Here's to You, Moms

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Happy Mother’s Day!

This is the single week of the year in which we celebrate the calling and the cause of motherhood.

We salute all types of moms this week … biological moms, adoptive moms, foster moms, grandmoms and empty nest moms. 

We take the time to pray for moms whose children are dealing with serious illnesses and those who have sent their little ones to heaven much too soon.

Our hearts go out - especially this week - in compassion and sensitivity to those women who are not moms yet, but who ache to be moms.

We remember the moms who have no relationship with their grown children or grandchildren and we cry with them.

No matter what season of life you are in … regardless of how the call to motherhood has wearied your soul … no matter who empty your arms and heart may feel today … I think that you would agree with me that all mothers deserve celebration.

And so, in honor of mothers this week, I am sharing with you an excerpt from my book, “Pass the Joy, Please!” I believe that in some miraculous way – it was the book that I was born to write.

The subtitle of this devotional is, “Passing the Joy of Motherhood from Generation to Generation!” 

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I believe that part of my life’s call is to remind moms of the enormity of their call and the joy that it delivers.

So … from my heart to yours … Happy Mother’s Day, y’all!

Motherhood is not for the faint of heart!

Motherhood presents the challenge of a lifetime, it heralds the call to be uncommon in common surroundings and it exacts an exorbitant price from a woman.

I can assure you without wavering and with no apology that being a mom will be the most daunting test of your entire life.

If you were to be the first woman president of the United States of America, it wouldn’t hold the challenge or significance that raising a child for the cause of Christ entails.

If you were to write numerous best-selling books that sold for millions of dollars, it is just a pittance compared to having an impact on one child’s life.

If you were to be an entertainer that thousands flocked to hear on stages from Los Angeles to London to New York City, it wouldn’t mean as much as singing a simply lullaby to an infant child in your lap.

If you were a world-famous doctor who was renowned for intricate, exacting surgeries and for brilliant scientific discoveries, it would pale in comparison to putting a little band-aid on a tiny finger and consoling the miniature person who depends on you for daily care and consolation.

God has placed you in a situation where every ounce of creative, spiritual, mental and emotional energy is being squeezed out of you every day from dawn to dark.

This is the season in life when you need Him most.

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It is during the years of hands-on motherhood when you will die to self as never before. It is also the season of life in which you will realize a delight and a fulfillment that you have never before experienced nor will you ever experience this particular delight and fulfillment again.

The only way you will make it through this monumental test of motherhood is to discover the joy!

You are the chief joy- bringer to your child’s life so stir up the joy in you!

If joy is not abundant in you, it will not be abundant in the home.

If joy is scarce in you, it will be scarce in the home. Take some time today to cultivate deep joy in your heart, and as you do, you will find yourself discovering a strength that you never before knew.

This is my prayer for you today, 

“Father, I pray for every mother reading these words today that you will help her be a woman of excellence in the home. I pray that she will be filled to overflowing with the fruits of your delicious Holy Spirit and that she would learn to rely on You for strength. I pray that, like the Proverbs 31 woman, the teaching of kindness will always be on her tongue. And, I pray that, like Jesus, she will go about doing good in all the ways she can ... to all the people she can ... as long as ever she can. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”

Carol McLeod
Carol says, “I am just a girl who is head over heels in love with Jesus ... passionately addicted to His Word ... and find all of the joy that I need in time spent in His presence." Carol is a Christmas-aholic, loves ACC basketball and the beach! Like all menopausal women, she is overly fond of chocolate and enjoys a good read. She doesn't like cleaning her house and is an expert in carry-out dinners. She hates to shop … loves to jog … and somehow finds time in her busy life to hang out with small children. She is the kind of woman that you could laugh with over lunch, cry with over disappointment and shout with over a victory! But … if you need her official bio … read on! Carol is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. She also hosts highly successful Just Joy! outreaches. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren! Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren!
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