Happy Mother’s Day weekend HIM! 14 HIM posted at Aegis for a M.O.T.H.E.R. of a Beatdown!
Warm-O Rama
20 SSH IC
20 Cherry Pickers IC
20 Goofballs IC
20 Windmills IC
Patriot Run to Woodstock’s Building (long route)
The Thang
Merkins (50 IC)
Overhead Press (50 OYO)
Toy Soldier Set (50 LBC, 25 E2K each side, 15 Big Boys)
Hip Slappers (20 OYO – 10 each side)
E2K (25 each side OYO)
Rock-Paper-Scissors (Pair up 10 Rounds-Low Plank winner does number of round of Merkins loser does number of round of Burpees tie both do 5 Merkins)
Mosey to Park by Presbyterian Church
Merkins (15 OYO)
Overhead Clap (15 OYO)
Toy Soldier Mini Set (15 LBC, 10 E2K each side, 5 Big Boys OYO)
Hip Circles (10 each direction OYO) side note, these are still gay!
E2K (15 each side OYO)
Rock-Paper-Scissors (Round 10 Only)
Mosey back to Circle for a round of Mary
Third F
Happy day before Mother’s Day! Ephesians 6:2-3 says 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” God does not tell us to honor our mothers when they are right, He says to honor our mothers, period. That means no matter what! Some of us have good mothers, some of us have not so good mothers. Regardless, we are to honor our mothers.
20 Arm Circles forward, 20 backwards, 20 seal claps, 20 overhead claps
Cherry Pickers 20 IC
Imperial Squat Walker 20 IC
Mountain Man Poopers 20 IC
Hairy Rockets 15 IC
Slow lateral stretch 10 IC
The Thang:
Mosey to Alley
Lt. Dan to stop sign
Mosey across street, jailbreak to corner
Mike Tysons 25 OYO
The People’s chair with overhead clap 25 OYO
The American Hammer 25 IC
Mosey to grassy park
Decline Merkins 25 OYO
Balance Lunges 15 each leg
Marionettes 30 total 10 each direction
Mosey to playground
Dips 50 OYO
Pendulum Squats 10 each leg IC
Toy Soldier Set
50 crunches
15 Pretzel Sticks each side
10 Big Boys
F3 Message Mark Munoz –
With determination and faith, you will eventually rise above, succeeding despite the odds. For God gives us life; the rest is up to us to accept His challenge. God created us to serve others with passion and presence.
Through wrestling, I learned the true meaning of life. My father said “If you join, you will wrestle the first day, the last day, and every day. You will not quit.” I lasted one practice, so after getting taken down, pummeled by cross faces, and turned in half nelsons and wings, I was ready to give up. Dad found me sitting at home the next day instead of at practice. I told him: “I don’t want to wrestle anymore.” Stoically, he reminded me of the commitment I had made. Leading me by the arm, he returned me to a place I would learn to love. Wrestling fostered a mentality of excellence whereby I was on honor roll all four years and made the National Honor Society. Although I rose to the second ranked MMA fighter in the world, I never forgot that God created us to serve and to love others more than ourselves. My Reign youth wrestling club is rooted in the belief that as God reigns, we must learn how to reign over our competition.
Champions are not defined by wins, but by how many times you pick yourself up after a loss. Rise above adversity. Embrace the grind. Love what you do and do what you love.
As a society, we must learn to love with one another with love and compassion. Truly listen to and know each other’s story. Hear how they grew up and what they had to overcome. Share with them that none of us is perfect; all we can do is live the best life. Live, learn, and get better. The process of learning is a lifelong journey. If you learn how to handle adversity, how to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes, you will succeed in getting through the most difficult moments in your life, with your heart full and your mind ready to confidently take on whatever life confronts you with next
Mosey to Masonic Building
Plyo Merkins 25 OYO
Iron Mikes 10 IC
Flutter Kicks 25 IC
Easter Day Prayer
Dear God,
We come before you on this special day, celebrating the resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ. We give thanks for the sacrifice that he made for us, and for the love that you have shown us through him. As we gather with friends and family, may we be reminded of the hope and joy that Easter brings.
We pray for those who are suffering or in need, that they may find comfort and peace in your love. May your blessings be upon us all as we go forth in faith, hope, and love.
Warm-a-Rama Side shuffle around circle, switch directions halfway 15 seal jacks i/c 10 screaming lunges per leg oyo 15 seal waves i/c 10 mountain man pooper i/c High knees around circle, switch to butt kickers halfway
3rd F Play The Man • Devotional
Will Power!
Mosey to field by the church
Ultimate frisbee 3 bombjacks for team with dropped disc Scored exercises were; Screaming lunges Diamond merkins Merkins Frog burpees Burpees Flutter kicks
Mosey back to the circle 25 gas pumpers i/c, slowed tempo from 15-20
Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats.
Cherry Pickers – 15 IC
Hydraulic Squats – 10 (6 Count)
The Thang
Round #1 – Karaoke around the circle switching directions at halfway and complete 10 hand release merkins. Round #2 – Nur around the circle and complete 20 LBC’’s. Round #3 – ass kickers around the circle and complete Aiken legs – 10 squats, 10 box jumps, 10 lunges (5 each Leg), 10 Mike Tyson’s (5 each Leg). Round #4 – high knees around the circle and complete ATM’s – 10 alternating “merkin” shoulder taps, 10 tempo merkins, and 10 fast merkins. Round # 5 – Lieutenant Dan around the circle and complete 10 four count mountain climbers. Round #6 – Toy Soldier march around the circle and complete a set of 11’s. 1 big boy to 1 merkin, two big boys to 2 merkins ascending to 11 of each. Round #7 – mosey 10 laps around the circle and complete ascending Burp & Merks up to 10 merkins. The twist is we are going to repeat each of the previous exercises before starting the next lap around the circle.
F3 Message – 01/07/23
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
When I’m on the road and staying in a motel, I’m often leaving pretty early that day for the responsibilities I have. But by the time I return late that night, something amazing has happened. The bed is made and I didn’t make it! I’ve got new, clean towels! I didn’t find them. Everything’s straightened and neat. I even get these cool little soaps now that are in the bathroom! The Room Fairy has been there! Now, I know that not because I’ve seen the maid (actually I haven’t), but because I can see the results of her work all over the place. I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “God All Over Your Day.” He is, you know. It’s not unlike that maid scenario. You may not see the one who made the difference, but you can sure see the difference that He made, if you’re looking for it. If you’ve ever been to one of those church meetings where they ask people to share their favorite verses, you’ve probably heard somebody mention our word for today from the Word of God. It’s a lot of people’s favorite verse. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Notice what’s the opposite of trusting in the Lord with all your heart: trying to figure it out for yourself, doing what you think is best – leaning on your own understanding. Now comes a formula for finding out what God wants you to do in any given situation. Well, we need that. Verse 6 says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” Now, God says, “If you want to know My heart for you, acknowledge Me in every situation you’re in.” You know what acknowledge means. Have you ever been in a new place or a roomful of people and you’ve gone totally un-greeted, un-noticed? Well, you were saying to yourself, “Hey, I wish someone would acknowledge me. I wish someone would notice I’m here.” See, God knows that feeling. He shows up all through our day, and we often never notice Him. We don’t acknowledge Him. The other day I was really blessed in a place not normally associated with blessing-the dentist’s office. I was in the waiting room and I saw an old friend with his wife-they’re both in their 90’s. He’s working very hard to care for his wife because her health is deteriorating. Because it had been raining when they came in, my friend asked the dentist if he could help him get his wife out to the car. My dentist came back in, really touched by what had happened in those two minutes-so touched that he brought it up two more times. He said, “When I went out with George and his wife, it wasn’t raining. And George said, ‘Isn’t it great that the Lord stopped the rain long enough for us to get out to the car?’ Then he just looked heavenward and said, ‘Thanks, Father.'” Now that’s acknowledging Him. That’s noticing God’s working in the details of your day. And that’s where praise comes from, where joy comes from, where a victorious attitude comes from in the toughest of times. But you have to go into your day looking for God at work. If you don’t, you’ll miss God and you’ll miss the joy. But if you do train your heart to go on a daily God-hunt (God-sightings, you know), you’ll experience what the great preacher Charles Spurgeon talked about when he said, “He who looks for providences (or God-actions) will never lack a providence to observe.” If you haven’t been seeing God a lot lately, it’s because you haven’t been looking. You may have been focused on your circumstances, or other people, or yourself or what’s stressing you out. You’ve missed the fingerprints of God all over your day. The little mercies, the small miracles, the interventions, the protection, the encouraging surprises, the bad things that didn’t happen. I know there’s never a day where He doesn’t show up because the Bible says His “mercies are new every morning!” In those transformed motel rooms, I seldom see the maid, but I see the results of her work. In the little and big moments of your day, you may not see God, but you can see the results of His work on your behalf because you’re His much-loved child. You’ll see God all over your day if you’re looking for Him.
22 HIM beat the fartsack and braved the crisp air this morning! Quattro, Sink-O, Whirlybird, Pick, Lunchable, Bolt, Splinter, Singlet, Wood, Biddie, Hoss, Woodstock, Bunt, Semi, TRex, Ruxpin, Chattahoochee, Chaufer, Chappie, Probe, FirePlex, and Yukon.
Warm-O-Rama
25 Side Straddle Hops (in cadence)
15 Windmill (in cadence)
20 Mountain Climbers (in cadence)
15 Cherry Pickers (in cadence)
15 Dancing Bears (in cadence)
15 Side Straddle Hops (in cadence)-to please a late arrival
Twin Patriot Run to St. Michael’s Catholic Church
The Thang (Trees Galore)
Set #1 – 25 Merkins then Bear Crawl to 2nd tree. 20 Merkins then Bear Crawl to 3rd tree. 15 Merkins then Bear Crawl to 4th tree. 10 Merkins then Bear Crawl to 5th tree. 5 Merkins then plank for the 6.
Set #2 – Toy Soldier Set (50/25/15) then Jail Break to end tree. Toy Soldier Set (40/20/12) then Jail Break to opposite end tree. Toy Soldier Set (30/10/9) then hold 6″ for 6.
Set #3 – 25 Squats then Walking Lunges to 2nd tree. 20 Squats then Walking Lunges to 3rd tree. 15 Squats then Walking Lunges to 4th tree. 10 Squats then Walking Lunges to 5th tree. 5 Squats then Al Gore for 6.
Sharing of the Third F
Set #4 – 10 Burpees then Nur to middle tree. 8 Burpees then Nur to end tree. 6 Burpees then Nur to middle tree. 4 Burpees then Nur to end tree. 2 Burpees then plank for 6.
Mosey back to Circle
Set #5 – 25 Flutter Kicks (in cadence). 20 Gas Pumpers (in cadence). 15 Hello Dollys (in cadence). 15 4 Count Freddies (in cadence)
Number-Rama, Name-O-Rama, COT
Third F – Character
Everyone has Character. Everyone is a Character. We can be a character and still have a good character. Character is not necessarily what we think of ourselves but what others think of us. What kind of character do we have? What are we doing to contribute positively in society, our houses, our jobs, etc? What do people think of when they hear our names or see us walk in a room? I have watched Lunchable from birth for 16 plus years and I know his good character. I grew up with Quattro, yes he is a character, but he has a great character. I don’t know everyone in this group as well as I know Quattro, but what I see of this group of men is that character runs deep in each of us! We have kids (ours and others) looking at us for an example, men in this group see what we do, folks outside this group are definitely watching us, folks in our workplaces and places of worship, family members. How are we living our lives and what do people see when they see us? Woodstock contributed: Character is what do you do when no one is watching. What kinds of websites do we visit when we are alone? Good points, Woodstock! I appreciate the help brother.
Warm-Up- Side straddle hops , Cherry Pickers, Moroccan Nightclubs
The Thing!
Mosey to the courthouse- Split into 2 groups. From starting point one at a time, Alligator Merkin to the staircase. Bunny Hop up each step, squats on each step coming down, then jail break back to starting point. While waiting for group member to return all other members doing 50 American Hammers, 20 Big Boys, 50 LBC’s.
Patriot Run to the School.
11’s- Start at line with 10 Merkins and 1 Burpee. Mosey to next line and do 9 Merkins and 2 Burpees. So on until reach 1 Merkin and 10 Burpees.
Patriot Run back to Courthouse
Get back into groups. Bear Crawl to steps, Merkin up each step, Run down next set and back to group. While waiting for group member to return all other members doing 50 American Hammers, 20 Big Boys, 50 LBC’s.
Mosey Back to Start Point
3rd F– Story, A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside. “That laundry is not very clean,” she said. ” She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.” Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comment. About a month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?” The husband said, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3
Our perspective of other as well as the world varies according to how clean we keep our windows.
DEATH BY BURPEE” – This is a test of mental toughness…. You against you and you can only cheat yourself. Do your best as we want to see an improvement when we revisit this again after the burpee challenge in August
Minute 1 – 1 burpee
Minute 2 – 2 burpees
Minute 3 – 3 burpees
Minute 4 – 4 burpees
(To 20 total if you can last)
If you fail to make the amount of burpees in a minute, you are done!
***** Keep your total in your head and I’ll mark you down
3rd F – LT Brian Murphy (podcast to follow)
CHILDISH GAMES
6 corners – you run to a corner and someone rolls the dice. If it lands on your corner number, you stretch….. everyone else must partake in the workout (must run to corners 1-6 and be in there before dice stop)
1 min for the losers who guessed wrong or have no luck.
On Saturday 7/16 (yes, that’s right…if there’s no Backblast, it didn’t happen) 24 PAX won THAT FIRST BATTLE over the fartsack and posted for a new variation of the Bearmuda Triangle (keep reading below).
WARM-O-RAMA
SSH – 10 IC
Bolt 45 (keep moving) – IC
“Lanco Special” – IC (YHC can’t remember what its called but he picked it up at Lanco, so…
ISW – 18 IC
THE THANG
Mosey around the block to County Building parking lot for YHC’s Bearmuda Highs, a variation of its close cousin, the Bearmuda Triangle, only this one keeps moving locations.
3 Cones, 50′ apart in a triangle
1st Set of Cones (1st Triangle)
Bearcrawl to Cone #2, 1 Burpee
Bearcrawl to Cone #3, 2 Burpees
Bearcrawl to Cone #1, 3 Burpees
Mosey to Library Parking Lot (Oops! Don’t forget the cones!)
2nd Set of Cones (2nd Triangle)
Crawlbear to Cone #2, 4 Hand-Release Burpees
Crawlbear to Cone #3, 5 Hand-Release Burpees
Crawlbear to Cone #1, 6 Hand-Release Burpees
Mosey to School Parking Lot (Take the cones with you!)
PAX took a quick breather here for 3rdF (See below), before returning to the Bearmuda Triangle
3rd Set of Cones (3rd Triangle)
Bearcrawl/Crawlbear to Cone #2, 7 Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Bearcrawl/Crawlbear to Cone #3, 8 Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Bearcrawl/Crawlbear to Cone #1, 9 Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Final round had to be done half & half: Bearcrawl/Crawlbear & Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Total Burpees = 45
PAX formed into 2 groups, lined up for parallel Snake Runs back to the AO.
Meanwhile back at the AO…PAX planked feet up around the circular planter for what turned out to be a “turrible” (think Sir Charles) round of the Wheel of Derkin, YHC Omaha’d this as it was taking forever to get all the way around the circle–we started going both directions. This took us from the Bearmuda Triangle to Bearmuda Highs because after all the Bearcrawls, Burpees and running, the Wheel of Derkin made the PAX a bit delirious (and gave us a cheap buzz).
Finally, a short round of Mary: Held feet at 6″, followed by 18 Gas Pumpers IC.
We talk about leadership, especially in men’s circles and in circles where we speak of “iron sharpening iron” (Prov. 27:17); we often borrow ideas, thoughts, & principles that express values that are prevalent in the military, where leadership is developed around potentially life/death situations.
After having served nearly 12 yrs in the Army National Guard I’ve seen some of the best leaders, but I’ve also seen some of the absolute worst (those familiar with Band of Brothers, think of Sobel). Personally, I’ve been both a good leader and a failed leader in my time in the military. I can say that even those failed experiences sharpened my ability to lead. It’s crucial that we continually learn from those experiences, from those who failed to lead well, and most importantly from those who did lead us well. We should not only borrow from their examples and teaching, but strive to live out the good examples.
Some of greatest military leaders come from the special operations realm. They have the most grueling assessments, evaluations, and training just to be picked to join their ranks–then the real training begins. There’s a lot of leadership training, and it’s the mental toughness that seems to count the most. When my nephew was going through Ranger School I told him a few times to “never give up what you want most (becoming a Ranger) for what you want in the moment (rest, relief, relaxation, food, etc.). We ALL do that too easily, too often! In fact, it’s the easy road!
Here’s four of the most important and valuable lessons one operator shared from his training and experiences in special ops that I think all leaders should adopt/develop:
1) ADAPTABILITY: Readiness for change. That’s why we’re “disrupters” as F3 HIM. We’ve declared in varied ways that we’ll not settle for the status quo. We’re following the lead of others who’ve brought about change, we’re following after an amazing servant-leader Savior who disrupted the status quo and brought about change, and we’re striving to be leaders who do the same. In order to do that, we must first train ourselves to be adaptable. Status quo kills! Jesus spoke of this when He said you can’t put new wine into old wineskins (Mt. 9:14-17)
2) EMOTIONAL STABILITY: This involves being able to make good decisions under pressure. Proverbs is chocked full of wisdom to help us develop the capacity to stay objective and deliver a high level of performance regardless of what we’re feeling. Important to us? Yes! But crucial to gaining, earning, keeping, and honoring the respect of those we lead! Proverbs 16:32 says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.”
3) PERSPECTIVE: Leaders have to be able to carry on when the world seems to have turned against them. We have to keep our troubles in PROPER perspective so that we do not lose sight of what needs to be accomplished. In a world full of lone rangers, keep in mind that “in an abundance of counselors there is victory” (Prov. 11:14b). And “Without consultation, plans are frustrated” (Prov. 15:22). We must train our perspective, and often other eyes/wisdom/counsel is crucial to helping us see properly.
4) TENACITY: This goes well with the acronym we hear a lot – DFQ! What defines tenacity is never giving up! ILLUST.: In the 1912 Olympics, Jim Thorpe, an American Indian from OK represented the U.S. in track & field. On the morning of his competitions, his shoes were stolen. Jim ended up finding two shoes in the garbage. Those are the shoes he wore — one was too big, so he had to wear an extra pair of socks (different shoes and different socks!). Wearing those shoes, Jim won 2 Gold Medals that day. A perfect reminder of tenacity and that you don’t have to resign to the excuses that have held you back.
So, these are 4 valuable tools every HIM should develop consistently: ADAPTABILITY. EMOTIONAL STABILITY. PERSPECTIVE. TENACITY.
Mosey to Park next to Presbyterian Church (stopping along the way for 15 Monkey Humpers I/C)
The Thang
Pax divided into groups of three somewhat equally sized HIM. Exercise #1: Three Amigos-groups squatted back to back and walked 75 yards stopping every 25 for 10 Merkins. If the group broke their squat the completed 10 Burpees. Exercise #2: 6 Rounds of Daft Punk, also known as the Around the World Lunge (I/C). Exercise #3: 6 Pretzel Merkins each arm. Exercise #4: Bolt 45. Exercise #5: War Hammer. Exercise #6: Groups did Empty Wheelbarrow (third HIM duck walked) changing position every 25 yards until everyone had been in each position. Exercise #7: 20 Stump Hugger (I/C). Exercise #8: Suicides (25 yards, 50 yards and 75 yards). Mosey back to the Circle to close with Number Rama, Name O Rama, naming of 2 FNGs, announcements and prayer requests. Followed up with coffeeteria @ Dunkin Donuts.
Third F
In following with 2 weeks ago being the 6 year Manniversary and Cowbell talking about his first beatdown with F3, this weekend marks my 2nd Manniversary. Quattro had be getting on me to come out for some time but for one reason or another I wouldn’t make it. July 4, 2020 I decided after my morning 5k that I was going out. Being warned upon arrival by Gump that I picked a bad week to show up because, “Fireplex really brings it!” Fireplex introduced me to the Bolt 45s and then ran us to the school where he kicked my butt with his “BLIMPS.” Fortunately for me, he forgot the I came before the M in BLIMPS. That means I only had to do 30 Merkins 4 times instead of 40 Merkins 4 times. I got through the first two sets, but the third one was killing me. I remember Quattro and 2 other HIM after finishing all their Merkins came back and finished mine with me. Quattro even pushed me to do 7 at a time instead of the 5 that I thought was already all I could do. After the BLIMPS, we Moseyed back to the Circle. Along the way I had to walk. The rest of the PAX circled back and picked up the 6. Then there are the Third Fs. This group makes us better men spiritually, as a husband, as a father, as a child and as a citizen. Every message speaks to one, all or a combo of those topics. No one gets left behind and no one is left where they are when they show up for the first time. This group is always moving in a positive direction1
Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats.
Imperial Walkers – 20 IC
Windmills – 20 IC
The Thang
B.O.M.B.S. – 50 Burpees, 100 Overhead Claps, 150 Merkins, 200 Big Boy Sit-ups, 250 Squats. PAX will mosey @.08 miles around the circle after every 25 count of each exercise completed. When all is completed you will have moseyed approximately 2.4 miles.
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Prayers were offered for multiple needs within the attending PAX, but please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
Two words. But a valuable reminder just in time for Mother’s Day.
Recently, I had occasion to stay at my son and daughter-in-law’s house while I recovered from a painful injury.
They set me up with a wonderful little “apartment” in their basement – recliner, remotes (of course), kitchenette. And like all the babies in our family, a night monitor.
I needed some help in the middle of the night, but I hadn’t touched the pager. Suddenly, I hear my daughter-in-law’s feet coming down the stairs. In my 3 AM haze, I said, “But how did you know?”
She smiled and gave these two little words: “Mom ears.”
And that’s something a lot of us have to celebrate this Mother’s Day.
Those Mom-ears who heard our silent cries over the years.
Who heard our need when others would only see our deed.
Who heard the heart that our words could not express.
Who listened to our jabberings, our dumb jokes, our endless attention-getting antics.
Who heard the unspoken fears. Unspoken pain. And carried them to the throne of God.
Sadly, mom-ears have also heard mean words they didn’t deserve, angry words that left a scar, rebellious words because we didn’t want to hear what we now know was wisdom.
But somehow, a Mom heart could reach for some of God’s amazing grace, and forgive, though wounded.
As a dad, I learned early how important it was for me to seek and respect what my wife heard in our kids. Those times when I got home and was ready to drop a bomb on a disobedient child – while she intervened, with “actionable intel” of what was going on behind the scenes in their life.
I’m not sure Moms fully know their massive power to define their child’s life. For better or worse.
“She speaks with wisdom on her tongue” (Proverbs 31:26).
“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down” (Proverbs 14:1).
Sure, I know Moms who’ve turned their God-given Mom-ears to the seductive song of an “all about me” world. Whose children languish under the awful cloud of “I’m not worth much. Mom doesn’t think so.”
Deafened moms can’t hear themselves nagging, controlling, criticizing, diminishing – hoping to make a “super kid,” crushing them in the process.
The Mom-ears that have tended to miss their children’s cries are those who stopped listening to the One who gave her these children.
“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him” (Psalm 127:3).
It’s so easy to succumb to the selfie drumbeat of “my rights, my pleasure, my flourishing.” A sort of deafness can grow. Deaf to those quiet little cries in the night, the intuition to drop everything I love and listen, the Heavenly Father’s promptings as He “gently leads those that have young” (Isaiah 40:11).
But thank God many of us were blessed, not with a perfect mom, but a mother whose ears truly heard us.
If you have a mom with those wonderful “ears,” tell her how her finely-tuned heart shaped and changed your life. While you can.
If you’re a Mom who wants to have better ears for your children, just know there’s amazing power to do that. In the Jesus Whose relentless love led Him to die for our sins, the great relationship-wreckers.
There is no greater life-force on earth than a woman whose ears are always open to the voice of God and the voices of those she loves.
And for the one who approaches this Mother’s Day with little to celebrate – because their Mom really wasn’t one – there is a higher hope. Because God has said: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will never forget. See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands” (Isaiah 49:15-16).
On the palms of His hands. With nail prints.
His ears listen all day, all night for the deepest cries of your heart.
