Today's Gospel Reading: John 15:4-10
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

My sweet friend is being Jesus for me today.  I am 9 1/2 weeks pregnant (we are super excited!) and dog tired.  She invited the kids and I over to swim today and I guess she noticed I needed a nap since I could barely talk I was so tired.  So she kept the two older ones, along with her four (God  bless her), and Anna Claire and I came home and took a nap.  Oh, sweet Jesus, thank you!  So, while I am waiting for Anna Claire to wake up, I thought I would abide in God and give back to Him by writing this afternoon. 

This gospel reading is so beautiful, simple, and timeless.  Lately, all I am trying to do is abide in God through being newly pregnant and chasing three rowdy toddlers.  Thankfully my bad attitude has lifted.  The cure for the BA is early morning prayer.  I was falling behind...back into bed and waking up with my children.....cause for disasterous days! I have to MAKE myself get up 45 minutes to an hour early before my children to drink a cup of coffee and be with God.  It has made all the difference in the world with my days.  I have been reading alot about redemptive suffering.  I don't know if other religions preach on this, but what a gift we have in this message within the Catholic Church.  Basically, if we souls on earth lift up our sufferings as a form of prayer, this can benefit others.  Maybe a wayward brother, a sick child, or someone you don't even know can benefit by you lifting up your suffering as a form of prayer.  This outlook has changed my life.  Now as I tend to children crying out in the middle of the night with leg cramps, a scared two year old, a thirsty three year old (I am usually up 2-3 times every night), I lift this up in prayer for the salvation of my family or the salvation of the world.  I am very concerned for a close loved at the moment who is lost and broken and I am praying for His conversion.  So through my redemptive suffering of morning sickness, tiredness, screaming children, I am lifting up these little sufferings as a form of prayer for him.  In the Catholic church, we are told these forms of prayer are VERY powerful. 

God opened my eyes and heart to redemptive suffering beautifully in Medjugorje.  I was praying so hard for my son's hearing loss to be healed and I had a light bulb moment from Heaven.  He's the lucky one.  The souls on earth that suffer have tremendous power in helping the salvation of the world if they lift their suffering up in prayer.  Our world looks at the ones who suffer as "poor them" but in all actuality, they are the ones who are blessed.  For they share in the cross of Christ.  I realized through my son's suffering of a hearing impairment on earth could be my very ticket to Heaven.  Watching your child suffer in any shape or form is heart wrenching.  But what we have to do as mothers is start looking at these crosses as blessings.  I can't wait to teach Ben that his hearing loss, when lifted up in prayer, can help save the world.  Lost souls who do not know Jesus can benifit through his lack of hearing!  The ones who suffer are the very soldiers for Heaven. Powerful! 

So with this pregnancy, I have almost found joy in the gags through the grocery store because I am lifting the suffering up for the greater good of humanity.  I have also come to the conclusion that motherhood in general is a cross.  We carry the cross of constant wants, whines, cries, fights, nags.....I like to say they are whips and lashes on my frazzled soul.  But when we patiently endure these times of small children with love, we are experiencing redemptive suffering.  Through these day in and day out trenches of motherhood....giving ourselves constantly to these little souls, we can help save countless souls in this world.  We can lift these little sufferings up for the salvation of our family.  Powerful, powerful prayers being constantly lifted to Heaven. So ladies, your days of this life just got REAL important. God chooses we mothers for so much of His greatest work on earth.  We are the disciples of the modern day times.  Not only constantly bringing our families to Jesus but people we don't even know might have a chance for Heaven all through our mundane days of motherhood when lifted up as a prayer.

Gotta go rescue my friend....my "Jesus" of the day!  Blessings to you this Wednesday!