You've come a long way, baby

It's 2012 - Happy New Year! As you see, with a new year comes a fresh blog design. I was feeling creative so I thought I'd switch things up a bit.

When the calendar changes, I reflect on how life has changed and what is yet to come.

This weekend I couldn't help but pull up a few videos of each of the kids when they were newborns and I just marveled at how they've changed. We missed church on Sunday because my back is recovering from 'going out' again and I have a rough cough that I didn't think those in the pews around me would appreciate. So we had a quiet morning and I got a chance to watch Dr. Charles Stanley's sermon on tv. His message was so appropriate for the new year - how to go forward with the confidence of the Lord.

A lot has changed in the five years since I added the title 'mom' to my resume. Although I had wanted to be a mom since I was old enough to carry a babydoll around, when we brought Ian home I was a wreck; scared to death of the magnitude of the responsibility I had to care for and nurture this innocent little boy as his mother. I was absolutely overjoyed at having a child, but the pressure of raising this child to be a productive, loving, spiritual, joyful, self-sufficient little person was...well, it was insanely overwhelming at times. Bringing Anna home about two years later brought all of those feelings rushing back as I now had a little girl to raise, too. I only have a few years' experience at it but I can already affirm that raising boys is different from raising girls.

Society puts such pressure on us as mothers to be perfect. Well, I am human and in my human ways, I am far from perfect and I am finally at peace with that. In five years of parenting I have matured more as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend, and an individual than I feel I could have in my lifetime without these experiences.

Two of my most valuable lessons of these past years has been the power of my words towards those I love (especially the kids) and the simple act of patience in all things. I am constantly amazed how my child's eyes light up when they receive genuine, positive praise or a loving word. I can see their 'love meter' skyrocket and their confidence and security grow. But even as an adult, these lessons work both ways. My heart skips a beat when my loving husband compliments me or my efforts as a wife/mother. Or when my precious boy whispers that he wants to tell me a secret and instead he plants a sweet kiss on my cheek and tells me he loves me. Or when my daughter insists on giving me 'kisses on the face' and one on each cheek before bed. Love, respect and appreciation has no age-limits.

There was a day not too long ago when something like waiting for the kids to get into their car seats while one of them roamed the back seat and the other searched for a specific toy while I stood in the rain waiting to buckle them in would have sent me into a frustrated frenzy. Or a toddler tantrum in a store would have embarrassed me so much that I felt like a failure as a parent the rest of the day, letting those feelings boil until the sun went down. I don't let things like this get to me so much anymore. When I feel stressed over a situation I ask for His peace and take a moment to calm down. Striving for perfection is no longer my inner goal. That's the joy of growth and wisdom. Each day is a new chance to do 'life' better.

But it is only with His guidance that I have grown in my confidence as a woman, wife and parent. Some of my favorite scriptures right now are in Proverbs. I love Proverbs because they are short and simple 'advice for living' that can have an immediate impact if applied. Some that have impacted me over the years for various reasons (and are now highlighted in yellow in my pocket Bible) are Proverbs 3:5-6, 3:9-10, all of Proverbs 4, Proverbs 13:3, 14:1, 15:13, 16:3, 16:23,17:27-28, 19:20-21, 21:13, 21:19, 22:6, 22:9, 27:19, 28:14, 28:26, 29:11, 29:17, and of course Proverbs 31:10-31.

In my later years I now cherish wisdom, patience, joy, love, serving, and so many more characteristics of who I am inside over anything relating to the outside. One of my favorite phrases found on Pinterest right now is 'I'd rather be a Proverbs 31 woman than a Victoria's Secret model'. Amen!

Whether your goals for the new year are emotional, physical, spiritual or otherwise, may we all start the new year with the confidence of the Lord so that we may achieve whatever we set out to do within His will. Happy New Year and God bless!