For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect.
(Ps. 18:28-30)
Sometimes we mothers feel like we have a huge “S” emblazoned on our chest. It really is quite amazing how we do what we do.
Of course, being a mother myself, I can talk this way. When you become a mother, did you suddenly have a new-found respect, love, and compassion for your own mother?
It changes your whole perspective, doesn’t it? Being a mother is the most challenging and rewarding work in the world. And just like anyone else, we can get caught up in a “performance trap.”
Do you measure your success as a mother based on your performance? Are there times when you feel frustrated and can’t seem to “get it all together”? Are you trying to be “Supermom”?
Are you involved in so many activities that none of them are allowing quality time for just you, your husband, and your children?
So many mothers feel exasperated and unworthy because they are trying to be a mother in their own strength. Many women struggle to be the “perfect mom.” Yet God has not called us to be perfect mothers.
Many of us battle with the dreamy picture we had when we were younger that we would be the perfect mom! We would always look absolutely stunning, have our houses sparkling clean, prepare gourmet meals, and dress our children adorably (matched to our outfit of course!).
Unfortunately, on most days reality is not quite that perfect—loads of laundry, demanding schedules, frustrating time restraints, and no slowing down at all. You do not sit down all day long! Not even to eat lunch!
The pros far outweigh the cons, but it is easy to slip into the “Supermom syndrome.” Everyone wants something from you all the time. And if no one else is asking you to “perform”—you pick up the slack and heap self-expectations on top of the real-life requirements.
When we realize we are not perfect (and don’t have to be), there will be even greater joy in parenting!
When I became a mother, I quickly learned I was not perfect. I had to learn to prioritize every minute to insure I spent proper time with my husband and our children. To be quite transparent, I love to work—to travel, minister, and sing have always been my first loves.
However, the Father God began to show me that what I was doing was great and effective, but my family could not suffer for the Gospel’s sake. God would never destroy a family to promote a ministry.
I began to see the greatest thing I could ever do was to train up our children in the way they should go, so that when they were older they would not depart from God (Prov. 22:6).
I received insight into the fact that if I taught our children to love God, hear His voice, and follow His lead—I would be accomplishing more in the long run than I could ever do on my own. The idea of reproducing the call of God in our children has to be the most satisfying revelation God has ever given me.
Our children are our living testimony that goes on after us. Through them we can then bless generations to come! Genesis 12:3 (AMP) says, “In you (or your seed) will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].
Without the help of the Father God, you cannot be the wife you need to be, successfully train and love your children, and fulfill God’s purpose for your life.
There may be days that your house is less than perfect and your meals quite plain, but every moment is precious as you train and impart into your children.
Through the help of the Holy Spirit you can be a supermom for your children. You just need to take off your red cape and realize that you are completely equipped and anointed through Jesus to be a mother.
After all, God hand-picked you and your children and put you together. You were made for each other—and God believes in you both.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Harry and Cheryl Salem are ministers of the gospel. They are parents to sons, Harry III and Roman. Roman has married a beautiful young lady, Stephanie, and she has become their daughter-in-love. Healing and restoration have come full circle for the Salem family with the miracle birth of Roman and Stephanie’s baby girl, Mia Gabrielle. She is named for their daughter, Gabrielle Christian, who is in heaven since 1999. Their latest joy will be arriving in March 2017 with Roman and Stephanie’s second miracle baby of restoration for the Salem Family!
The Salems have seen the altars flooded with people receiving salvation, with countless re-dedications, with miraculous healings and with bodies, lives, marriages and souls being restored because of His mighty anointing!
Cheryl was crowned Miss America 1980, but tremendous adversities nearly ended that dream before it began. As a young girl, she survived a horrific car crash that cracked her back and crushed her left leg, resulting in a physical handicap and over 100 stitches in her face.
Eleven years old, poor, crippled and scarred… but a miracle, too! This was the outlook Cheryl chose, as she had been told that she might not ever walk again. But walk, she did! And she walked the runway in Atlantic City, against all odds, all because of Jesus.
Harry’s father passed away when Harry was 10 years old, leaving him with a mandate to be the man of the house, to never cry, and to take care of his mother and sisters. This challenge caused Harry to excel, but to also grow up with a cautious outlook on life.
He quickly made a name for himself in the corporate world, becoming a major executive before the age of 30, but he knew that there was more. He and Cheryl met, married and started their family, but it wasn’t until the mid-nineties that Harry had an encounter with God that changed him forever. He let go of the pain of growing up without his father and the stress of the mantle that had been placed on his shoulders at such a young age. He began to trust God – and he has never looked back.
Cheryl has recorded numerous music CDs, the latest being I Am A Worshiper. The most popular worship music she has released over the past few years are the four prophetic CDs of healing and restoration. Her prophetic flowing style on both the keyboard and vocally of the Book of Revelation and the Book of Proverbs are fast becoming the most requested music CDs! She and Harry have co-written 36 books with topics ranging from Mourning to Morning to Entering Rest – Be Still. Their book, We Who Worship, is designed to bring the reader into a deeper level of purity and intimacy with God in worship. Their marriage books Two Becoming One and Don’t Kill Each Other! Let God Do It! are great books for couples to read and are also used for couples Bible studies together.
Salem Family Ministries presents We Who Worship Gathering annually, a worship event, which includes worship, dance, art, musical theater and drama. They are walking out the Lord’s plan set before them for School of Worship, intensive training sessions, where the Salems teach, impart, and personally work with students to help them grow to the next level in their worship life and ministry.
Both Harry and Cheryl are sought-after ministers, who speak in churches and events across the nation. Harry has a heart for men, preaching and teaching on overcoming issues in life. Cheryl is a popular preacher at ladies events, encouraging women to reach their godly potential, but the focus of Salem Family Ministries is to take this unique, tag-team style of ministry into churches, two by two, to reach families for God, one by one.