A Red Metal Roof

a blurry shot, taken at dusk, in a windy rainstorm...

I had a total meltdown this weekend.  At our church small group, we decided to watch Courageous, a terrific movie encouraging men to step up and be dads.  Throughout the movie is presented the difficulties that boys growing up without dads face.  Well, that didn't do much to encourage me!  The movie ended, and I fled into another room to bawl.  I ended up crying off and on until 3 a.m. because of not being able to be ALL for my children, not being able to get all the "shoulds" done at home, not even being able to get all the "musts" done every day.  Finally, I lay there in my bed, worn-out and sleepless, and the Lord gave me a picture of me, struggling up this dirt path near my best friend's house, dragging each child by the hand, balancing a huge burden on my shoulders.  In that burden were all the titles I carry ("Mom", "Teacher", "Homemaker", "Counselor") as well as all the tasks I have to accomplish (car maintenance, home repair, cooking, cleaning, laundry, homework...) and the emotions that go along with never getting everything done (fear, failure, grief, worry...).  Then I saw in my picture, the Lord's hands reaching down to me, saying "Let me take that burden from you."  So I gave it to Him, and how light I felt!  (Unfortunately, the scales did not agree.)

The next morning I had to teach toddler church, so I dragged us all to early service, yawning.  We drove past this tiny green house with a red metal roof that I have always loved.  The doors have fallen off, the windows are gone, and the paint is peeling, but it's a beautiful little house!  That morning as I passed it, I wondered why the house was still standing; it's probably 70 years old.  Then I thought, "Oh yes, the metal roof protects the walls -- duh!"  And instantly the Lord said to me, "Let Me be your Roof, your Protector."  Wow!  I have often prayed for Him to be the Father to my fatherless children, but never asked Him to be my Protector.  I accepted the offer (of course!), and have had such a sense of safety and security since.

What single moms really need...

(I wrote up this list during a frustrating evening at a discipleship class.  The topic was on single parenting, but should have been more correctly titled "Divorce Care".  I understand that there are very few single-parent families that fit my situation, but the needs of ongoing single parenting are much the same.)

• to be part of an involved extended family
• to have close friends who will stop by and tell a son/daughter that their mom loves them and deserves respect
• trustworthy men who will take sons of single moms along on manly-man outings with their own sons (hunting, fishing, 4-wheeling, doing yard work, fixing cars, etc.)
• extra grandparents to pour on the love and the discipline; we won't resent you telling them not to take a fifth cookie
• married friends who will live out godly marriages (complete with healthy disagreements) in front of the children
• occasional financial/material assistance; the gift of a women's retreat can save a single mom's life
• a day or evening off without the cost of a sitter
• offers of help with car maintenance, yard work, home repair, cooking, homework projects, or any other overwhelming task; we're usually pretty independent and hate to ask for help
• 48 hours in every day
• acceptance when their kids are dressed funny (if at all), when their children's hair sticks up and they have Saturday's lunch on their faces at Sunday school, when they've forgotten crucial information, when they come in 10 minutes late, when the darlings are screaming, when the task of being both mom and dad 24/7 becomes too much for one person alone
• and last of all introductions to eligible, wealthy, handsome men who want an instant family!