During the “month of costumes,” I had some intriguing thoughts about a specific piece of costume that we wear.

You know, as a mother it can seem like our title ends at “butt wiper” or “short order chef.” Our tireless days and nights surround us endlessly and we can feel as if we are drowning in dirty dishes and laundry on a regular basis. We wear our sacrificed dreams and desires like a belt of honor and charge forward in the trenches of motherhood. However, there is so much more beneath the dirty nails and uncombed hair than we can see with the naked eye.

I must admit, I had grown comfortable in assuming that the calling of motherhood was all I needed to worry about for a while, but then I had a shift in my spirit. I thought to myself, “What kind of example of obedience am I setting for the sheep I am shepherding in my role as a mother?” This question really rocked me and catapulted me to where I am now. I realized that maybe I had been using my season as an excuse instead of fuel for the journey.

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John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

I have a good friend who recently shared upon her retirement that she wished she had spent less time focusing on the ABC’s and more time focusing on the F’s. This I had to hear. In fact, I began taking notes as she talked.

She said, “you know we’ve spent our entire lives either trying to get A’s, B’s and C’s, or teaching the ABC’s to our students. What I wish I had done more of was focus on Faith, Family, Friends and Forgiveness.”

I took a few minutes to process what she was saying, and I can tell you when we discover a moment of clarity and hindsight, we become so much smarter.

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