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Happy Mother's Day!

Jennifer F. LaSarge
May 7, 2016
5 min read

I can’t help but become reflective when Mother’s Day arrives every year. I feel as though I blinked my eyes and my boys grew up. They are beginning to step out into the world on their own. Ryan, my oldest son, is now nineteen and feels God is calling him to the ministry as a missionary. I am so proud of the godly young man he has become. God is beginning to open up new doors for him and unfold the vision He has for Ryan.

Ryan, 18 months

Ryan, age 19

My youngest son, David, is sixteen and will be a senior next year. He is praying about the path God wants for him to follow when he graduates. He has also become a young man after God’s heart and that is our greatest joy. Next year is my last year as a homeschool mom. Wow! How did that happen?

David, 11 months

David, Age 16

I know it was inevitable that they would grow up and leave home, but it doesn’t stop the wave of memories that keep running through my mind. I vividly remember going to the grocery store and becoming so overwhelmed with the task of shopping with two boys who were constantly making noise, touching things they weren’t supposed to, or on the verge of tears. I was usually on the verge of tears too, always wondering if I was doing a good job as a mom and doubting myself constantly. I can’t count the number of days that I would be out with my boys and an older mom would come up to me and say, “You need to cherish this time with your children because in the blink of an eye, they will be grown.” I would be gracious and answer something polite, but inside I was rolling my eyes and screaming, “Do you not realize how hard this is? Do you not understand I am completely worn out with absolutely no time to myself? Do you even fathom how many diapers I have to change and how many times I have to change my clothes so I won’t go around smelling like vomit all day?” I longed for the day when I could sit and read a book, write in my journal, take a shower without someone knocking on the door, or watch a sappy Hallmark movie.

I remember calling my mom on the last day of a Mother’s Day Out program at a local church and saying, “Mom, this is the last day I will ever be alone again!” I was in a panic because I knew I would be homeschooling and wouldn’t have any days or hours away from my kids. She tried not to laugh as she reassured me I would be okay and God would give me strength.

Now I am the one who is telling those young moms to hang in there and cherish the moments they have. I look at those little babies and toddlers and wish I could have some more of those days back. The days and nights of rocking them in my arms, reading bedtime stories, and watching their sweet little faces peering back up at me. I always encourage moms that are correcting their children that their hard work will pay off one day.

I want to encourage you at whatever stage you may find yourself in raising your children. Cherish each moment, capture as many memories as you can by taking pictures and videos, take your kids on as many adventures as you are able, and don’t keep wishing they were just a bit older or in a different stage so you could get a break. One day you will be watching them graduate from high school or college and you will be thinking, Wasn’t it just yesterday that they were out in the field catching butterflies and playing in the mud?

I am so grateful that God put it in my heart to leave the laundry and the dishes and go outside to play with my boys and enjoy the time with them. I was constantly looking for free activities in the community or other adventures where my husband and I could take them. I wanted to create the moments of laughter and fun that not only they would remember, but that I could hold in my heart for years to come. They would roll their eyes at me because of all the pictures I took, but now we have many of those precious moments captured in photographs. Take the time to actually put those pictures in a book and not just let them collect on a computer! Your kids will love looking back at those times in days to come.

Most of all, be sure to purposely teach your children the Word of God. Take the time to read Bible stories to them. This is the most important task you will ever accomplish as a parent. Deuteronomy 11:18-21 reminds us that we are to be constantly teaching our children throughout the day.

“Place these words on your hearts. Get them deep inside you. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until you fall into bed at night. Inscribe them on the doorposts and gates of your cities so that you’ll live a long time, and your children with you, on the soil that God promised to give your ancestors for as long as there is a sky over the Earth.” (The Message)

Make prayer, reading the Bible, and talking about God part of your family’s identity. Take the time to pray for those who are sick or hurting. Serve and give to those in need. Build those spiritual memories with your children that will last a lifetime. Who knows what doors God will open for them in the future.

I don’t know what my life will look like this time next year, but I know it is in God’s hands. It is the closing of a precious chapter in my life where I was honored to be a full-time mom to two precious boys whom God entrusted to me. I’m grateful for a husband who provided for our family and allowed me the privilege of staying at home with them. I’m grateful to a loving heavenly Father who guided my steps and helped my husband and me pass on a godly heritage to the next generation.

Although the days may seem long now when your babies are small and keep you up at all hours of the night, hang on because you too will see how fast the time really goes and you don’t want to be looking back with regret. Slow down and take time to enjoy every precious moment. Happy Mother’s Day!