Outside My Four Walls

As a stay at home mom of toddlers, I am inside my house quite a bit. It is always shocking to me, when I do leave the house occasionally during the afternoon or evening hours, how much life is going on out there. I forget that I am in a very confined season where naptimes and bedtimes keep us indoors a lot  of the day. It can seem like the walls are closing in on me sometimes. In fact, if my walls could talk they would tell you there are times I feel lonely, depressed, overwhelmed, out of the loop, tired and bored of the mundane schedule.

For my sanity sake, it is important to connect with others throughout my day. It’s always nice to hear that other moms feel exactly the way I do sometimes. It is also good to know about  the challenges other moms are facing. And to stay in touch with what is going on in our neighborhood, church, and town.

When I am inside my four walls, I can get very self- focused, self-absorbed, and consumed with my own little life. When I get out into society, I hear stories that put my life in check and perspective. Moms going through major trials like divorce, lost jobs, sickness, accidents, disabilities, lost loved ones, and more.

It’s important that I go to moms groups and church and the gym and play groups so I can interact with others. As a new mom, you quickly learn that you need a support group as a life line to keep your head above water and survive in your new world and role as mommy. Isolation will kill you.

Being in community gives us opportunities to help other moms by either being a listening ear, or praying for someone or dropping off a dinner or planning a much needed girl’s night out. It makes me get out of my little box and comfort zone and focus on how I can bless others. It also serves as a good example to my kids in how to think about others rather than just ourselves.

It is essential to build community for when we are going through trials ourselves. So, you have a network to fall back on. Because let’s face it, we are all either going through a trial, getting out of one or ready to go into another one!

Lord, help me to get outside of my four walls as much as possible.