~ A Balanced Wife, Mom & Worker ~

Motherhood…..it is both beautiful and exhausting but it is filled with opportunities for us to grow in Christ. God trusts you to help raise your children into Christ –like human beings, in a flawed world so we must do it with excellence. If we are not plugged into our power source we can pass unhealthy habits, thinking or behaviors onto our children.

I became a mother at a very young age and I was not equipped with understanding all I needed to know to raise the tiny human. I have learned a lot about myself throughout the years of having more children and maturing but if it was not for the grace of the Lord, my children would have suffered greatly.  Just recently I resigned from my position in HR because I did not like who I was becoming working for that organization with those leaders. I was becoming inpatient, unkind, stressed and developing a bad complaining attitude. I started taking it out on my husband and children because I was so unhappy. I had to step back and take inventory of my heart. As a wife/mother, if I do not constantly take inventory of the weeds I let grow in and around my heart, my family suffers.

I have to balance much with being a working mama but I am a wife first. God has an ordained structure to the Christian home, please take time to understand it. God first, your husband, your children and everything else comes after. I am currently fasting and praying deciding whether I want to continue to work out of the home or stay home to care for my home full-time. I am sure the Lord will help guide me to the right decision.

To my tired, weary mama (me included) who feels like she wants to pull her hair out, hang on. The Lord is working behind the scenes on your behalf to offer strength like no other to you.

Encouragement for you:

-Keep going and let your feelings catch up later. Trust God at his promises. Study the word daily. 

-Encourage your husband. Be his cheerleader. Be that safe haven for him and please forgive quickly.   he is trying his best and remember he is God’s son. How you treat him matters greatly.

-Let the situations you face help develop you. They are not in vain and God will show you something about yourself. Pay attention.

-Your home is your first ministry, take the time to nurture it.

-Teach your kids those hard lessons. You must develop a child that can bear the weight of this dark world. Set them up for success in Christ.

-Self –care, it is a must. You cannot help your family on an empty tank. Ask the Holy Spirit for help.

-Grace yourself – you are not superwoman and God doesn’t expect you to do everything. Say no and know your boundaries. Please the Lord.

-Make good use of your time. Use a planner to block out your time and do little things in your home that will add up throughout the week.

-Find a balance and do not forget to laugh and enjoy your portion. God gave you all you have for a reason. 

Some Scriptures to Study:

Proverbs 31 – Every verse in that chapter

Psalm 113:9

1 Peter 4:8

Phil 2:14-15

Jer 17:7-8

Psalm 139:13

Galatians 5:22

Isaiah 66:13

Do your part, friends. The Lord loves you! You will never go without as long as you keep the Lord at the fore front of your life, home, and marriage. Enjoy your babies as they are an extension of you. J

Your family is counting on you to be full of love, joy, peace and of a sound mind.

In Christ,

Monique Smith

Let’s Pray:

Father, God I thank you that you are sovereign. That you know me and all my capabilities. Strengthen me this day, O Lord. Renew my heart, fill my spirit with your everlasting love. Help me to care for my home as my first priority and let me do it with excellence. If I am not putting you first, please forgive me and show me how. My desire is to please, honor and obey you and understand my role in my marriage and family. I do not want to raise children that do not know you. Help me to teach them your ways. Help me to lead by example. I know you are for me and go before me in every matter in my life. I will stand on your promises for my life and will endure for your name sake. I thank you in advance for working in my heart to rid me of anything that is not of you. I love you, Lord. I pray in your precious, Holy name. Amen.

~ A Renewed Mind......IN Christ ~

Life happens. Seasons change. Circumstances arise. How do you adapt to such shifts? How is your attitude during these times? I know that often times I panic, worry, doubt or sit in fear especially if the issue has to do with my children or husband. I am guilty of letting my flesh control me. It is easy to fall for this type of thinking when life feels like it has knocked you down or it has been your go to for years. Daily I learn to trust the Lord and let go of my ways. Will you join me, sis?

What is the condition of our minds in trying situations? What is in our hearts, truly? Have we allowed the Lord to penetrate our hearts so deep with his loving presence that we are filled with trust in him? Or would we much rather control the situation ourselves and be in anxious thoughts? Life is about choices. We must learn to make better ones when it comes to our thinking.

Sisters, we are not built to sustain extreme mental pain, we need our Savior. How do we renew our mind in Christ? Romans 12:12 says that we must not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of our mind. We MUST work to renew our minds every second of the day. We cannot give the enemy a foothold or he will take it and run with it. What does your prayer life look like? Your quiet time? Are you working God into your schedule or is your schedule worked around the Lord?

God made us and we are his children. Jesus left us the power of the Holy Spirit, we are not alone in this world. We cannot continue to be powerless when adversity strikes. God gave us a spirit of power, love and self discipline as 2 Timothy 1:7 states. We can have a mind like Christ and it truly starts with our perspective. What are we watching, listening to or hearing? What we put in our hearts truly makes all the difference. If you know that your marriage has undergone issues with infidelity than should you really be watching TV shows that speak about a cheating partner? If you have an issue with porn should you be watching shows with a lot of sex in it? What do you listen to in the car? You may think these things do not matter but they really do. We cannot walk with authority when we do not know who gives it to us. Our thinking will take us to the next level if we intentionally seek God’s ways and not our own. 

Philippians 4:8 says to think on things that are pure, lovely, excellent and admirable. Sis, God can heal, mend, restore, redeem and free us of anything or anyone. We have to trust and believe that he will not forsake us or leave us like orphans. We belong to him therefore we have his wonder working power.When tests, trials or unfortunate circumstances arise, remain calm, ground yourself in God’s truth and be ready to replace negative thoughts with Godly ones. YOU must guard your heart, mind and spirit at all costs (Ephesians 4:22-23). 

We cannot live this life with a mind like Christ if we continually leave him out of it. The bible is for healing, instruction, teaching with direction but will we pick it up and let it soak into our dry weary spirits? Memorize scripture so that it can help you combat lies with truth. Don’t just read the bible, meditate on it and then walk out of your house and live it out. We can apply the word to our thinking as long as we understand we need the Lord to do it. I am on this journey with you. Together we can seek the Lord. Let’s get going, sis.

In Christ,

Monique Smith

Prayer Starter:

Lord, you are magnificent! You calm the raging seas. You guide, teach and love me like no other. Lord, I am nothing without you. You created me and I am yours. Father, forgive me for all the times that I leave you out of my life. You care about every detail of it and I want to work with you to involve you in my life more. Fill me with your presence, Lord. Start a fire in my soul, Jesus and let it burn for you and only you. When I am tempted to worry help me to renew my mind in you, Holy Spirit. Let me trust in what you are doing in every situation,

 please let me find you. I can think right thoughts and renew my mind in your word daily. Thank you, Lord for going before me and never leaving me. I am learning to trust you, Lord. Thank you for filling me this day. I pray in your precious holy name. Amen