Welcome to W.I.N.E.! Happy Mother's Day to the Mom's who subscribe to W.I.N.E.! You are a jewel, royalty and comfort all rolled up into one fine vessel of grace and mercy. As we continue in the celebration of women let us remember to appreciate the selfless military mother and wife. These women are usually the ones in the back ground who lead with quiet determination. Here at W.I.N.E. we salute our Military Mothers and Wives for just being you, stay strong and keep the faith.

Cultivating with Expectancy:

Being a wife and mother I often spend time inspecting my crop; the current condition of my home and family life. We can relate the concept of cultivating, to many areas of our lives and I am certain if any of you live on a farm you relate even more-so. Cultivating means to prepare and work in order to raise crops or to promote and improve growth, (Dictionary.com).

We understand the concept that when we plant a seed into the ground it does not sprout into full bloom the next morning. There is much work involved to increase growth. Watering, fertilizing and being attentive to detail all play a part in the growth process for plant life. I am not a botanist but this is a pretty clear image of what you put into a task is what you will get out of it. I was having a conversation with a dear friend recently and she said it plainly, "many of us want the harvest without the work." As I often say, that's like wanting water without the wet which is insane.

My mother told me something that I frowned at prior to my wedding day. She shared that once I say "I Do" my outlook on what I want in life and what I can have will change. She cautioned that I would need to be prepared to make adjustments. I laughed of course, but oh what an awakening experience for me this journey of being a wife and mother has been. I quickly learned that what my mother was really saying is that I would soon have to literally die to self. John 12:24 explains "unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over," (The Message Bible).

Now, let's reel this lesson in today. Motherhood and being a wife requires cultivating your ground, (which is your home), daily and doing so with such attentive tenacity that nothing and no one can distract you from these efforts. But I would venture to go a step further in saying, not only does this require hard work and discipline but it requires us to cultivate with a heart of expectancy. Sometimes we are just going through the motion of crossing the t's and dotting the i's which produce bland, unfruitful results. You cannot tell me that when a true farmer sows seed into the ground that he goes off shopping day after day saying forget about it, professing the seed will either grow or not, believing his part is done. Oh no, he walks that ground and talks to that seed. I watched my grandparents do this so I know it's true. The farmer sows with a heart of total confidence that he will reap a harvest if he endures the process of cultivating the ground he is planting into.

I get tired sometimes, I want to throw in the towel and go shopping. Okay, I do some days. But we must continue in this race. Marriage and motherhood is definitely not a task for the faint at heart. But if you wear this title, God obviously knew you could handle it. Today appreciate the woman you will pass in the grocery store isle, dare not walk over that woman trying to get in the door at the convenient mart, extend the hope that you have gleaned today to the next woman you see wearing a worn look. We are all in this journey together, you are not alone. 

I leave you with these words to ponder from Galatians 6:8, "No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others . . . harvests a crop of weeds. But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life," (The Message Bible).

      Jacqueline

"I am the vine, you are the branches." Jn. 15:5