And so I consider...

"Consider what God has done: 

Who can straighten what He has made crooked?
¹⁴ When times are good, be happy; 

but when times are bad, consider this: 

God has made the one as well as the other..."

- Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

Bumps in the road are inevitable.  Not to be worried over either because God's Ways are not always our ways.  Thank The Lord!  Sometimes our expectations are just not aligned correctly with what God has already planned.  

So much of my life has been "times of good" and I am thoroughly convinced in these verses to be happy!  And indeed, I am :) yet, I also want to wisely consider that God is in charge of the good times and the crooked times...  The days that exceed every expectation and the days that are turned completely around from any expectation I may have had.

These are just a few thoughts that I have gleaned from talking to a beautiful mom who has learned to count her blessings!  She shared with me some of her revelations from The Lord and struggles to respond rightly when she found out her second child has Down syndrome.  It was so encouraging to hear how God has turned her expectations of "normal" and "perfect" to a new kind of normal and perfect.  It reminds me to look at the days ahead with joy, knowing that God has plans to change me and my heart for His Glory!

"But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:33-34

Truly if I could pass any motherly wisdom along it would be this- to seek The Lord!  Whether in good, bad, easy, or hard times; blessings of His Spirit are always added to those who seek Him.  And each day truly doesn't need to be overwhelmed with future troubles; take one day at a time.  It is good to be responsible and to plan for what you can, but there is a point where you can only do so much and must leave the rest of "your plans" faithfully in our loving Father's arms.

Oh what wonderful wisdom I was blessed with this morning at the little Mother's Day tea that my aunt's church put on.  There was a sweet little question and answer discussion time focusing on different mothers amidst their unique stories and walks of faith.  Each mom agreed that being a mother is hard work and then they encouraged other moms to embrace motherhood with humor, forgiveness, humility, patience, flexibility, and faith.  It was a time of refreshment where I was able to listen to mother's, who are more seasoned than I am, about their journeys of mothering!

And now, I am at home listening to my sweet boy and handsome husband working on some projects outside.  All while little Saphira kicks and squirms inside me.  I am so early on my journey of mothering, and it is sobering and exciting to hear from other moms about their experiences.  There is so much to learn in my life, but I pray that everyday my children will see that my Savior Jesus is real and that His kingdom is always worth seeking ;)

³⁴ "Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
³⁵ Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
³⁶ Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain." - Psalm 119:34-36