Overwhelmed by My Blessings: Encouragement for Moms (Part 3)Sample

Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future.

Smiling at the future. How does this Proverbs 31 woman possibly smile at what is to come? At things she doesn’t even have any idea about?

Really, think about it. None of us knows even what tomorrow will bring. We are planners and like to know what’s ahead so we can be prepared and ready. And when we don’t know, fears can quickly surface.

Some of the fears I deal with and have dealt with in the past are for my kids’ lives. For my husband’s life. In the pre-cell phone days, I had my husband’s funeral all planned out before he arrived home late from work! Fear is a very common thing with us women.

I still have to fight the fear that something might happen to my family. That my health will deteriorate. Then where would I be? How would I make it? How could I survive?

So, what is this Proverbs 31 woman’s secret? How can she smile at the unknown?

I believe she has such whole, complete, trust in God, in His faithfulness, in the fact that He is in control, that she has true peace and restfulness in her heart. She knows the source of those fears, and it isn’t God. So, she smiles. She smiles at the future, knowing it’s in His hands and that He is trustworthy.

I still want to get there. To that peaceful place where I can rest and trust and just smile. And most days, I find it getting easier. Some days, I still have to force that smile by believing the Truth of God’s Word. My mind just has a hard time wrapping my heart completely around it.

One of my mentors who lived through the horrible atrocities of the holocaust, Corrie ten Boom, said “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” And, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” She should know.

How about you? What fears are draining your strength and keeping you from smiling at the future? Confess those now. He has you, and your children. Believe it.

Oh, Father. I want to know you, to trust you, to surrender even tomorrow into your loving, sovereign hands, but I know my fears keep me bound and prevent me from trusting you fully. I ask for courage to make the constant choice to be wholly yours, knowing you have my future, and my family’s, in your wise hands. May joy for who you are rise in my spirit right now, putting a smile on my face. Thank you for loving me, especially when I am fearful.