No More Bubble Mom - Recapturing the sacred calling of Mommyhood

I was just finishing up my little girl's quilt. And we were talking about strategies for getting more done in a day. With 2 littles and during a busy time.

"You know," my Mom said, somewhat cautiously. "I think if you would get up and have a to-do list that you would just tackle right away, it would really help."

"But I do!" I replied.

"Well, but I mean before you do anything on your computer."

Oh. Yeah. And then we got started on a subject that has been on my heart for the last several months. 

With all the social media drive coming at us from every direction it is so easy to become a selfish Mom.

A Bubble Mom.

Stuck in our own little world, in our a little bubble of selfishness. We are so caught up in our own comfort, our own needs, our own entertainment that we don't even realize that we have blocked our kids out of our life, unless it is convenient for us.​

What has happened to us, Mommies? We have lost the sacred call of Motherhood. We have become self-centered. Since when is being a Mom become about us? About our comfort? Since when do we ask ourselves about our convenience before we take action?

Motherhood is messy. I have never liked that statement. It makes me feel claustrophobic. It takes away the nice picture that we post on Instagram and Facebook. But it's true. Motherhood is about loving through the drips of spilled milk and wet underwear. 

The sacred calling of a Mom is to be a servant. 

"Oh, but I don't want to be a servant", we think. "I'm a grown-up now. It's my turn to be served. I've earned it and I deserve it." Isn't this what we subconsciously think? I know I sure do! But we forget what Jesus said: "whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." {Mark 10:44-45}

And one of the best ways to serve our children is to simply be present.

If I am to fulfill the sacred call of being a Mommy I have to engage. All day long. There is no break when I am in the trenches during the day. The 5 minutes I spend on social media could hold just as many teachable moments. Little windows of time that I could be training my child's heart.

The scary fact is, when I spend 5 minutes on my phone and ignore my kids I am teaching them something. I am teaching them that I prefer my little bubble of space over them. I am teaching them that it's OK to retreat from reality whenever I want. I am teaching them that we don't have to be present when life gets hard. We can just crawl into our little bubble and forget reality. I am teaching them it is OK to be selfish and crown myself as the queen of my own heart.

My Mom said something during our conversation that really made me think. She said "I would not want to be raising little kids right now. All the temptations of the internet would be hard to resist. And I don't think I would have my kid's hearts if I would have given into temptations like that."
 
It's a sobering truth.

I have given into the temptation way too many times - in just one day! But enough is enough. It is time to take control of my life, to break the bubble and to be present with my kids. All. Day. Long.

It is time to put away the computer, put down the phone and focus on raising children who love Jesus, and know how to fight distraction. Because they learned how to do it from their Mommy's example. 

Let's pop the bubble, Mommies. Social media can wait until nap time.

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