I had the privilege of helping watch four wonderful kids while their parents where away on a trip. It’s no easy transition going from single to mom of four, even if it was just for a few days! Here’s a little something practical that I took out of this experience:
This generation is short on hard work and perseverance and high in entitlement and short cuts. I know this seems completely out of context with my blog topic but keep reading, I think you’ll find it very fitting. When there are four little humans dependent on you for their food, clean bottoms, nap time, a trip to the park, baths … etc., you have to be responsible to not only work hard, but also to do it without getting an instant reward or return.
There is no pay check for being a mommy! You do not get to be entitled to anything but the opportunity to give some more after you’ve given all you can. You see, the reward of a mom is not instant nor is it necessarily physical.
Rather, it is watching her time and effort turn a toddler into an adult. It’s raising up someone with morals, a right attitude and a giving heart. The reward comes when the one you poured into turns around and begins to pour back. It wasn’t something she demanded or could take a shortcut to. It was something she earned by the years of giving, hard work and perseverance.
I recently saw a Facebook post about McDonald’s workers demanding $15/hour wages. That shows me the attitude of our generation—wanting something for nothing. If you want to make money, you need to put something in, whether it’s years of hard work learning on the job or years of schooling to increase your skill set.
You don’t walk into a job or a class demanding the rewards of someone who has labored years in the field! There is no microwave formula for wealth, success or life rewards.
If you want a full garden, then you need to take the time to sow, water, care for and wait for the plants to flourish. Stop looking for shortcuts and simply start working hard.
You will get tired and you will feel like nothing is happening, but keep on. Pour out because in a day like today, you will not only stand out, you will shine! Remember, your reward will only be as big as your investment.
Just like a mom pours out continuously for her children only to see the reward years later, that is how we should be. This not only shows character and true diligence, it also brings about the best kind of reward—one you didn’t demand, one you earned.
You may even begin to see rewards sooner than you thought! Change your mindset from demanding rewards to earning rewards, and watch your life begin to change!
P.S. To all the moms who posses this kind of character, I applaud and appreciate you! As a young person in today’s society, I look up to you and need you in my life.
“There is one who scatters, yet increases; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty” (Prov. 11:24).
He becomes poor who deals with a slack hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (Prov. 10:4).
“The crown of the wise is their riches, but the foolishness of fools is folly” (Prov. 14:23).
Bailey Riza is a young, passionate, up-and-coming voice in the music industry. A worship leader, songwriter and recording artist, she has a wealth of experience and a dynamic approach to teaching and leading. She is a member of the Faith Alive Band and travels throughout North America performing and ministering in many different arenas. Her songs have been featured on the Faith Alive Show as well as on Daystar Television Network. Her latest EP, Coming Alive, topped the iTunes charts in Canada! She was born and raised in Saskatoon, Sk, Canada, and attends Faith Alive Family Church, where her parents are senior pastors. She loves her family, church and country and has a zeal to see this generation experience a powerful outpouring of God’s presence.
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