Have you uttered those words yet? I have. They came out last week. As soon as I whispered them under my breath, I regretted having said them, but it was too late.

“How much longer until school starts again?”

My little guys, ages 8, 5 and 2, were not within earshot, but I immediately wished I hadn’t said those seven little words.

How could I be wishing away my time with them, when being a mom is all I have ever wanted to be? God has entrusted me with these three (soon-to-be-four) little boys, but sometimes being a Mom is hard and then I remember that verse:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

At the beginning of the summer, God laid on my heart the verse from Matthew 5:9. I, in turn, wrote the verse on my refrigerator, with a question below it, “What am I doing today to be a peacemaker?”

Peacemaker? With three little boys in tow, I often feel more like a peacekeeper than a peacemaker. In fact, I have joked with my husband that some days I want to wear a black-and-white striped shirt with a whistle because I feel like I spend the day as a referee.

So what does it look like to love Jesus, love these boys and live out this verse? I have prayed so much about how this translates for me in this season of life. God has faithfully shown me that day to day.

Sometimes it’s scheduling structured playtime activities and transitioning from one to another just before tensions ensue. Other times, it’s recognizing when one child needs one-on-one time with Mommy. At other times, it means setting aside all plans for the day and focusing on each other’s hearts.

The biggest lesson of all, is that God has met me in those moments and answered those prayers for us throughout the summer. When I allowed my frustrations or lack of patience to get the best of me (and there have been those times), it’s because I steamed forward on my own, instead of allowing God to show me the right track for our home that day.

With regards to the years with little ones, I’ve heard the phrase, “The days are long, but the years are short.” I am so thankful for these days that we have spent together this summer, and will long remember how God met me in these moments of motherhood.

What has God been showing you this summer? We are all in this journey together, and I’d love to hear what God is teaching you, as you train up your little ones.

-Amy Snead