| Jesus is the hero in the story of feeding the 5,000. Our Lord takes a generous boy’s modest lunch of bread and fish and
performs a miracle. The unnamed lad is certainly willing to share what he has with Jesus and trust Him to
multiply what he gave with no expectations attached. But he had help being able to help. Who prepared the boy’s lunch?
Probably his caring mom who had no idea that the routine way she loved her son would be used by God to bless several
thousand people. She did her part to love her child in the little things, selflessly caring for and showing compassion
for the needs of one.
耶稣是喂养 5000 人故事中的英雄。我们的主为一个慷慨的男孩准备了一份简陋的面包和鱼午餐，并创造了奇迹。
这位无名的小伙子当然愿意与耶稣分享他所拥有的，并相信他会在不附加任何期望的情况下倍增他所给予的。
但他有帮助能够提供帮助。谁准备了男孩的午餐？大概是他慈母不知道自己爱儿子的惯常方式会被神用来祝福几千人。
她尽自己的一份力量在小事上爱她的孩子，无私地关心和同情孩子的需要。
As a mom do you sometimes feel invisible, unimportant? Does it seem like your acts of kindness go unnoticed, with only
reoccurring demands to be served? From time to time this feeling may steal your joy and feed your anger and resentment.
Or, you may be drowning with more expectations from your family than you have the capacity to fulfill. If so, pause in
prayer, ask the Spirit to renew your spirit and fill your heart with humble gratitude for God’s love and comfort.
Reassess what you need. Ask for help. Do less and trust God to do more. He loves you and He will take what you give
Him and multiply your efforts. Compassionate and caring moms need extra doses of care and compassion.
“As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among
you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children” (1 Thessalonians 2:6-7).
Exhaustion is the enemy of intimacy. Only as you care for yourself do you have a healthy self to give away. The flight
attendants have it correct: you must put the oxygen on yourself first to be able to care for your children. What gives you
life? A quiet room? An engaging book? Sitting on the porch alone? A walk outside? Laughing with a group of friends
who love you? The treadmill of not taking time for yourself only leads to exhaustion, anxiety and a drowning sensation.
Take hold of the life preserver of God’s love and the love of others to rest in Christ’s peace and joy.
You may know a mom who silently, selflessly serves but is screaming on the inside in need of help. Perhaps you show
up and offer to take care of her children, so she can refresh herself by doing nothing or something she wants to do.
Consider paying for a couple to see a Christian counselor, so husband and wife can speak their pain out loud to a compassionate
professional. Moms who care for others need care. Care and compassion from their heavenly Father, family and friends.
Find a mom and show her how you care.
作为一个妈妈，你有时会觉得自己是隐形的、不重要的吗？你的善举似乎没有被注意到，只是重复出现的要求得到满足？
有时，这种感觉可能会偷走你的快乐，助长你的愤怒和怨恨。或者，您可能被家人的期望淹没了，超出了您的能力。
如果是这样，请暂停祷告，祈求圣灵更新你的灵，让你的心充满对上帝的爱和安慰的谦卑感激。重新评估你需要什么。
请求帮忙。少做一些，相信上帝会做更多。他爱你，他会接受你给他的，并加倍努力。富有同情心和关怀的妈妈需要额外的关怀和同情。
“作为基督的使徒，我们当然有权向你们提出一些要求，但相反，我们就像你们中间的孩子。或者我们就像一个母亲喂养
和照顾自己的孩子”（帖撒罗尼迦前书 2:6-7）。
疲惫是亲密的敌人。只有当你关心自己时，你才有一个健康的自我可以放弃。乘务员说得对：你必须先给自己装上氧气，
才能照顾你的孩子。什么给了你生命？安静的房间？一本引人入胜的书？一个人坐在阳台上？出去走走？和一群爱你的朋友一起欢笑？
不为自己花时间的跑步机只会导致疲惫、焦虑和溺水感。抓住上帝之爱和他人之爱的救生圈，在基督的平安和喜乐中安息。
您可能认识一位默默无私地服务但内心尖叫需要帮助的妈妈。也许你会出现并提出照顾她的孩子，这样她就可以通过什么
都不做或想做的事情来恢复自己。考虑花钱请一对夫妇去看基督教辅导员，这样夫妻就可以向富有同情心的专业人士大
声说出他们的痛苦。关心他人的妈妈需要关心。关怀和同情
I’m challenged to my core by Henri Nouwen’s endearing description of compassion, and how constantly giving compassion
is draining, especially for mothers of children:
Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and
anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with
those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with
the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human. |
