I love practical and who doesn’t love free? So.. a practical and free Mother’s Day Gift is a double blessing. But here’s the thing, the best mother’s day gift ever is a gift you give yourself. It is the gift of moms helping each other.
Moms, we need support and encouragement. We are not meant to mom (or grandmom alone).
My friend Kathy has greatly impacted me over the years. We met in high school. She got married a few years before I did and had her first child about five years before I had mine. When I had parenting questions, her bigger perspective was so helpful. Yet she wasn’t so far ahead of me that she lacked empathy for my parenting concerns.
She would say to me, “Oh, just think of it. Three is still pretty little,” when I would lament over my child’s lack of potty-progress.
I have always been able to count on Kathy for sound advice.
She is generous with her wisdom. (I eat it up.)
She is a good listener. (I feel heard.)
She embraces confidentiality. (I feel safe.)
She speaks with honesty and love. (I trust her.)
And I know she prays for me. (I am grateful.)
Gone are the days of neighborhood coffee parties and regular extended-family gatherings (at least for many of us). But women are still wired to need each other.
Mary, after learning she was pregnant with Jesus, went to see her older cousin, Elizabeth. Mary needed support and wisdom. Elizabeth provided both.
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
In a loud voice she exclaimed:
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Luke 1:39-45
We desire to learn from and to lean on one another.
One of the ways this can be done is to find a mentor; maybe a friend with broader perspective like my friend Kathy or possibly a more seasoned woman like Mary’s relative, Elizabeth. It’s a biblical concept to have or to be a Titus woman.
“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live,
not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine,
but to teach what is good.

 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children.”
Titus 2:3-4
If you are a mom, I encourage you to give yourself the best Mother’s Day gift ever and find a Titus woman or to be one for someone else. It is a gift that is blessing for both.
I still count on my friend, Kathy for her sage advice. We are now both in the grandparenting phase. She is further along. My oldest grand is 4, her oldest grand is in the double digits. God continues to use Kathy’s experience and wisdom to speak into my life. And with a grateful heart I receive it.
Women, we are created to need each other and to encourage one another. Look around and ask yourself, “Who has God placed in my life to support and encourage? Who has God chosen to be my Elizabeth?”

 

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 
Photo by Mia Golic on Unsplash

© LoriWildenberg. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Lori Wildenberg is a licensed parent and family educator, parent coach, and co-founder of 1Corinthians13 Parenting.com. She has written 6 books including Messy Journey: How Grace and Truth Offer the Prodigal a Way Home; The Messy Life of Parenting: Powerful and Practical Ways to Strengthen Family Connections; and her most recent book, Messy Hope: Help Your Child Overcome Anxiety, Depression, or Suicidal Ideation. Contact Lori for your next event or for parent consulting or parent training courses. Lori can also be found mentoring over at the MOMS Together Group on Facebook.

2 Free Chapters!

Subscribe to Lori's  Eternal Moments blog and receive 2 free chapters from her most recent book, The Messy Life of Parenting: Powerful and Practical Ways to Strengthen Family Connections. Thanks for the honor of joining you on your parenting journey.  ~Lori 

Thank you for subscribing!