God's mercies for every MOMent

I was desperately trying to fold the clothes that were left partially on the floor separated and folded, partially in a messy heap in the the laundry basket from yesterday, as my daughter was crawling all over them and trying to escape up the stairs. My morning had been somewhat stressful, as neither my husband nor I were sporting our best Jesus-attitudes and were short with one another. Many projects were left undone and a mess from the previous day since my daughter had refused an afternoon nap and also would not be put down without crying for the last several hours of the day. (She is teething and sometimes needs some extra love). My stomach was growling and my mental, physical, and emotional energy tanks were nearly empty.

Even though I know this is far from the worst life could be, I felt pretty desperate for God to shower His love on me to help me get through the day. I needed my Father to lavish His love on me (I John 3:1) so I could show His love to my daughter and husband.

I screamed in frustration and prayed for the Lord to give me His strength. He brought this verse to mind:

Yet I still dare to hope
      when I remember this:

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!
      His mercies never cease. 

Great is his faithfulness;
      his mercies begin afresh each morning. 

Lamentations 3:21-23

How beautiful a scripture! His mercies begin afresh each morning. Even if I had a difficult and sleepless night, even if I was cross with my daughter or husband, even if I have too many things to do, I can dare to hope that His mercies are never ending and his love never ends. I can pray for His help to get me through the day.

But one thing bothered me about this verse... it came to my mind before 9:00 in the morning. I'd gotten off to a rough start. I still had a long way to go before his mercies could begin afresh in me in the morning again, and I needed it sooner than that!

I concluded that if the faithful love of the Lord never ends (meaning it is always happening), then his mercies can begin afresh each moment!

Therefore, I decided to make my own "new morning." Though I cannot actually reset the sun and cause the day to start over, I can, with God's help, change my attitude and my heart to focus again on Him. Some days, this will be an almost constant "time-out with God", but I think he welcomes that. Just as I welcome my daughter into my arms when she needs my love the most, our Heavenly Father welcomes us when we run to Him.

So start your morning afresh when you need to: Take advantage of your children's nap times and bask in the presence of your Heavenly Father through prayer, Bible reading, or listening to inspirational music. (The chores will be there when you are done, but your attitude will be better to take care of them). Put the kids in a safe place and take a quick shower in the middle of the day to refocus your mind and heart. Go for a walk to the playground and let the kids play while you chat with God. Take some time in another room to be alone with God after you pop in a Veggie Tales DVD for the kids. Pray with your children, asking forgiveness aloud for your bad attitude and requesting that the Lord fill you with his Spirit.

You will not regret seeking your Heavenly Father moment by moment. It's the only way we can be the mothers He has called us to be. I will leave you with my own version of the scripture, reminding you to seek God regularly as you fulfill the high calling of motherhood.

Yet I still dare to hope
      when I remember this:

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!
      His mercies never cease. 

Great is his faithfulness;
      his mercies begin afresh each MOMent.