Mama told me the story of when Dad got saved when I was a little baby. He would accompany my mom to church but whenever it got close to the altar call I would begin to cry (still not sure if he pinched me or not) and he would take me out of the sanctuary. Finally one time my mom said, "Let her cry" and he faced his conviction and accepted the Lord. He meant it, too. Every time the church doors were open we were there ... and he lived it at home. The church was my second home. I had wonderful Sunday school teachers and wonderful examples of Godly fathers leading their homes.
I grew up and God blessed me with three amazing kids. Five years ago I was suddenly a single mom and although not so gracefully, I embraced my role as mom and dad. For those who really know me, you know that my initial reaction is to "freak" but lately those times don't last as long before I accept reality and call on the Lord.
One of the first huge changes was driving. One of the best gifts I had ever given my husband was a GPS (just a few months before he left). I acquired that wonderful gift and it sure did help. Whenever we went anywhere together he just automatically drove. I was good with driving around our little town but I was suddenly thrown into taking the kids to all kinds of appointments beyond my comfort zone. I was very excited when I survived the trip to St Pete by myself ... haha, still not thrilled with Ft Myers ... but I do it! Each trip is a little empowering.
Church was never an issue because I always made sure we got up and went to church. There was never an argument but the weight of raising these children alone and making sure that they remained Christ centered was an overwhelming thought. How many times did I belt out the prayer, Lord LEAD ME!
I struggled with the family leadership/discipline at first. I kept thinking "wow, the kids have been through so much..." and I wasn't as strict at the beginning as I should've been. This is all following an incident where we had all gone to the store. One of my children was in the car with their dad and grandpa. I came out to the car with my hands full and that child locked the door. I am standing there and my husband said, "You're the mom, what are you going to do about it?" while he and grandpa was in the car laughing. How was I to lead them when that is what they knew? Thankfully the Lord in his redeeming love helped us to survive the last 5 years and we are amazed at how far we have come.
We have pulled together as a family. This point was once again proven when, at midnight, I hear the dreaded "Mom, there's a spider in the house." Okay, Michigan friends, when a child in Florida says spider, they are not talking about a daddy long leg. The words I heard last night were "it's as big as my face!" "don't let the cat out, the spider will eat it!" It's that kind of spider. You don't want to get to close because they jump. One time my daughter video taped me as we worked at getting the spider. I stood frozen with a broom in my hand as my son is shouting instructions that if I use the broom he will disappear and we won't find him. Ugh, four hours later we had one dead spider but my room was torn apart, golf clubs laying all over, shoes in disarray but we got him!
Last night we got him, too! It went much quicker this time. We only had to use a mop, a broom, hairspray, wasp spray, one shoe, a yearbook and a knife. I'll put the kitchen back together this afternoon. Through it all we screamed together, we prayed (okay, we shouted, Lord empower Katie), we screamed some more, we did the "we don't like spiders dance" but we did it all together.
Ethan stepped into his role of "man of the house" (well, except for maybe the spiders) and I am amazed at how God equipped him with knowledge of things I never taught him. He just knows things. I asked him the other day how he does it. He simply said, "I taught myself". Works for me.
One day God may bring a man into our family ... until then, God is empowering us to do things and giving us the strength to accomplish things we never knew we could do before...and we are so grateful!
Happy Father's day to all those godly men who accepted the gift and are leading their families ... who love, support and encourage. To all those who get the spiders and chase the snakes. This is your special day! To my kids, Happy Father's day to you, too! You've jumped right in and helped to make us the family we are today! I love you!!!!
My prayer ... Lead Me by Sanctus Real
Until next time ... whether single or married ... male or female ... pray for the Godly men that were placed in your life.
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