Encourage

Are you an encouragement to others? How long does it take to take a moment and encourage those you love during seasons in their life that feel hard?

My sister-in-law AD is amazing. My only sibling, Keith. His wife. I love her. She has two daughters. She works more than part-time from home. She runs her local MOPs group. She's busy. Super busy. My brother is an athletic director. During basketball season is the worst!

Yet she took the time yesterday to write me an email that really ministered to me.

Wendi,

I read your blog yesterday about blips. The thing that occurred to me and maybe it did to you and I missed it, is that this yucky time is a blip not only to you, but to your kids, hubby, and family too.

Your kids have had awesome, engaged, super-fun mom for 200+ weeks (depending on the kid), and so if you have 10 weeks of bad and 10 weeks of kind of bad and then 10 weeks of a little bad. Those 20+ weeks with some "bad" will be a blip for them too. They won't even remember, God will cover you too.

Just like your family and John, day to day, I am sure it is REALLY hard, but in comparison to years of knowing you, this is a blip.

In work terms, its like an employee who has been awesome, reliable, team player, etc for 10 years and then has a rough spell due to life circumstances and becomes less reliable and withdrawn for a season. No employer is going to fire that awesome employee for a season of sub-par performance when there has been 10 years of excellent performance. It's not an exact metaphor, but hopefully you get what I mean. :)

XOXOXO AD

Thank you AD. Your perspective was fantastic. I have been so encouraged by so many people to not worry about my kids. My friend Rachel is dealing with nine-month sickness for her third pregnancy. Her mother was also sick during all three of her pregnancies. Rachel was five when her brother was born, and she tells me that she doesn't remember her mother being sick at all! The first thing she told me in the first email she wrote was, "Don't worry. Your kids won't remember this! They'll remember their non-sick mom."

Encouragement.

Take the time today, even if you are the one who needs it, to offer it to someone else.