There were several more letters, but I think I will close this topic with two last ones, here. I pray something within these women's writings will prove to be a help and a blessing to you. May God grant you strength and wisdom.

#3

"It was with great interest I read the "Plea For Help" section. I have been going through many of the same struggles in the last few months. We have three preschool children. Maybe some of the things that have helped me will help others too. Meanwhile, I will be waiting to read the other replies, for I still have so much to learn.

     Children are a blessing from God, though they may humble us dreadfully and make us feel so weak. That may be just what we need to bring us closer to God.

     Take one day at a time. Start each day with prayer and if possible, read some as well [from your Bible]. This can be done while feeding the baby or rocking the toddler. Pray daily for forgiveness, grace, strength, and guidance. Trust that He will help. That is why God sent Jesus down to the world -- to help us. He cares.

     Ask God to fill you with true love for your children. Cultivate a meek and quiet spirit, not only showing on the outside, but also quiet on the inside, resting in the knowledge that God knows best.

     There are no quick and easy answers. We must shoulder our responsibilities and with faith keep trying. We will fail often, which is discouraging. But God understands. He wants us to realize how weak we are. He is teaching us to abide in Him and to receive our strength from Him.

     At times we get up early, planning to accomplish a lot, but the baby wakes up early too and the other children quarrel and so soon it's time to get dinner ready and we have hardly gotten anything done. That can be so frustrating, so discouraging. But He in His great love is teaching us.

     All things work together for good to them that love the Lord. Believe this. If things would always work according to schedule and we would have no struggle to stay patient and kind, it would be easy to think we were doing it in our own strength. He keeps on teaching us. In our weakness, He is strong.

     Thank God for each new encouraging thought and bit of strength as it comes throughtout the day. Treasure the insights you receive. God in His great love is teaching you and longs for you to be close to Him. As you think of these things, praise Him. Your faith is growing!

     Forget self and think of others. I love a clean house, neat lawn and garden. But let's keep our priorities in the right order. We can look after our houses and lawn later, but this golden opportunity with our children will soon be gone.

     Really listen to what your child has to say. Take time with each child, even though some may be more demanding than others. The quieter ones need you just as much.

                                  -- Anonymous

#4

"Sometimes, the only thing we can change about our circumstances is our attitude toward them. My heart goes out to all mothers who feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities of life. We also have four preschoolers.

     But maybe I don't qualify to offer any suggestions because we have several older children too, the oldest being teenagers. They are a lot of help. But they also have their set of needs that take time and attention.

     Maybe I don't qualify to write because I have a husband who is willing to listen till the tension is released and who helps me so much with caring for the little ones.

     Maybe I don't qualify to write because I have a God who once took five loaves and two small fishes and with it met the needs of 5,000 people. And I believe that same God still performs miracles today. At best, our efforts and prayers are only as five loaves and two fishes in comparison to the great need. But God can take the "little" we can do and multiply it to meet all the needs of all our children.

     The Bible has many verses of encouragement for mothers. Before our last baby arrived I made a list of some of these duties because I knew we had busy days ahead.

     I will share some of these with you. 'As thy days so shall thy strength be' (Deut. 33:25). This promise was given in the context of being blessed with children.

     'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee' (Is. 26:3). Peace in the heart and mind are as refreshing as a long nap. Keeping our minds stayed on God through singing hymns, meditating on Scripture and thinking about God is very restful. I know this is difficult to do when we are continually interrupted by little ones. But disciplining our minds in this area pays off.

     'For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content.' (Phil 4:11) and 'My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness' (2 Cor. 12:9). Discontented thoughts and feelings, rebellion against our circumstances and chafing under our responsibilities are great contributing factors to feeling overloaded. Gud's grace is able to keep us happy in spite of housekeeping that falls far short of our ideals, because we are caring for our little ones. God's grace can keep us sweet and patient when the baby is fussy, the toddler is getting into mischief and the two older ones are quarreling. God's grace can give us strength to perform our duties when our nights' sleep is interrupted many times. Jesus missed whole nights of sleep in prayer and He didn't deal with just five preschoolers the next day, but whole crowds of pushing, critical, demanding people. And He never lost patience with them.

     God's grace is able to keep me calm when the stress has built to the breaking point because 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, 'There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, for God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able to bear it.'

     Our lot as overworked mothers is a common one. God will not give us more than we can bear. He has promised that He will provide us a way that we need not fail. But it is up to us to find and choose that way.

     There are many other promises such as 'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me' (Phil. 4:13) ' But my God shall supply all your need' (Phil 4:19), and 'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint' (Is. 40:31).

     As I said in the beginning, sometimes the only thing we can change about our circumstances is our attitude toward them."

                             -- A Maryland Mother

(Letters copied in their entirety from Family Life, July 1998)    

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