4 Questions to ask your Mama-Self at the End of the Day

: Created on Thursday, 16 August 2012 05:09; Written by Nathalie

At the end of the day, I often lay in bed like a sack of potatoes and try to salvage in my mind, the bits and pieces of the day. Sometimes it feels like a blur and all I seem to remember is what I wish I did or didn't do. Some nights I grab tight to precious conversations and funny moments. Whatever the day holds, I often feel overwhelmed by the big picture. We are responsible for these human beings! That's no small feat. And I'm starting to realize that it really helps me to break it down into small nuggets...one day at a time.

So here are 4 questions I've recently started asking myself at the end of the day as a gauge for my heart...to help prompt me to take notice of my struggles and my strengths, keep me focused on what is most important, and help me seek the Lord for wisdom and inspiration for tomorrow.
Did I laugh?
No brainer right? Yah, except when your brain is mush from either no sleep or interrupted sleep and you're running on fumes. And before you can have your morning cup of joe, you've already had to play referee, nurse, & potty patrol.

Or how about those terrific 2's? It's not too hilarious when your sweet angel girl pops a squat in the middle of the aisle in the fabric section of hobby lobby, screaming in tones that remove 1/3 of your hearing capabilities and make dog ears perk. ( I mean, I wouldn't know. That's a totally "fabricated" story. Eh hem) Not so funny.

Sometimes...some days, we have to create joy moments. We have to put the silly faces on, get out our tickle monster claws, and bring on the belly laughs. Because some days dipping our toes in just won't cut it. You know the days I'm talking about. It's on these days that we've just gotta jump in with both feet. Paint your face blue if you have to.

Did you make them laugh? Did you laugh with them?

Did I bless?
When you're on a mission to present your kids to the world as well behaved, obedient, well mannered tiny humans...when you're on a mission to point them to the One Truth that will bring them complete and whole fulfillment and point them to their Creator, and lead them to their God given purpose for living--sometimes we FORGET to bless our kids.

Sometimes it seems more natural to correct them than it does to bless them. But the power in our words is undeniable. Over the last several months I've made it my mission to really take notice of my (almost) 5 yr old's every right choice, wonderful attitude, beautiful drawing, inventive idea, imaginative creation....and just MAKE IT A HUGE DEAL. And as a result, I'm beginning to see a confidence brewing in him...a confidence in the things he does well AND a confidence in his capabilities to get better where he struggles. And I'm finding that he repeats those things that I tell him about himself, like they're TRUE (and they ARE!). I'm even catching him bless others. "Mommy, you're really good at that, you're so creative." PRECIOUS!

I'm also realizing that as I voice his strengths out loud, it's like I'm making a mental list of all of his wonderful qualities, and I'm seeing patterns, and I am learning more about how God has created him and how He's gifted him.
Did you use words only to correct, or did you specifically tell them the things that make them wonderful? Did you bless your children?

Did I pray?
Us mama's, we're SO inventive, ingenuitive, and creative. We are QUEEN multi-taskers (even if you are kinda terrible at it, like moi). We pride ourselves on being problem solvers, researchers, and teachers. We have the CAN DO attitude. {Motherhood IS THE NECESSITY of invention, if you ask me.}

That's all well and good. But, did you pray? Did you pray about that thing your kid keeps doing that's driving you nuts or concerning your heart? Or did you run straight to your online go-tos. NO JUDGMENT HERE. Because I am speaking to MYSELF about this. I want reading material, respected opinions, and tested programs. Being a mom holds so much responsibility, the weight of it all, in our humanness, gives way to frantic searches for the latest parenting books, websites, and forums....something we can get our hands on. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it. BUT...

But before we can gain what we need from "the experts", we need something we can get our HEARTS on. He knows these small human beings, He himself knit in us, more than we ever will. He holds the key. He has the answers. He knows. Since becoming a mother, I'm having to retrain my ears to listen to His voice, and my eyes to watch for His leading. Not that I was a pro before, but for some reason panic mode sets in before prayer mode, way too often.
I don't know how I forget to ask Him for the wisdom He promises us...ours for the taking! But I do.
Did you stop (even for a moment) to pray, before you {fill in the blank}.

Did I play?
Yes, I know. Those dishes are eerily whispering your name. Or if they're like mine, they're reeking (literally) havoc in your kitchen. Not to mention my laundry, which just may get up and walk out the door on its own. But my lack of domestic skills are not the topic at hand.

Or maybe you're just exhausted to begin with because you have a bun in the oven and 2 littles hanging on your pant legs. Or maybe you come home after a full day of work with sore feet and can barely form a full sentence, much less pretend you're Batman or a pirate or a princess or a bear or lion or any other four legged creature. You just want your tush on your couch.

The point here is that we have a lot on our plates. We wear many hats. For me, its SO EASY to get so bogged down with the harder realities of life, that I have a hard time engaging in a little imaginary. But their whole world is play. They relate and learn best through play. I mean, I know you hear it a million times a day--"mommy will you play with me?". Way to often I think I can hold them off just a few more minutes, until all the sudden I've wrapped up dinner, baths, and bedtime routines, and....
How did you relate to them in their world...did you play?

PS: another thing us mamas are super good at...heaping loads of guilt on ourselves for what we are NOT doing. This post is not meant to cause you to see just a few more things you are NOT doing. I hope it will give you a simple heart check at the end of each day that will inspire you for the day that follows. I find myself lacking in all four of these. But each evening we can pour our hearts out to the Father and ask him to quicken our spirits to his nudgings.

ACTION POINT:
Write these four words down in a visible place to help draw your heart's attention to what matters most throughout the day: LAUGH, BLESS, PRAY, PLAY
(or add or replace with the words the Lord is laying on your heart)