Original publish date of May 2011
Used by permission
Do you remember the first few weeks after your children were born? It seems all you do is hold your child. Whether you’re feeding them, rocking them, or talking to them, a huge amount of your time is spent focusing on something only 12 inches away from your face.
I remember when my son was born, it seemed all I did was hold him. I didn’t leave the house much at all the first few weeks. The first time I drove my car after childbirth, I got on I-35 and when I looked at the highway signs, they appeared blurry. What? How could my vision change that much in just a couple of weeks? Then it hit me. It wasn’t that my eyesight had changed. It’s because my eyes had only been looking the length of my arm recently, with occasional glances to the other side of the room. I could see clearly up close. But when I looked out and viewed the rest of the world, it appeared distorted. Once I started getting out of the house more often, my eyesight was restored to my normal vision.
It’s the same way in life. When we spend the majority of our time focusing only on our own life, it’s easy to only see our own problems. It’s as if our eyesight gets skewed. Our problems seem to grow bigger and bigger until they overwhelm us.
That’s one of the biggest blessings MOPS brings us. Perspective. When we get out and connect with others, at first it seems we’re the only one with challenges; that everyone else is living a life with fewer problems. But once we begin connecting with others, it’s as if we really begin to see. The problems I’ve been carrying around all of a sudden seem to get lighter because I begin to notice someone else who has it worse than I do. Yet even if our problems really are that bad, they still become lighter because we make connections with others who are in the same season of life as we are who come along side us and help us carry our burdens.
There have been countless times when I’ve been worn down by motherhood. Then I show up to a MOPS meeting and hear a mom share something even more challenging than what I’ve been going through. Suddenly I have perspective. My shoulders rise a little taller. My chest feels a little lighter. My spirit is revived. I can breathe deeply. And if I’m lucky, I can go home, feed my child lunch, and he’ll take a nap – making it a total “Me Day”!
I remember at the Opening Convocation my freshman year in college, the college president shared something that changed my life: “When you’re feeling overwhelmed and sorry for yourself, go do something kind for someone else.” Isn’t it interesting that we’re encouraged when we reach out and encourage someone else? We grow as we’re attached and connected – with others and with God. Plants grow when they’re in soil. Moms grow when they’re connected with other moms and with God.
As our MOPS year draws to a close, don’t do mothering alone this summer. Reach out and connect whether it’s through the many outings our group offers, pick up the phone and call another mom, or post a playdate place & time on Facebook and see who shows up. Who do you know who needs to connect? Why not invite her to a MOPS get-together this summer? There’s no better gift you could give a friend (or yourself!) than encouragement. Friends don’t let friends mother alone. Connect with others and connect with God. Just you? Tough. You and a friend? Better. You, a friend, and God? Unbeatable. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT)
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