With a warm atmosphere filled with hugs, smiles and laughter, our MOPS moms had a chance to just relax and enjoy each other's company; catching up with old friends, meeting a few new faces and even welcoming a few new babies!
Our speakers, Lisa Young and Naomi Sky did a great job of getting our meeting off to a fun and informative start!
Our theme this year is A Beautiful Mess: Embrace Your Story.
The theme, as described by our lovely MOPS coordinator, Lisa Young -
"Moms live in messes. The toys, crumbs, and spit-up are their natural surroundings. Moms often feel like a mess. They are exhausted, under-showered, and hormonal. Their past and present circumstances and decisions can leave them feeling inadequate for God’s love and purposes. A Beautiful Mess — reminds moms that beauty can come out of their difficult spots. The grime of mothering young children brings the beauty of motherhood. The bruises of life can bring God’s redemption. Embrace Your Story — reminds moms that their past, present and future can be used for good. God knows where each of us has been, where we are today and has set in motion where we are headed.
This year’s theme verse is:
Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Translation)
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Can I tell you – I've been holding on to this verse on those days when I feel like more of a mess than a masterpiece. I'm thrilled that God looks at us through a different lens; He sees it all and KNOWS us intimately, just like an artist knows his work and sees the perfection and flaws and just loves it all. "
This is sure to be a theme that hits home for a lot of us, if not ALL of us. Sometimes, we can be so hard on ourselves as mothers...but what a relief to know that our Lord is loving us and seeing the beauty of our motherhood, no matter how "messy"! Now if only we could see through God's eyes...perhaps we wouldn't feel quite so guilty for those days when we're still in our PJ's at lunch time! :)
A special thank you to our Steering Team for all of the time and effort you put forth to ensure that our MOPS had a great kick-off! Also thanks to all of your planning and dedication, our mommies will be sure to have an incredible MOPS experience for the upcoming year!
CALENDAR REMINDERS:
- Playgroup at Cedarbrook meets every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon! Join the fun!
- September 19th (8:00 p.m.) - Prayergroup at Cedarbrook (The Refuge)
- September 21st - Family Apple Picking & Picnic at Larriland Farms
- September 24th (9:30 a.m.) - Our Next MOPS Mtg.
