Nehemiah faced persecution on every hand. His adversaries tried every way to stop him from building up the gates and wall of Jerusalem that were broken down. You are also in a building program and the adversary, the devil, does not want you to succeed in building either. He wants your marriage and family weakened.
What did Nehemiah do? Nehemiah 6:9 he says: “They all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.” Instead of caving into their plots against him, he cried out to God for strength to continue.
The Knox translation says: “I pressed on the harder.” The more his enemies came against him, the more he determined to finish the task.
Moffat’s translation says:, “I applied myself with greater energy.”
Don’t give up on your marriage. Don’t give up on motherhood. Don’t give up, even when everything looks hopeless. Press in harder. God will never forsake you. The battle may be hard, but He is with you in the battle.
Be blessed today,
Nancy Campbell
For how long will God love you? Until the very end (Jeremiah 31:3 and John 31:1).
How does your husband think of you? Sour like lemon juice or sweet like honey? What about your children?
An Above rubies reader, Cathrine Rose from Canada, found this drawing of her seven-year-old describing how many children she would like to have! Children love to have another sibling, don’t they? We buy them materials gifts and they break or are lost shortly after. But when they get a new sister or brother, they have a friend for life. 
Do you sometimes feel disheartened, weary, and unappreciated? Be encouraged. The word for good in this scripture is “kalos” and It means “beautiful, lovely, valuable, virtuous.” It is the same word that is used in Titus 2:3-5 about the good works we as wives and mothers do in the home. The world may look upon them as insignificant but God says they are BEAUTIFUL. Yes, they are beautiful in His sight. Even when you are discouraged, hang in there. Keep on plodding on. DON’T GIVE UP. Your reward is coming. 
Have you ever felt offended when trying to help someone and they don’t want your help? Perhaps you feel discouraged because you ask people to your home and they don’t want to come. Or you feel worthless and unappreciated as you mother in your home. It is easy to get these negative feelings. But God always has a word for us.
Motherhood is beautiful, wonderful, and vital to the health of families, children, and the future of a stable and flourishing nation. No amount of cold, hard, plastic toys will replace the warm, human touch of a mother. No amount of staring into a screen will replace the loving gaze of a mother’s eyes. No amount of material things will replace the art of “being there.” Our children, communities, and nations are starving for the presence of the maternal, nurturing heart.
Do you want to be strong in character? Do you want your children to have strong character? How do we get it? Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) says: “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”
When Jesus came into a village between Galilee and Samaria, he met ten men with leprosy. They stood at a distance, as all lepers had to do, and cried out to Jesus to have mercy on them. Of course, Jesus responded with compassion and said to them: “Go and show yourselves to the priests And as they went they were healed!” How amazing this must have been—to suddenly look down and see all their leprosy disappearing.
As I write this, I am expecting our fifth child. I have learned something from each one of my natural births and I wanted to share in case it can be helpful to other preparing for their natural birth.
So true. Our children will imbibe a lot more of what they see in our lives than what we say with our mouths. 
“A woman can do most things a man can do. A man can do many things a woman can do. But some things only a woman can do. A man cannot become pregnant, form life in a womb, give birth to a new human being and nurture the soul of that human being. It takes a woman to be a mother. Her gaze, her touch, her eyes, the nurture of her breast are uniquely and powerfully female.”
Psalm 127 reminds us that we are raising children to speak in the gates. Let’s raise a generation of children who KNOW God’s Word and who are unashamed to speak the truth! Is this your passion and purpose? As a mother you have power and influence to determine the destiny of the nation. 
There are times when you face unseen things in your life that can shake you to the very core. This is when you must remember the truth that God is with you at that very moment. He has not left you. He is at your right hand to succor you, comfort you, strengthen you, and hold you up.
Here is another beautiful poem for mothers from Val Halloran.
My lovely husband taking Family Devotions with us this morning. He is reading from The Daily Light on the Daily Path which we love to read each day. It has Bible readings for morning and evening for every day of the year. 
Who is the one who can make home the happiest? It is the mother. But it doesn’t just happen. You have to have a vision to make it happen. You have to think of lovely ideas and beautiful things you can do to make it a happy place for your husband and children. Can you think of something lovely you could do in your home today? Or perhaps at your meal table this evening? I’d love to hear about your idea. 
A long-time Above Rubies reader writes her thoughts regarding the BABY BUST.
There was a time in our history when we had a Baby Boom. The years from 1946 – 1964 were baby boom years which caused rises in the demand for homes, automobiles, roads, and services. The more births the more the country expands financially.
Where is your mind today? Dwelling in the past? Or even in the present as you mull over the difficulties you face? To dwell in the past or the present can be depressing unless you are doing it with joy and thankfulness.