You all. I’m the luckiest ever. But yet I’m so stupid. I rarely talk about my sisters on here, and that could quite possibly be the stupidest thing I have ever done. (Well, I did post a picture of three of us at my son’s crawfish boil birthday party, but that’s all I’ve managed to accomplish. Insert “shame” emoji here.)
There are no words to describe, so today I found the PERFECT opportunity to show you just how genuine and fabulous, one ofĀ the two fantabulous sissies I have… really is.
Today I received a notification on my phone that my sister Jill, updated her status on her Facebook page. (Yes, I have my sisters and my mom marked as “favorites,” and that I want to know any and EVERY time they post something on Facebook. I’m a little crazy about them like that.)
When I opened up the Facebook app, I had NO idea what I was about to read. I figured it was a sweet quote from my niece and nephew, or a profound bible verse that my sister read today in her daily devotion. No. What I was about to read, was getting ready to give me an overwhelming feeling of how to be a better mom, everyday.
4 Takeaways to be a Better Mom
I can’t repeat it in my own words, and I would never try. So with her permission… here’s her story. You’ll love her, as much as I do…
From my Sister:
“So moms, since sharing is caring, below are a few rambling thoughts and some takeaways from my reading this past weekā¦
In the book of John, John tells us that Jesus went to a wedding. Now, leading up to this, Jesus had begun gathering his disciples, but he hadn’t really yet begun his teaching or proclaiming who he was. [Though John the Baptist had been declaring that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus hadn’t begun HIS active ministry yet.] ANYway…back to the wedding…
Jesus’ mom, Mary, was also at the party. At one point she walked up to Jesus and told him “they are out of wine.” To that, Jesus’ response was basically, “Ma, I know what you’re thinking, and you know it’s not time yet for me to start doin’ my thang.” (If you don’t understand my Urban Lingo Version, read the NIV.)
So what does the mother of Jesus do? Does she say “oh ok, sure thing honey; I understand.”?
No.
She walks over to the workers at the wedding and says, “Do whatever he tells you to do” and walks off.
I get quite the chuckle outta picturing Jesus just standing there in the corner with his arms held up in a “are you kidding me?” fashion with a big grin on his face, knowing HE’S THE SON OF GOD BUT APPARENTLY WHATEVER MAMA SAYS GOES.
So then, on the down-low, Jesus goes over and turns the H2O into high-quality VinO. Only the disciples and the workers knew what he did.
And they believed in Him.
So here are my takeaways…
- Mary was so incredibly awesome, and I wish very much we could be friends. (Iām totally looking forward to meeting her in Heaven, and asking her if we can be besties. I don’t even like the word ‘besties’, but for her, I’m using it.)
- Mary knew how to keep a party going. I respect that.
- Mary and Jesus were close. It’s clear to me that they had a special mother-son bond…a tight relationship that I’d like to think was built from long talks, teaching moments, and rough days made better with love and understanding.
- Moms: God the Father gives us great authority over our children. If the mother of the Son of God gave the nod for the first miracle, what a reminder that we are entrusted with so much more than just trying to keep our kids alive, bathed, fed, educated, and āwell-roundedā. They are hardly just the bodies they are living in. They are the breath of God, His thought in physical form, a purpose with a heartbeat. And the enemy is after them. So while daily vitamins, showers, and 20-minutes of AR-book reading are all fine & great, if we vow to do anything daily for them, let it be praying for them. Let it be reading scripture to them, and over them. Showing them what grace looks like when the world shows judgment. Let it be making much of Jesus.
Remember…
Remember: as Uncle Ben told Peter Parker, āWith great power comes great responsibility.ā (If you donāt know who Uncle Ben and Peter Parker are, please donāt do a Bible search for them.)
So in those moments (like the 47 moments today) when I want to bang my head against the wall and scream like a person who should be institutionalized (which I only did once), may the Spirit whisper this reminder to me: We may not be mothering Jesus, but we are the mothers of His hands and feet.
As Ephesians 6:4 tells me, I canāt keep scolding and nagging my children, making them angry and resentful. Rather, I must bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves, with suggestions and godly advice (Living Bible translation).
I canāt act like a COO and pretend that my children are my employees or projects. Instead, I want to cultivate a relationship with my children and rear them in the knowledge of God.
āI have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.ā 3 John 1:4
Peace”
–Jill
Seriousness. I’m not EVEN going to try to follow up with something clever and cute. I just want to let it all soak in.
Ashley says
Well that made me cry. Wow. Thank you so much for sharing that. It. Was. Awesome.
Jessica says
Awwww! Thank you so much for reading. I thought so too when I read it the first time. My sis is definitely blessed with words. š
Nikki says
I love her modern-day rundown of Jesus’s conversation with his mother! š And what a great reminder to parent with patience and love.
Jessica says
Oh I know it! Lol! I was literally laughing out loud when I read through it the first time. š Thanks again so much for hopping over and dropping a note!