Our two year old figured out how to unscrew the flour bin today… sigh. Yes, little Cedar has been “figuring out” lots of things these days. Things like opening locked doors, how to open up the peanut butter jar, get a bread knife and attempt to spread the peanut butter on bread, himself- and everywhere else for that matter, and it seems like every electronic we own, including my cell phone, has weird glitches lately and changed settings. Yes, all eyes are on Cedar – especially when things go wrong, get “accidentally” thrown in the garbage, broken or lost. “Uh-oh” from his little two year-old lips bring us running to where he is like there is a fire- and honestly, I am not so quick to count that imagined scenario out right now!

Two year olds – you gotta love ‘em! Otherwise, you might just hurt them! I have many days in my home when I sing (singing helps me relax) through clenched teeth, “I’m a joyful mother, I’m a joyful mother of my chiiiiilllldrennnn…”, breathing deeply and praying that my heart will really mean it. Right now I feel like I have a triple punch thrown at me because I have all three major age groups in my home- elementary, tween and teen- needless to say it has been a very interesting year! From the grunts I receive to just about EVERY attempt of communication with my two oldest sons, every “I dunno” answer I get from the tween and the screaming tantrums and insatiable curiosity of the younger ones… yep, triple punch. We have never spaced our children, having allowed God to decide the timing of history each one would arrive in this world and it leaves me to wonder sometimes how the Lord saw fit that I could handle such a feat, but here I am in the trenches doing exactly that. By His Grace and Mercy I get through these days and wake up each morning to do it all over again — and most days, I actually have a decent attitude about it!

No joke, I actually LOVE this crazy lifestyle. Being a mother has provided me with an outlet for every gifting and talent the good Lord has endowed me with. I have even picked up a few more in this road called motherhood. I’ve accomplished more as a mother than I think I ever would have as a career woman.( if you are a career woman, no insult intended- I am merely telling what motherhood has done for me) Motherhood has broadened my vision of quality life and has utilized my every faculty in order to be successful at what I do. I am a good cook- or so I am told- I am an excellent communicator, counselor and confident. I must teach and problem solve every day, have almost neurotic organizational and scheduling skills; most days I am, along with my husband’s leadership, responsible for the moral and spiritual atmosphere of my home- and in the process of my fruitfulness in that area, get this: I become a builder for the kingdom of God! My financial skills continue to improve year after year, I multi-task to the extremity, I can plan events on any sized scale, I can fund-raise just as well as any political campaigner in my humble opinion, I run a personal first aide clinic oftentimes on an HOURLY basis, and if all of that were not enough- I do it while homeschooling, being hospitable,  kissing and tending boo-boos, wiping little tushies and reading bedtime stories. I am Mother- hear me roar! Motherhood has brought all of this and more to my life!

There have been times in my life when I have thought I was not cut out for this “job” at all, but…honesty here…those were the times when I didn’t see the real potential and value of what I was doing. When you are striving to be a mother by the Lord’s standard, you begin to see what an awesome call He has placed upon your life. It is not just about raising “good kids”. Mothers, and wives, are so much more than that. My above “roaring” wasn’t to puff myself up or women for that matter, but to allow you to see that what we are called to as mothers is an excellent honor. It is important for you to first see your potential as wife, mother and keeper of your home- you must get a vision from God’s Word and His Presence. God intends for this role you have to be joyful, fruitful and fulfilling.

Sadly, so many women today are missing out because they haven’t taken the time to figure out what they are actually supposed to be doing in this role! They are aimlessly going through their days with no real plan or direction, becoming more and more frustrated and discouraged… this should not be the case for God’s woman. Most of the time, you do not go on a trip without a map or directions of some sort because being lost in the middle of nowhere is no fun, especially with little ones in tow! Yet, day after day, women are on this journey of motherhood with all its twists and turns, ups and downs with no direction and guidance whatsoever. And they feel like they are in the middle of nowhere in Motherhood Land. Not only do they suffer for it, but their homes and families suffer too. It’s time to start learning and speaking of the excellence of motherhood again, and in my spirit, I personally hear it as a roar… maybe you will hear it as a song, but however you hear it doesn’t matter- it is time to hear and act on call!

In this series, I am going to try to paint a picture of what I have gleaned from the scriptures about motherhood and keeping the home and how the Lord has ministered to me to practically apply what I have learned about being excellent in this role. I don’t know what all the answers are for everyone, but I do know the answers that have worked for me, and what I have been given, I freely give. Sister, I pray that through this, you will realize how valuable you are as a mother in God’s great plan within His kingdom, and how utterly precious you are to the generation you are helping to raise!

Next week, I will begin the series with a simple definition in the Mother Roar Series of what it means to be a mother. I hope you will join me throughout the series to be encouraged, validated and inspired; out of every subject available, this one is probably nearest and dearest to my heart and I am looking forward to diving into the Word again concerning motherhood.

For this week, if you are seeking the Lord on the role of motherhood in your own life, if you are struggling in any area as a mother, let me encourage you to be honest with your Heavenly Father. He knows every nook and cranny of your heart, and He is waiting to help you and strengthen you and to give you the wisdom you need for your mother journey. If you know of areas that you need forgiveness in, confess them to Him and ask Him to give you scriptures about those areas to turn them around.

Let me also encourage you to lift your head high and find your “mother roar”, stop beating yourself up and allow God to restore confidence to you as a mother. If your children are in your care, than you are up for the task with His help! I’ll see you next week! Roar!

Mother Roar Series Part One: What Does “Mother” Mean?