Before Mother’s Day arrives try adjusting your expectations

At the intersection of expectations and reality can be disappointment depending on our perspective and perception.

We have a choice in how we choose to view life.

Mother’s Day on social media can bring a vast array of emotions our way. So I thought I’d share a post I wrote after Mother’s Day a few years ago – So How Was Your Mother’s Day?

I wrote this post because some Mother’s Days are simply ordinary days. We do what we do everyday. We kiss skinned knees, we prepare lunch, we read bedtime stories, we change diapers, we breakup arguments. Some of us will go to work on Mother’s Day. Some Mother’s Days will be ordinary to the fullest.

In our social media driven world, ordinary isn’t post-worthy. What seems to be worthy of the attention of the world are the pictures and captions to show a mom pampered and showered with affection. A day set aside that is not ordinary at all. A day that calls out “Look at me. I’m special.”

If we aren’t careful in our own hearts, we will miss the beautiful ordinary handcrafted for us. We will miss stepping into our ordinary with full awareness of the nearness of God.

There is no guilt and shame here. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t post our spectacular moments we want to share with our social world. This is to say that the moments we see in the lives of others do not define our own moments. They don’t judge our moments. They don’t belittle our moments. They are simply not our moments.

It’s hard to stay in our own lanes these days isn’t it? The other lane is before our eyes all day long. We have to choose how we view that lane because the reality is, we can’t focus on our lane only.

I choose to view my ordinary days as holy days. My ordinary life is His holy ground.

Motherhood is sacred. Every single drop of it.

As I wrote Illuminate, God continued showing me the holiness of ordinary life. Each moment is new life. Each moment is one that will never happen again in the exact way.

Time doesn’t have a rewind button. It moves forward. As I step with time, I step with God through mundane, ordinary life that is anything but ordinary if I choose to see the holy ground where I stand.

Step into your Mother’s Day and your everyday with eyes open to the fingerprints of God. His hand is all over your life. Even in the painful moments.

It’s easy to see God’s blessings when life is going the direction we hoped. Remember how I started this post? At the intersection of expectations and reality can be disappointment depending on our perspective and perception.

Some relationships and situations are painful, making it hard to see the hand of God. It tempts us to sit in disappointment because it isn’t what we expected. Step by step God asks us to hand it to Him, to renew our mind, and walk one step at a time.

You are held and loved by God. I felt God wanted me to remind you of this.

Maybe you should give yourself a little Mother’s Day gift today. I’ve created something that will light a path for you to begin seeing God with fresh eyes. Illuminate-Seeing God by the Light of His Word. My boys asked what I wanted for Mother’s Day. I fired back, “A massage.” That just sounds luxuriously wonderful. The fact is as moms, we don’t often give ourselves treats like massages and pampering retreats. So today, I want you to give yourself a gift. It’s actually a 14 day gift that will continue to give to you moment by moment. When you order Illuminate, it will arrive quietly into your inbox. It will patiently wait on you. And when you listen, God will speak to you. I’ve prayed for your time with Him as you allow Illuminate to help you to focus your heart and mind simply on God, the lover of your soul. It’s $10. It’s yours forever. It would make a sweet gift to yourself. You could use some encouragement and reminders of who loves you with a reckless love. Click the picture for more information.