  But it really doesn’t.  Galatians 5:22-23 says, The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. (emphasis mine)  This verse flat out tells me that as a believer, these fruits, including patience are in me.  But, I’m also human, and my flesh sometimes wants to react quickly and at times inappropriately.  So, what I’ve learned to do is PAUSE before reacting.  It was hard, and slow going at first but it has made a huge difference.  I just take a few seconds to ask myself, “Sarah, how do you want to react right now?  What do you want your boys to see?”  That small pause allows the Holy Spirit to come to the forefront instead of my natural reaction which is anger, impatience, and frustration.  If you are like me and your days are a whirlwind and you feel yourself losing patience with those around you, I encourage you to pause.  Having a more controlled reaction feels so much better than flying off the handles and snapping.  And usually when I snap it’s over something stupid that feels terrible at the time, but really isn’t that bad.  Like I stepped on a lego (OUCH!) after asking my kid to clean them up ten times already.

I desperately want to show Jesus through my actions everyday.  When I’m out, when I’m at work, but most importantly when I’m around my family, specifically my kids.  The last thing I want to do is be a hypocrite and tell them about Jesus, tell them to act like Jesus, but in my everyday life, in the little moments when they are watching display no fruits of the spirit and not act like Jesus at all.  If we don’t start small and make little changes at home and in ourselves, big changes will never occur.  Accepting Jesus and choosing to follow him is hard.  As I said previously, our flesh wants to react completely differently than the Spirit.  But there is hope, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here.  We are a new creation through Christ.  How exciting is that?!  The Holy Spirit will start to convict you of things as soon as you become a believer because he is transforming you to be more like Christ.  I know for me, personally, there is no one else I would rather  be like.  If you asked the people around you who you remind them of on a regular basis who would they say? A “Real Housewife”, one of those “Dance Moms”, A Kardashian? A character on Mean Girls? Even if we are all secretly obsessed with Regina George, there may be a better person out there to act like. Are your friends and family seeing you act like a disciple of Jesus at all?  I encourage you to try, even when it’s hard… and exhausting… and crazy… and busy… and even if it’s Wednesday and you forgot to wear pink 😉

A few years ago when things were very hectic in my life I stumbled upon this Bible verse and it cut through me like no verse ever had.  It may have been the first time a verse convicted me yet filled me with so much hope at the same time. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in this warped and crooked generation.  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. -Philippians 2:14-15.  If we are constantly grumbling and unsatisfied and picking fights we are going to blend in.  We will fit right in in the break room if we join in and complain about our boss.  We will fit right in with our girlfriends when we sit over dinner and drinks and complain about our husbands.  But this verse calls us to stand out, to be different.  Be the positive one in your circle of friends, find gratitude in your situation.  Not only will you feel better but you will start to shine.  And those around you cant help but notice.  And do you know what happens when they see you happier and a better version of yourself?  They want what you have.  They want the peace and comfort of your Jesus.  And that my friends is the gospel.  Accepting Jesus, being transformed by the Holy Spirit, and telling others the reason for your hope and happiness so they can be transformed and shine themselves.

My friend, my fellow mother, you are strong and brave to be raising little humans.  I get goosebumps thinking about the amazing generation of kids we are raising.  Don’t just tell them about Jesus, show them Jesus in you.  I can assure you it will be worth it.

I will be praying for each of you who has read this blog post.  I also give you a gold star for making it to the end without running away over my typos and grammar mistakes (sorry!).  I will be praying for those fruits of the Spirit to start to transform your life.  And if you read this whole thing and you don’t know Jesus, and you don’t have a personal relationship with him, please message me if you have questions or want to talk.  I could tell you some doozies about the person I was before I knew Jesus.  That’s how I know he’s real.  That’s how I know he lives in me, because he saved me, just like he will save you.  Whether you need saved from a mediocre “mom-life” where you feel trapped, or you need saved from a full blown addiction to drugs and alcohol.  Or, you need saved from an extra-marital affair that will ruin your family.  Jesus will save you.  Because he already paid the penalty for your sin 2018 years ago when he was nailed to a cross.  For if you declare with your mouth  that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. -Romans 10:9.

Thanks for taking the time to hang out with me for a little while. Until next time!

XOXO- Your Friend, Sarah