:Tales of Motherhood // by Mandy England:

Motherhood is not meant to be ventured alone. We were made for community- rejoicing in victories, embracing defeat- yet never alone. As one who finds new life in the stories of others I have invited a few mama's that have walked or are walking this path of motherhood to join us in this space. My hope is that you will find encouragement today- in this moment, right where you are.

Please welcome my sweet friend Mandy. I have loved Mandy's heart since before she became a mother. She is artistic and creative and beautiful inside and out. She has two little darlings and shares tidbits of their lives via instagram. Today she's going to share a piece of her journey that will encourage any mama in any stage of parenting. You will be blessed by her words. 

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Hi there! I'm Mandy... wife to my best friend, the gal behind Mandipidy, and mama to Sophie and Judah.



When my husband and I discovered that I was pregnant with Sophie, it was a complete surprise. Well... I guess not completely. I mean, can it really be a complete surprise if you are peeing on the stick? But you know what I mean. We were planning to wait a few more years before taking the plunge into parenthood... just one of our many lessons about the sovereignty of God. And as thrilled as we were about our baby from that first moment, I just didn't feel ready to be a mother. I knew that I was selfish, short-tempered, and impatient. More than that... I knew the kind of mother that I wanted to be for my children, and I saw myself falling incredibly short of that mark.

Well, being a mother hasn't miraculously made me the perfect woman for the job. I still have all those character flaws, and motherhood has only helped me discover other ones that I didn't even know I had. As a new mother, I was overwhelmed with my inadequacies. From my quick temper to the crazy pile of laundry, I felt completely insufficient. I needed focus. A simple goal to help me work on the most important things foremost... expressing love to my sweet family. And so I looked to God's Word and clung to this verse:

"A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands."

- Proverbs 14:1


So simple... be a builder, an encourager. Use building words, do building things, think building thoughts. My home was the people living in it, and it was my responsibility to build them up. It wasn't easy and it went against my nature, but it was a simple goal toward which I could strive.





Replacing "Don't touch that" with "Here, play with this", or "Please stop screaming" with "Can you use your lovely voice?" takes daily effort on my part. I make plenty of mistakes, for sure! But it is a simple filter through which I can run my actions and words...

BUILD MY HOME.

I designed this print recently so that I could keep the words around the house as a reminder, and I am sharing it with you in case you would like to do the same. Please feel free to print a copy for yourself or to share with a friend:





I hope that this post built you up today!


*linking up with carissa for miscellany monday