Many years ago I remember seeing this cartoon. The mother was sitting at the table with the newspaper spread out before her. The home was in a mess, the toys were all over the floor, and the children were running wild! The husband came in the door and said, "What on earth are you doing?"

"I'm looking for a job," she replied. "I need a vacation!"

I'm sure there are times when you felt just like that! It's not an easy career to be a mother and efficiently run a home. But that doesn't mean to say we give up on the job. It is challenging because it is the greatest career in the nation. You, dear mother, are determining the destiny of the nation. You are a military training institute, training arrows for God's army. It's a high priority job.

Paul, the apostle, faced constant afflictions, infirmities, persecutions, beatings, stonings, perils, weariness, painfulness, hunger, and the burden of the church. But, he did not give up. What was his confession? "We faint not" (2 Corinthians 4:1).

You are not facing as many difficulties as Paul, dear mother. But, make his confession yours. "I will not give up." I like the Message translation of this Scripture, "We're not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times."

Stick to your great career. You are doing the greatest job in the universe.

Love from Nancy