Supermom....NOT

I just finished a really good book and thought I would share it with you.  I have been into reading Fiction books and decided I had so many "self-help" or non fiction books that I have needed to read that I would make myself finish one before starting my next non-fiction book.  I am really glad I read this one.  I actually picked it up at a yard sale for 50 cents. 

"Supermom has left the building...Being a Proverbs 31 Woman in a 21st Century World" by Judith Edwards

One thing I have learned and valued over that last years is "real" relationships.  I want to be around people who are "real" with how they live their life and "real" with how they act and just as importantly that I can be "real" around.  This book encourages that. 

I am going to post several quotes or one liners or even paragraphs from the book that stood out to me....WARNING this could get long:)

"We should remember that even simple, daily, sometimes monotonous taskes can be a way of saying to our families, 'I love you.' "

" Most mothers are just living life one day at a time, making mistakes, doing the best they can, and allowing their children to grow up with childhood memories that time can't take away."

" When we plant the Word of God in their lives, it will grow with them, serving as a lamp to their feet and a light to their paths (Psalm 119:105).  By aligning our lives with the teachings of Christ, we give them roots on which they can build their own lives."

"Peace is not the absence of conflict; peace is what you discover in the midst of conflict."

"What we are full of is what will spill over when we are bumped.  Mothers get bumped all the time, every day.  If we are full of anger, bitterness, frustration, disappointment, or stress-controlled thoughts, that is what we will spill over onto others.  But if we are filled with these characteristics of His spirit, we will spill over love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control."

"Capitalize on your strengths; minimize your weaknesses; accept your limitations."

"We should capture the joy in each day while we have it."

" All parents could have done some things differently.  Sure, we all made mistakes. But for the most part we were doing the best we could.  We must build the foundation of faith for our children, 'point them in the right direction,' then prayerfully send them into the world. "

I never want my kids to feel this way..... "no matter what you do, you should have done it another way.  Not matter how hard you try to please them, you never quite succeed."

"Don't tell God how big your mountains are. Tell your mountains how big God is."

At the end of the book she talked about how each day is a gift.  We often plan for the "big" events that change us...marriage, birth, death, etc.  Yet we encounter many great events by accident.  That chance meeting of someone who can change our lives forever, a walk on a side trail and our lives are never the same, etc. 

"Even though our families, the world, and we ourselves try to put mothers into this impossible role, God doesn't require us to be supermoms!  He understands when we fall down.  He forgives us when we make mistakes.  He loves us in spite of our faults.  He wants us to have an abundant life, and he is available to free us, to help us have that life."

I was convicted about my "words" too.  She talked about how the words that come out of our mouths can haunt us later.  We may not realize how our words will sound when they are received.  She asked "how often do we drown someones enthusiasm by the words we say, or even by unspoken communication."  In my desire to be "real" I  must admit that I often am not in control when responding to the boys.  I sometimes react and by their look I realize I have just crushed their spirit.  That hurts and I so want to be able to uplift the boys and instill confidence in them. 

One of the last things I will share is what she said about friends.  She said we need friends.  The kind of friend who will help us clean our house before moving away, sit with us while a loved one has surgery....yes these are personal examples.  We need the kind of freind who doesn't ask "what can I do to help?" but instead starts washing the dishes.  She says to "cherish those friends you can laugh with, can tell how much you are hurting and they will cry with you, can tell about your mistakes and they don't hate you.  They know you're not perfect.  You know they aren't perfect, either.  But you still love one another."  After reading that I realized I am lucky that I could think of several people who fit this.  A big struggle for me right now is many of them live many many miles away, but the awesome thing is they are still amazing friends.  I hope you know who you are and know how much I love all of you and thank all of you for being "real" and letting me be "real"!!!

I know I have shared a lot but this book was an easy read and really gave me lot to think about and to apply.  I need to read it over and over so that I can be reminded daily of what to strive for.  I will not be supermom (no one is) and i will not pretend to have perfect kids (no one does).  I need to put Christ first, make Him Lord of my life, that's when I will come closest to being the best kind of mom.  Sounds easy, but why is it so hard??

Hope if you read this to completion I didn't bore you.  I would recommend the book, would make a great ladies bible study.