Never Fish Alone (and other tenets on motherhood)

Several events lately have caused me to ponder the heaviness of the task of motherhood, one of which is an impending Mother's Day! So it seems, that almost anything I come in contact with might have something to do with being a mother. And April 13th's installment of Oswald was no exception.

Oswald is talking about how when we are placed under a heavy burden or task by God, it is His desire that we "roll it back" onto Him. Now, kudos to the perfect mother, the woman who can mother without God's help, the woman to whom mothering is easy or natural. If you are that woman, just skip this blog...it is not for you! But for those of us who are sometimes overwhelmed at the gravity of the role there's something important God wants us to know.

God knows that the responsibility of caring for and educating our children, for raising them whole and undamaged by our own "stuff", is a daunting and difficult (if not impossible) task. Sometimes I wonder if there is a woman on earth who hasn't mortally screwed up her children! If I truly believe that I can do this on my own, I become totally overwhelmed and quite depressed. It's much more than I can handle- more responsibility than I feel equipped to bear. Like Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, I want to sit by and sob at the hopelessness of it all. (See Genesis 21:8-21)

That's why it is so imperative that I "roll it back" onto God. He gave them to me. He chose me for them and them for me. Therefore it is essential that I trust Him to help me raise them. So I must understand what it means to "fall back on God."

In Psalm 55, the psalmist is overwhelmed by fear. All he can see is enemies, storms and strife. (Perhaps, if he had been writing it from a mom's perspective, all he could see were bullies who pick on her kids, perfect tennis moms who have perfect children in perfectly clean SUVs, and piles upon piles of dirty laundry). He has the overwhelming sense that there is no way on earth he can make it through this time...so much so that he calls out for the perfect tennis moms to catch rotavirus from their perfect children from throwing up all over the perfectly clean SUV. (Wait a minute...that's not what is says! Anyway...close enough.) But he realizes that God is a God of answered prayer. God is a faithful and strong God. God is a God that asks to be involved in our difficulties. God is a God who creates wells in the middle of the desert. God's companionship through this task makes it do-able. And until we realize that- that this is the only way we're going to make it through- the task will continue to be overwhelmingly daunting.

Therefore, falling back on God means casting our burdens on Him. When one casts in fishing, one doesn't let go of the pole. One simply tosses the "meat" of the matter into the water...and waits...and watches. We stay tuned in. And God takes the burden and He does what He will with it. We stay attached to Him- in tune with him- in step- holding on, communing and praying, conversing and praising, trusting Him for the strength to go on. And He carries us on the current of His Holy Spirit, His strength. And suddenly, with His companionship, we come to realize that the yoke is easy...and the burden is light.

So for this Mother's Day (and all the days that aren't) my prayer for myself (and even a few perfect tennis moms that I know) is for us all to fall back on God. May we each understand the importance of not going it alone. May we each find our wells in the desert and a hedge of protection... especially from rotavirus!