I tuck the chicken eggs, warm from under the hen, in the turned up hem of my T-shirt. Carry them against my belly to the house. Spill them onto the counter as gently as possible. Some go into the fridge. Several I crack onto a frying pan. These delicate eggs will somehow nourish my sons today.
How does something so fragile bring health to children?
I wonder this about myself: the mother I am. Often I feel small and tired in the tumble of my home. Most nights I fall into bed bone weary. Perhaps five boys does this to a person. These budding little men are a handful.
Yet, eggs encourage me. So breakable, but life-giving. When it comes to what we eat, eggs are known as a perfect food. Eggs for breakfast keeps a person satisfied longer than those who eat bagels or some other breakfast meal because eggs pack that protein punch.
I remind myself that God knew what he was doing when he made the egg and he knows me. The secret of the egg is that its strength is born when the egg is consumed.
Yesterday, I watched a news special about a mother of eleven children. Cameras shadowed a routine day in her life. Up early, this mother attended daily mass before doing anything else. Six-thirty a.m. at church and by seven back home to wake her children, having already begun a load of laundry. Such a humble woman. A few of her secrets: rely on God. Stay on track. Dole out chores. Keep after the laundry. Organize. Organize. Organize. Don’t forget to hug the husband, too.
Great advice for any mom. What struck me most about this woman was her selflessness. She was being consumed by her family. And she kept smiling. True, she looked tired, but her family was obviously a happy bunch.
I realize many women flinch at the thought of being consumed in rearing their family, yet those same women happily pour themselves into other things like jobs, the gym, shopping, church work, scrap-booking and the like. Raising children comes with very little praise. Three-year-olds rarely say, “Great job, Mom!” Teenagers praise even less. But God sees, and God rewards.
Just as God made the egg, God also makes the mom.
Ask Him for everything you need to raise your children no matter how many kids you have: strength, patience, wisdom, love. Then trust the Lord to fill you. God wants you to be an amazing mom. He created the heavens and the earth and God created you. He will supply all your needs in Christ Jesus, just as the Bible promises.