Happy ‘Pinning’ Y’all!!

“But, Johnny’s mom does it!” says the child. “Well, I am not Johnny’s mom” says the irritated mother. This is one of those age old scenarios that has probably played out in different homes, speaking different languages all across the world! Thank God, we aren’t Johnny’s mom, right?! Because if we were Johnny’s mom, we wouldn’t be our little ones mom.

 

God made us all different, with different features, likes, styles, and talents. You get what you get and don’t throw a fit, right? Wrong, although, that may be true for the piece of cake you get handed to you at a birthday party, it is not true for your purpose in life! God specifically made you the way you are for his purpose, he gave you the children that you have for a reason! It is our job to use our gifts that we have been given to build God’s kingdom, our job as mom’s is to train up children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). Sounds easy enough…so why do we make it so hard?

 

I’m sure that in the days before the ‘world wide web’ mom’s felt inadequate, but in this day and age our inadequacies seem to be plastered or ‘pinned’ everywhere we look! Mom’s get discouraged hourly with just a quick scroll through Facebook, Pinterest, or countless other social media outlets. We are envious of the mom who baked an apple pie, from scratch, only using all natural, gluten free products. We think, why can’t I have the time to make my kid’s Halloween costume like ‘Suzy’ down the street. We feel like bad mom’s when we realize that the pack of baby wipes that we just finished was recalled for being contaminated with bacteria, and then of course it doesn’t help when we read the comments about this and find out that other moms actually make their own wipes! You can make your own wipes?! Who knew!

 

God made us perfect in his image for his purpose, and it is up to us to fulfill that purpose he has for our lives. He gave us the children we have for a specific reason, and he equipped us with our own talents that are unlike the mom who can make her own wipes… for a specific purpose! So, instead of being envious of the mom on Pinterest, ask God to reveal to you what your talents are and get to ‘pinning’ them in your life and not just on your computer! You have a purpose and it is beautiful, so start living it!

 

Daily Bible Verses:

 

1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

 

Romans 12:6-8 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

 

Matthew 5:14-16 ““You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

 

Daily Prayer:

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord, please open my eyes to the talents you have woven in me and I will use them according to your will. Help me to remember that I am unique and beautiful in your eyes and I need not to compare myself to anyone else. Help me to be the best I can be with the gifts you have given me and please guide me as I set my children on the path that you have destined for them. Thank you Lord for the blessings you have given me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

 

*This post is also seen on Just A Mom.

Soccer Balls, Cleats, and Shin Guards Oh My…We are All Precious In His Sight

It has been a busy season in our household! Out of six children we have four of them in a sport. The oldest, “Why For”, is in swimming year round and at the moment football, the second in line, “Sporty McGee”, is currently playing football and within the next week he will be starting basketball, the fall season that is, because where we live you can play any sport in any season! Number three, “Butter Bean” and number four, “The Challenger”, are both playing soccer. Soccer…I have come to realize is not just a sport but a lifestyle, at least it is where we live anyway. You know a person would think that this town would be all about football considering we live in a town with a University that has one of the top football programs in the nation, but in the world of parents and children soccer is THE sport here. We are blessed to have a wonderful soccer association that organizes games for over 1400 children every Saturday in the Fall and Spring, and that’s just in the recreational league!

When Butter Bean decided he wanted to play soccer last spring my first thought was “aw man…soccer” and not in the “WAHOO” way but in the “DARN” way! I know I can speak for Snookums on this too, soccer was not our forte. In fact when it comes to sports I am completely inexperienced, I’m learning right along with my children. Snookums on the other hand was Mr. Athleticism while growing up, even now the man doesn’t lose in a competition! So when Butter Bean said “I want to play soccer” I knew we were in for a loooong season of ball watching. Neither myself nor Snookums knew a thing about soccer. But of course like any good little parent I signed him up and payed the small fortune for his name to be thrown in the bowl with about a thousand other kids just to be plucked out by a random stranger. A random stranger that our family would have to be closely involved with several times a week for the next ten weeks, give or take. As you can imagine we were bubbling over with excited anticipation. I was so excited when I finally got the email from Butter Bean’s soccer coach giving us the details of what our lives would consist of the next couple months. When I read the coaches name I discovered our first hurdle…I wasn’t sure how to pronounce his name. Living in a college town for almost a year now I have grown very accustomed to the diversity that this world has to offer. In fact I am in aw of how well this town seems to blend together. That brings me to the point of my story. Different cultures, backgrounds, colors, religions, names… those things do not matter when you have one common goal.

Previously I wrote a post about how we have lost the love of the game. The story was written specifically about baseball but the idea could be applied to any sport. Well I am excited to report that the love has been found, I found it growing and nurturing children on a field composed of little grass, a few stickers and a lot of dirt! This last weekend Butter Bean played his first official game in the Hispanic Soccer League. One thing and possibly the most important, I got out of our first of many games played at this field was how much these children truly loved this sport. Not only children of all ages but their parents too. I’ll be honest I was a little nervous. I was nervous to be taken out of my little box of comfort. My little box where everybody spoke the same language, a language that I understood. My little box where the soccer fields were nicely trimmed and all the jerseys matched. Another lesson I learned from our first game in this league was how boring and small my little box was! Why do we imprison ourselves? We box ourselves in nice and neatly with almost no wiggle room, and by doing this we miss out on so many wonderful experiences. We seem to forget that there is in fact a world out there, and a rather large one to be honest, that doesn’t revolve around us alone!

Let me go back to our last spring season, the season that started our soccer experience. Our random draw for a team couldn’t have worked out better for our little Butter Bean if we had personally selected his coach. He ended up on a team with a coach that moved to the United States on a soccer scholarship from Argentina. Not only does this coach know the game, respect it, and love it but he also has a way of teaching these children how to truly play and enjoy it! I can see that Butter Bean has a God given talent for this sport and God has given him a coach and a team perfect for him. Watching these children play together is nothing short of amazing. They have been taught to play TOGETHER and at this age that is a huge accomplishment. I have seen so many times children playing team sports for themselves. What I mean by this is they are taught to worry about how they look and how they play individually. Our little soccer team has been together since the start of last spring, they got together a few times throughout the summer and kicked the ball around and started back into regular practice times shortly after school started in preparation of the start of the fall season. In that short amount of time they have been taught certain team skills and soccer skills that take some, years to develop. I accredit that to the natural talent all these boys have, their dedicated coach and of course all of us parents that put our time and effort into making sure they are where they need to be when they need to be there.

Our team of eight little boys is made up of four different cultural backgrounds…American, Argentine, Honduran, and Vietnamese. This makes me so happy. One thing Snookums and I want for our children to know is that the world is bigger than they can imagine and it is there ready for them to grab a hold and run with. How can we ever teach them that if we don’t show them what’s out there? People learn best from experiences. I may be the only parent on the team that sees it this way but I believe that our children are learning a lesson far beyond how to kick the ball, they are learning to love each other despite their differences. They are learning that different is good. They are learning that as different as they may look they are more alike than anything. They are learning that not every child has the opportunity to play on finely manicured fields. They are learning that in order to play the game you don’t have to have the best equipment, field, etc.. you just have to have a mutual love for the sport with others. They are learning that language barriers can be broken easily when you have two goals on each end and a ball between you. Further more these children are teaching me that the view of this world and life I have been taught can be changed. Despite all the hate we see on the news and in everyday life we can live together and love one another the way God tells us too. We just have to step outside of our little boxes and experience life. I am so proud of Butter Bean’s team. I am proud of the message that I see being broadcast to everyone who is willing to open their eyes, ears and heart and listen. Boys from different backgrounds and cultures playing together like brothers. The brothers God intended them to be.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please share it with ALL!!! Have a Blessed day!!

~XOXOXO~

~Mommamamom