I am a mom by calling, by vocation and I guess because of physical attributes. I have three small children who call me mommy. They call me by my name hundreds of times a day. I love my babies. They are a huge part of my life.
And by that I mean, they are my life. A lot of my longings and desires in life right now revolve around fulfilling my calling, becoming better at the job and well, just living up to my name. That’s the truth.
So – I pray about it a lot. I ask God for crazy things. I utter things in my prayer life I never would have imagined when I was single. Sometimes He tells me no. Sometimes He asks me to wait a while, because I’m not ready. And sometimes He says yes.
This weekend He said yes. Three times. (probably more, these are just the things that stand out…) He answered and gave me the desires of my heart three times. I’m about to tell you some very small, but intimate details of my life and how He answered…
Food. We struggle at the table. My children are picky eaters. They are stubborn picky eaters. and sometimes I give up. I have no idea how in the world to get my kids to enjoy broccoli, cantaloupe and other delicious foods. They are hard headed so I give in and let them eat whatever. I’m not proud of it, but I do. Well, recently I’ve been trying to make smart decisions and just give it to the Lord. Do you know what happened? Isaac did something amazing. At breakfast on Saturday morning my sweet boy ate hot Oat Bran cereal for breakfast, (without being force fed) promising to eat it again, it was his favorite… And if you don’t believe that is a miracle sent directly from Heaven, you’ll have to come over for a meal at our house some time.
Education. I teach my children at home. More than anything I want them to enjoy Jesus, by learning to read Scripture. I want them to be able to enter into worship, understanding how to read the text for themselves, whether at home or at church. But sometimes reading is a struggle for my oldest. Not because she can’t, but because she doesn’t always enjoy it. Today in worship services, I sat next to my precious girl during one of the responsive Scripture readings and for the first time she read it out loud with a full voice, clearly with pleasure. My heart was full right to the point of bursting – and I think I may have felt my Heavenly Father smile.
Endurance and rest. A good night’s rest is not to be underestimated. My youngest is going on twenty one months old. Every time we get into a pattern of solid sleep habits something happens to undo it. My sweet baby doll was sick last week and so our schedule was off course. Michael and I have been miserable without a full night’s sleep, pushing through in the most difficult of moments without rest. Finally – for the past two nights we have seen our sweet little Mackenzie get some rest. And so did we all. I was thankful for the grace to get through it all, and for the sleep in the end.
In my world as a mother, I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who sees the smallest desires of my heart – like a good night’s sleep – and He answers. He graciously steps in and says, “I see your heart, I know your need and I want that for you too…”
“3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this” Proverbs 37:3-5
The truth from God’s word, correctly portrayed here, is this : when my heart’s desires mirror His desires, then my requests are aligned with His will and, He is able to answer my requests in the affirmative. Typically what messes up this plan is my inability to except His will.
This weekend, I am so thankful to find a Heavenly father who is interested the smallest of needs, and is prepared to answer. He is able to calm my heart letting me know, His will is good and it is the answer to my hopes and dreams…
daily portion 
Thanks so much for sharing this! God is good and he delights when we acknowledge His goodness!! This post was a real blessing to me!!