In the middle of a quiet night, a tired mama reaches for her crying baby. She rests her weary body into the rocker and slowly begins the rhythmic routine of feeding, burping, and rocking. Her steady breathing and silent prayers produce a calm over this treasured bundle. Her fatigue fights to win as she soothes…
Tag: Motherhood
Motherhood: When Labor Pains are Endless
“What happened to me?!” A quick glance in the mirror takes me back just a bit. My hair is pulled back in a disarrayed mess, and dry snot is crusted on my sleeve. “Mommy!” my daughter yells. This shirt has GOT to go. “Mommmmy!” she shouts again. No one ever told me labor pains are endless…
Wrestling with Shoes
Step through my front door, and you’re greeted by shoes. Running shoes. Slides. Rubber boots. Loafers. There are shoes for playing soccer, shoes for playing baseball, shoes for church, and shoes for band performances. Oh, we can’t forget, shoes for stuffing your feet in when you have to run through the rain real quick to…
Love of the Mothers
When I imagined becoming a mom, it was pretty straight-forward. I wasn’t worried about deciding on my parenting style or what kind of food I would feed my hypothetical children. There were no thoughts in my head about how to handle toddler poo-tastrophies or teen anxieties when the SAT test loomed. I didn’t have a…
A Decade’s Worth of Spiritual Formation
Everyone’s spirits are shaped. A lot of the time we aren’t aware of it, or if we are, we feel like formation “just happens” as we pray, read our Bibles, and serve others. But there’s more! A decade of motherhood has formed my spirit profoundly, actively, and relentlessly. As 2010 opened, I had a 3-year-old,…
God, Help Me to Breathe When I’d Rather Yell
We were already late for the second day of Vacation Bible School as I carried one child to the car because his shoes still weren’t on. A plastic toy I could have sworn I’d never seen before quickly became the source of an argument as I buckled the children in and the volume increased. We…
Longing for Home
With the advent of a new school year, I’ve been thinking about what home means and especially what it means for my daughter when she returns from school. I want our home to always be that safe haven for her, a place where she feels secure, and a place where she ALWAYS feels she belongs….
Fostering Change
Driving down the highway on auto-pilot, I spoke outloud to the little one gazing sleepily out the window as I breathed in the early morning air. “Today you get to be with your mom and dad all day, and pretty soon you don’t have to leave them anymore. They are going to take care of…
The Discipline of Change
I’m going through a difficult season right now where I feel broken and tired at every turn–health difficulties and struggles, emotional and mental instability, and also just the tiring parts of adulting. In this season, one where I feel so helpless, I’ve been forced to trust God like never before. I’ve been forced to give…
The Opportunity of Discipline
Author: Kimberley Mulder I hate having to discipline my children. I hold awkwardly and begrudgingly the parental authority that has been given to me. There is nothing that causes my heart to sink faster than my children’s disobedience and disputes. I can be in a fantabulous mood all day but when that door bursts open…
Anchored Voices 