If It’s Monday, It’s Mama

E is for Elesabeth, Equanimity and Elephant

When I was young, way before I ever married, I told God I would really be grateful if He could find it in His heart to send a daughter to me.  I would be grateful for boys, but I really, really wanted a daughter.  And, God was good.  He sent you to me and I have been grateful ever since.  You were named Elesabeth (really Elizabeth) after Beth Morris, my BFF who went to be with Jesus long before you came to live with me.  “A gift from God” is what your name means, and I truly believe that to be a truth.

You are a Gift from God.

 

I don’t take that for granted.

Nor should you.

When life would try to pull you down.  When others would try to drag at your spirit.  When work wears you out.  When bills start piling high.  When school becomes a challenge.  When men are monsters and brothers are bears.  When parents are off-putting and friends put you off, I hope you will remember….

HE WILL NOT.

And, as a favored treasure of His, you have an obligation to live brightly….for Him.  The whole purpose of our life here on earth is to be God’s reflection to others so that they will want to come and know Christ as well.

Ask yourself?  “Does my life portray God in a good light?”

“Am I consistent in my Godly behavior? Do I give of my best first to Him?”

How you are able to answer this matters.  Noone expects perfection, not even the Perfector.

Don’t ask me how to do this.  I don’t have it all figured out.

BUT, what I have learned is that it does require some “EQUANIMITY”….some, “evenness of temperament”, even under stress.

One thing I pray you are able to grasp more of as you grow in maturity is equanimity. 

The ability to keep your temperament even…to think through things, to set goals and walk toward them, to make good decisions.  To guard your words, your actions and your heart. 

And, I can promise you this…there is only one way to do that and it is by following HIS WAY.

Do that.

Don’t just write that you are going to do it.

Do it.

Pray for strength to do it.

Write it on your hands, put stickies around your room to remind you…(like Sarah taught you).

Be purposeful!

Grow equanimity in your life.

And finally, your elephant story….when you were little, I took you to ride on an elephant.  You had to step up high onto a ladder to climb on its back and you didn’t want any help…you could do it “all by myself” you told me.  You giggled and laughed until the moment you got to the top of the ladder.  At that point, you stopped and turned around and looked at me as to say, “I am not sure I can do this….it is too high, the elephant is too big”….

You said out loud, “Mama, I might be afraid”.

Hmm….what does a mother say to that? 

I replied, “Baby, at some point, you have to decide, do I want to be afraid or do I want to ride the elephant?”

To which you very clearly said, “I don’t want to be afraid.”

My reply, “Then be careful, do what the elephant helper tells you and climb on it’s back”.

Never will I forget your getting on top of the elephant and the ear-to-ear “I did it” grin on your face.  You were so proud of yourself and so was I.

Don’t get me wrong, I always want you to be wise in your decision-making.  I want you to think long and hard about the consequences of the decisions you make, but I do pray you are able to walk through your fears and INTO your faith.  You can do that with confidence when you are living for Him and not for yourself.

When you remember whose gift you are….it is simpler to be the Gift you were intended to be.

Blessings,

Mama