It's All About Attitude

As mothers we set the tone in our homes. Yep, it's true. And a little scary and a bit overwhelming. I believe that we are the one single person that has the most influence on the atmosphere in our home. You know that cliche, "When momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"? Well, can you relate to that? I sure can. My mood affects my children, it affects my husband, and it affects the well-being and stability of our home.

Of course, our husbands also impact our home. It's important that they are the leaders of our homes. The are to be the spiritual head, under the authority of Christ. They are to lead in love and with spiritual authority. They are not to lord over their wives and children, but they are to gently and lovingly lead decisions, discipline, etc. They are to treat their wives with respect and they are to love their wives as Christ loves the church. That's straight from the Bible. Look at Ephesians 5:22-32 for Christ's view on a husband/wife relationship. Husbands play an important part too.

I have clearly seen the impact of my mood and attitude on EVERYONE in my home. If I wake up in a less-than-cheery mood, my whole day can quickly slip down the slippery slope. And some days it does. However, when I'm feeling down or in an otherwise negative mood, I'm always conscious of a small, still voice (the Holy Spirit) prompting me to stop what I'm doing and pray before I go any further. When I ignore this voice, I usually fail. When I heed to this voice, I can definitely feel Christ working in me through the day.

I have days when I'm so frustrated with my, at times, very interrupted life. Some days it seems as though I can't even clean the toilet without being interrupted by my kids. And that frustrates me. However, when I show my frustration to my children, I know I'm not being a Godly model of a mother. When I yell at them because their natural childish instincts and habits grate on my nerves, I'm not being a Godly mother.

I've come to terms with the fact that I absolutely 100% cannot do this mothering thing on my own. In order for me to be the mother Christ intends for me to be, I must surrender my selfishness over to Him DAILY. I must decide that each day is HIS, not mine. This can be difficult because humans are, by nature, selfish beings. We want to plan our day on our own terms, not someone else's. If I say I want to have all the dusting done by 9:00am, then I'm irritated when it doesn't happen.

But it's not all about me, is it? It's never been all about me, and it became even less about me when I became a mother. But it needs to be about Christ. It needs to be about loving Christ, seeking Him ALWAYS. Not expecting perfection of ourselves, but relying on Christ to make us into the spirit-filled, loving, gracious beings He intends for us to be.

I'm so thankful that God is so forgiving of my imperfections. I have many. I've had moments of failure as a wife, a mother, and a person. However, my failures do not result in Christ ceasing to love me. Instead, He mercifully and graciously waits for me to come to Him and cry out to Him for forgiveness and lovingly supplies all the strength and help I need.

I'm making a decision to work on my attitude and mood. I'm making a decision to give my day over to God in the morning. I'm making a decision to lean on Christ for strength and wisdom to not just "make it through" motherhood, but to truly enjoy this season of my life. I'm making a decision to accept that I will still have failures, but to learn from those failures and use them to catalyze the appropriate change.

So, how has your attitude been lately? Are you caught up in this world and your own desires? Are you living in frustration, like I have been? Are you feeling weak and down-hearted because you just can't seem to get this whole motherhood thing down pat? Are you feeling guilty because you've yelled at your kids one too many times?

If you've answered yes to any of the above, I encourage you to give it over to God. Decide right now that you want to be the Godly mother that God intends for you to be. Then cry out to God. Ask Him for His power and strength. Seek Him daily through His Word and prayer. Remember that God does not expect you to be a perfect mother and wife. If He expected you to be perfect there would have been no need for Him to send Christ as our Saviour. Remember that He loves you, despite your failures, and He desires to walk with you through your season of motherhood.