A Little Water Works Wonders: Spiritual Encouragement for Moms

A few weeks ago, a sweet lady from church sent me some beautiful blue flowers that were put on display at the Easter service, which I was unable to attend due to illness. Unfortunately, my thumb doesn’t even come close to being green. So my first response was to wonder what I could do to keep from killing them. My daughter delivered them to me, and she, being like her mother, had nearly killed them in the two days they were under her care.

“This morning, they were so droopy I thought they had died. But a little water works wonders, Mom. See? Nice and perky.”

I’m pleased to report that I’ve “only” come close to killing the flowers four times since they were delivered. Yes, four. They’re still alive, because I remembered that “a little water works wonders.” But I’ve noticed some of the leaves are beginning to turn yellow – probably because I’ve been allowing the soil get as dry as the Mojave Desert before watering it. It seems I’ve inflicted an unhealthy cycle on it that doesn’t promote the best of health. The best of health would come, I think, if I would be more disciplined about never letting it get parched in the first place.

Isn’t that how it is spiritually? My tendency, especially when my kids were small, was to go a week here, four days there, without reading my Bible or praying. I’d become parched. Then I’d try and cram a large, profitable time of spiritual nourishment in whenever I could, like when the kids were sick and sleeping all day.

A lovely experience indeed, not unlike drinking from a firehose after a walk in that Mojave Desert!

Skipping spiritual watering is easy to do when the laundry piles are high, dinner needs to be made, and Johnny needs to be at football practice. As women and moms, we are constantly pouring ourselves into the lives of others. Our work truly is never finished. We are constantly nurturing. Loving. Discipling. Feeding. Sorting and folding. Or cleaning up. In the midst of it all, we tend to forget or even purposely neglect our own vital needs. But where our souls are concerned, while any feeding is better than no feeding, regular feeding is the healthiest.

A little water works wonders. But a little water every day works bigger and better wonders. When we are regularly filling our own cups, we avoid the parched phase, and are naturally able to spill over into the lives of others in a consistent manner. We overflow into empty vessels that need filling because we are full and have plenty to give, rather than working so hard just to maintain our own fluctuating strength.

When I was a young mom, I had to find simple, quick ways to be spiritually fed. If it was time to nurse the baby, I’d turn on the radio and listen to Elisabeth Elliot’s radio program. Or late at night, after the kids were in bed, I’d turn the radio back on (I’m really dating myself here), and listen to a kind, elderly man by the name of Bill Pearce who taught the Scriptures in a deep, soothing voice – exactly what I needed after a day of harrying activities. Another favorite spiritual watering method was to read snippets of the Bible or a book on spiritual growth during children’s quiet times, during nursing, after they’d gone to bed, or if they had a (seemingly) rare moment of playing well together. Prayer most often came as I was performing methodical chores, as that was the only time I could talk to God without falling asleep!

Though spiritual disciplines are difficult to find time for, we will find that God does give us that time. It may not look like we want. Or happen when we want. But even as busy people about the vital duties of motherhood, the time is there, and where there’s a will, there’s a way. 

A huge blessing of consistent feedings, you’ll find, comes when you have spiritual strength to pour into your children. It never ceased to amaze me that what Mr. Pearce or Mrs. Elliot taught over the air would often come up in my conversations with my kids the very same day or shortly after, when it was still fresh in my mind and heart. It was necessary to present the truth to the kids on their level. But what God gives, He often gives more than once. What He feeds us is exactly what He wants us to turn around and feed to our children. He is the Living Water, and He loves to nourish His children who then nourish their children.

So carpe minutam, moms. Seize the minute! And remember — a little water works wonders, but a little water consistently works bigger wonders. Not only for you, but for those you are attempting to bring up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.