I stared at a blank screen with the clock ticking on my writing time.

What could I possibly share with moms that they haven’t already heard?

Our in-boxes are inundated with quick tips for how to be the best Pinterest mom ever and overflowing with posts telling us how to raise our children perfectly. From the way I see it, there’s not much left to say that hasn’t already been said.

So I did what all writers do in the social media age: I turned to Facebook for help.

“Need inspiration for my next post. Any topic you'd like to see me write on? Leave a comment quick...”

It turns out that moms still want answers, even if our cyber world is loaded with advice.

 “I'd like a magic formula of what each child needs for clothes for each season of the year and their life. How much is too much?”

“How can we teach our children to assume the best about others intentions, and not being quick to criticize or take offense? ”

“How can we help our kids focus on what God says about them, rather than what the world says about them?”

“Being a mom is lonely work at times. Tell us how to cope!”

“How to deal with the bickering....pleasssse...!”

How could I possibly write on these topics, when I struggle with the same issues?

Humbled and overwhelmed, I put my writing on hold, knowing I needed to pray for how God would want me to respond. Days later, I re-read those momma cries and gave them over to the Lord...

God, I know these moms are at loss for what to do, and quite frankly, so am I. Oh, I know we ought to seek You for answers, but what should we do when the concordance in our Bible doesn’t have the right Word to search for? When we listen to the wisdom of those that have gone before us, their advice often feels like a formula that doesn’t fit our unique situation. Is it a matter of being teachable? Or have we’ve forgotten to see our parenting from an eternal perspective?

Lord, I don’t have the answers for these mommas, for I need the answers, too. So will you please meet us right where we are today, and be our source of hope as we press on in our mothering journey?

When I stared down that blank screen again, God reminded me that I didn’t need to come up with five easy steps to solve each of their problems.

When I turn toward using steps as the solution, I so often forget about the work of the Holy Spirit.

I’m not saying that steps are bad -- I certainly need clear instructions to guide me at times -- but how often do I skip over seeking God because I think doing “this” will get me results faster?

By faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, we’ve been given the gift of the Holy Spirit as our personal counselor (John 14:26), who is able to reveal to us the answers to our parenting questions! God also promises us that through the Word, we are equip for every good work (2 Timothy 3-16-17), which He will bring to completion (Philippians 1:13) in us -- even as moms! Of course, He’s given us each other, in the body of Christ, to encourage one another and find the training we need (Titus 2:3-5), but the body isn’t meant to function without the Head!

The answers we’re looking for are found in the One who made us mom.

So will you make a little pact with me to seek God first with our parenting challenges, and be willing to listen to His direction even if it doesn’t look like the steps He’s given to someone else?

Blessings,

Elisa, More to Be