We mamas are crazy busy and we tend to run from need to need and forget that deep down we need a few things, too. Sometimes, it takes hopping on a plane and flying across the country to remember who we are and what feeds are souls.

• A mama needs to go.

She needs to remember that before she was a mama she was a girl who could carry on adult conversations and eat an entire meal without being interrupted. Guilt will try to keep her from remembering and fear will tell her she’d be better off staying. But unless she finds bread for herself, she will not have anything left to give others. And truth be told, they will thank her for going in the end.

• A mama needs to laugh.

She needs to laugh long and loud and not apologize for it.  She may need to laugh about being a mother or something funny her kids said. But is perfectly okay to laugh at hilarious lines from a Will Ferrel movie too.  Laughing lets go of the stress and frees her up to receive.

• A mama needs to dream.

A mama who dreams will raise babies who dream. She needs to realize that her dreams matter to God, because they started with Him. If she gives them to Him and listens real close, He’ll give them wings.

• A mama needs friends who cheer her on.

She needs to be able to kick her shoes off and talk long with a sweet sister over pizza and swap stories. A mama’s heart grows 10x’s bigger when another mama looks at her and says, “I believe in what God is doing here.”

Me with Terilynne

• A mama needs to worship.

She needs to be reminded that God is bigger and deeper than anything four kids can dish out. She needs to raise her hands and release her smallness into the arms of a graceful Father who loves to love her through song.

• A mama needs a challenging word.

The mission we call motherhood is not for the faint of heart and the only thing that will get us through is the Word made flesh Himself. His Words bring courage. His Words also shed light on the dark places. And a challenge well spoken will rally us to the frontline willingly.

• A mama needs to return.

She needs to hear her children squeal with delight when she exits the taxi and feel the warmth of their breath on her neck as they squeeze her so tight she can’t breathe. She also needs to realize that they survived without her for a few days, and as good as it is to be home, it was certainly okay to leave.

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Special thanks to Lifeway and B&H Publishers for helping to make this past weekend possible.  They loved on this mama and a thousand more with grace and sweet southern charm. It was exactly what I needed.

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I pray you have a weekend filled with exactly what you need. I’m praying your heart is refreshed and fed.

xoxo,

Stacey