You are gardeners. You garden the lives of your children and many others! Are you enjoying the gardening or is it drudgery for you? If it feels more like drudgery than joy, then guess what? You are giving too much of yourself away. We are not created to care for others at the expense of our own self-care. It’s like the old airplane analogy – be sure to put on your own oxygen mask first and “breath normally” before helping any dependents beside you.
Here are my top five tips for moms this Mother’s Day:
BREATHE. Breathe deeply. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Imagine breathing in the sunshine and breathing out the cobwebs. Breathe in God’s loving presence and breathe out worry and anxiety. Do this for just one minute today, and you will feel better. Then commit to doing this deep, affirming breathing everyday! When we slow down our breath, we slow down our emotions, and we can think more rationally.
Remember Who You are and Whose you Are. You are God’s creation and invited to be His child and co-worker. You are unique and wonderfully created. I once saw a quote by John Mason stating, “You were born and original, don’t die a copy”. Live out the unique life that God has given to you. Affirm it and live it. Be yourself.
PRAY. Prayer is the conversational part of your relationship with God, and you are designed to pray. Apart from prayer, your mind wanders and gets into all kinds of trouble. God is our source of love, life and wisdom, so pray – knowing that you are never alone and that your perfect Bridegroom is providing for you. If you don’t know how to pray, check out these prayers – the Serenity Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer – or just pray through life as you go.
Take care of yourself. How are you eating? Sleeping? Exercising? You will be blessed and energized by prioritizing self care. Be actively engaged with positive people, places and things. Practice living mindfully in the precious present moment. Work through your feelings, attitudes and behaviors (I like to call those your FAByoulous treasures) every day. Using journaling to pray through your FAB (feelings, attitudes and behaviors) will empower you to make wise mind decisions!
Trust God with the “O” zone. We simply cannot control Others, Outcomes and Old Stuff – that is what I mean by the “O” zone. Remember that the “O” zone is ultimately not in your healthy realm of control. Pray about the “O” zone, assist as you can, but let go of being a superhero. Remember, we already have a Savior! We often need to let go and just support whatever good work is going on. Remember, we can only do our part, as in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you, Moms, for loving us!