Tag: let God refresh you

(THE KIMBERLY JOY SHOW: Mothers, God Says, “I See YOU!”)

I SEE YOU!
For this Mother’s Day, as a word of encouragement to all mothers, God says, “I see YOU!” Whether you have biological children or not, if you act as a mother to someone’s child, then you are a mother, and God sees you, too! He sees your love, dedication, and hard work. Not only do you have a full-time job (and in some instances two or three jobs), but you go home and continue to work. You cook, clean, do laundry, help your children with their homework and drive them to their various activities.

God also sees the sacrifices you make on behalf of your family. You sacrifice money, time, even sleep. For instance, when my brother BJ was only an infant he had to have surgery because his digestive system wouldn’t allow him to keep any milk down. Our mother testifies that one night, my brother was extremely irritable and continued crying. As any mother would, she stayed up all night rocking him and praying for him. She says she actually watched the sun rise. Fortunately, because of our mother’s prayers and constant faith, BJ celebrated his 40th birthday at the start of the new year!

Mothers, with all of your responsibilities God also sees how tired you
are—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Some of you are so tired, you feel like running away! But, you don’t! You hang in there because that’s what mothers do!

LET ME REFRESH YOU!
Mothers, God says, “Let Me refresh you!” To refresh is “to give new strength or energy to; revive, restore.” In order for God to refresh you, you have to allow Him to do so. In other words, remember to take care of YOU. As natural caregivers, you’re so busy taking care of everyone else that you neglect to
take time for yourself. However, it’s a requirement of God. Exodus 20:8-10a (New Living Translation) say,

“8 Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God…..”

I believe God implemented the Sabbath Day for two purposes:

1. The Sabbath Day serves as a reminder that we are to make time for God and worship Him. Even as believers in Christ, we can become so busy with our daily routines, that we can forget to give God the honor He deserves. All He’s asking for is that we set aside one day out of the week to serve Him.

2. The Sabbath Day serves as a reminder that we are to make time to rest. We don’t have perfect, glorified bodies that are described in Philippians 3:21. Our human, fleshly bodies get tired and break down, therefore requiring ample time to recuperate.

Mothers, unfortunately, some of you don’t rest and take care of yourselves as you ought to. However, learning to rest can be a matter of life or death! Oh yes, it is just that serious!

Let me tell you a story:

Nine years ago on a Tuesday afternoon, I received a phone call from my parents who were in Georgia running a revival. The call was a request that I immediately pray for my cousin. So, I hung up the phone and began praying for her healing. I didn’t know the details, but I could tell from the tone of my mother’s voice that it was serious. After I prayed, I waited anxiously to receive an update. Although I know God is a healer, I had a bad feeling. Finally, my stepfather called me back to say that my cousin, who was only 52 years old, had passed away.

I won’t go into the details of how she died, but I will say that I believe her unexpected death was a result of not taking care of herself. At the homegoing service, family, friends, and co-workers expressed their love for my cousin. She was a devoted wife for over 25 years and a mother of five children, who were all now adults. In addition to working a full-time job for over 20 years, she held several positions at her church and within the denomination her church belonged to. As I sat and listened to everything my cousin had done, I asked myself, “Well, when did she sleep?” In that moment, I realized that my cousin had overexerted herself, and it took a toll on her health.

TAKE CARE OF YOU!
Mothers, the best thing you can do for your children is to take care of YOU! Here are a few tips:

1. Spend time with the Lord. REALLY spend time with Him in His Word, in prayer, in worship, and let Him minister to you.

2. Exercise, eat right, and SLEEP!

3. Enjoy a spa day, including getting your hair and nails done, a facial, or a massage.

4. Have a weekend getaway without the children.

If you say you can’t afford some of those luxuries…..

5. Find something you can afford like going to the park and reading a good book, going out to eat, and taking yourself to the movies.

According to pediatrician Dr. Kelly Ross, “A mom who is well rested, eats a healthy diet, gets plenty of exercise, maintains close relationships with friends and gets help when she realizes she isn’t coping well, is far more equipped to be the best mother she can be than one who doesn’t do
those things,” (https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/Pages/How-Taking-Care-of-Yourself-Makes-you-a-Better-Mom.aspx)

Mothers, this Mother’s Day really enjoy your day and take care of YOU!! You deserve it!!!!!!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.