I am really enjoying helping with our church’s new MOPS group. A couple of weeks ago, I gave a devotion at our steering meeting, which I was asked to share again at our MOPS meeting last Thursday. The following is what I shared. Praise the Lord for any encouragement that was passed along.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He shall be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.” Jeremiah 17: 7-8

I think these verses are really cool because I love how you can picture a healthy, flourishing tree with its roots spread out toward a stream of fresh water. It’s a tree that is continuing to grow every year.

Have you ever thought about roots, and what they do for a tree or a plant? Earlier this month, I spent a weekend in Nebraska with my family. I have a cousin who farms the land which our family has had for 5 generations now, and I like my kids to know about this heritage. It’s harvest time, and we all took turns riding in the combine, visiting with my cousin, and watching the corn being cut and separated. As we waited out in a cornfield while the kids were riding, my husband pulled up a cut-off cornstalk and started examining its roots. This seems like kind of a small thing, but if you really look at the roots of a corn plant, they are amazing.

(I described what the corn plants roots look like: how there are a set of thick, sturdy roots circling the stalk a couple of inches above the ground, then another set of 14 or 15 slightly smaller roots also circling the stalk just under the ground, and then a large network of tiny roots spreading out in all directions. And how these anchor the plant so effectively that a windstorm will break the stalk before up-rooting the plant. Then, continuing. . .)

Of course, through the roots the corn plant can receive nourishment from water and nutrients. Because of the roots, the plants can better withstand heat, wind, and drought, and produce the corn that we use.

As moms, we have people in our lives who depend on us–especially our children and our husbands. When we’re giving so much of ourselves to our children, after a while we can feel drained. I went through a time (when my oldest 3 children were very young) when I actually got “burned out” emotionally and physically. I’ll tell you how I came out of that in a minute. But there are days when we just run out of strength, when we’re short on patience.

Just like a tree or plant, we need to take the time to soak up some nourishment. But how can we, as busy moms, have our need for nurturing met? One way is through the encouragement of these MOPS meetings. There’s something refreshing about being able to share your frustrations and joys with other moms. Making crafts meets a need of accomplishing something–it gets finished, and it doesn’t need to be immediately re-done, like so many things around the house. And of course, we have some special pampering time included today. . . (we had foot soaks, Mary Kay satin hands products, and even an opportunity for a massage)

But for me, there’s something even bigger that gives me strength, got my life in balance after that burnout that I mentioned, and has helped me to be a better mom. Like the verse in Jeremiah says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” When I trust the Lord for details of the day, and put all of my confidence in Him, He does not let me down. He’s there for me no matter what is going on. Bad things can still happen, but He gives me peace in the middle of stress. He helps me to do what I have to do as a mom and in every area of my life. He is my source of nourishment and strength.