This week at MOPS....
Do you let fear call the shots? You are not alone in your fears in motherhood, but a lot of times fear is a perception problem. How can we prevent fear from causing us to sit on the sidelines of life? When you sense fear creeping in, remember that God is with you. God's presence replaces our panic with peace. Run to God during your fears and trust him. Living in fear is exhausting, but God's desire is for you to live is his shadow where you will find lasting rest. Fear is a relentless shadow and will try to infiltrate your mind and heart. How do we combat it when life's valleys seem too deep and dark? Start small. Talk to God about your fears. Go for a walk, journal, sing your heart out, talk to friends, sit quietly and be still with God, ask a mentor to pray with you, and/or find a few bible verses to meditate on throughout the day. If you missed it, you can watch the video here.
Announcements
We know that next Tuesday is Election Day, but we thought everyone could use a mental break from politics and everything else! Bring a chair or a blanket and join us for an outdoor movie & firepit in Katie's Backyard!
We will be ordering pizza and there will be drinks, popcorn, and a sweet treat! Plastic gloves will be available so there is no cross-contamination with the food.
The movie (TBD) will start around 7:15 so we don't have to be out too late!
Please RSVP on the Evite no later than Sunday, November 1st so that we can make sure we have the right amount of goodies!
Our next playdate is coming up at Historic Oak View County Park!
Join us to pick some pecans, feed the goats, and explore the farm buildings! Bring a bag for your pecans, and apples and baby carrots for the goats!
When you arrive, head back behind the buildings to the pecan grove!
Join us at our next 7pm meeting on November 17th! In preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday we will be discussing gratitude. Gratitude is not something that comes naturally, but it leads to greater social, emotional and spiritual health, and leads us to face reality in a way few other things can.
GO DEEPER
Facing Fears // Stacey Morgan / yearofstacey.blogspot.com
On the morning of July 20th, 2019, I kissed my husband one last time before watching him don his space suit and step up into the bus that would take him to the launchpad and his waiting Soyuz rocket. Once there, he crawled into the cramped capsule with his two crewmates and they closed the hatch. About a mile away, my children and I waited for the countdown to begin. My heart was pounding out of my chest and had I not had young children to be brave for, I think I would have been tempted to collapse on the ground and bury my face in my hands. I was terrified. What if something goes wrong? What if the rocket explodes? Have I just said goodbye to my husband of 20 years and the father of our four children forever? Even with the years of training and full confidence in the equipment and technology, things happen, mistakes are made. In that moment, I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, my toes dangling off the edge, not knowing if in a few short moments we would be filled with the elation of a successful rocket launch to the International Space Station, or the shocking downward plunge into a new life mourning the loss of my best friend and my children’s father. I’ve never experienced a fear so palpable before. I was overwhelmed.
I reached back in my mind to the day before, when the children and I were granted a few short minutes with Drew for one last hug and tearful farewell. We put our arms around each other and prayed together, asking God for peace and courage, for protection and provision. In that moment, God answered our prayers. Through my tears, I felt his peace, and he granted us the almost incalculable strength it took to say goodbye and walk away.
Back at the viewing area, I told my children to step up next to me and grab hands. We were going to face this, whatever came next, together. Countdown 3-2-1, the engines lit and lifted the rocket off the ground. The fiery blast blinded our eyes as the deafening roar rolled across the ground and washed over us like a wave. In that moment I thought of Esther, who God choose for a specific point in history, to take action in a place full of fear and unpredictability. And while Esther did not know what the outcome would be, her faith in God’s plan gave her the strength to face her fears and move forward.
As we watched the rocket shoot into the night sky, eventually receding into just a pinprick of light as it chased its target, I thanked God for his presence in my life. I asked him to give me the same courage he granted Esther: the confidence to face my fears, in the big and the little things, knowing he will never leave me nor forsake me, no matter what the next day brings.
