{"id":685,"date":"2021-01-13T14:26:12","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T14:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/?p=685"},"modified":"2021-01-13T14:49:13","modified_gmt":"2021-01-13T14:49:13","slug":"help-and-hope-for-single-moms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/?p=685","title":{"rendered":"Help and Hope for Single Moms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Peggy Sue Wells<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those were the words that launched my life as a single mom. Returning from church, as I steered our fifteen-passenger van onto our long gravel lane, I could see our home was strangely dark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitting forward, my daughter peered out the window and searched the empty driveway. \u201cWhere\u2019s Dad\u2019s car?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the bench seats in the back, the chatter of the other six children abruptly went quiet. Once inside the house, the children quickly discovered their father\u2019s clothes were gone and his toothbrush was not in the bathroom cabinet. He had left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pam Farrel\u2019s mother became a single mom when Pam\u2019s two younger siblings were teens. Pam\u2019s father struggled with alcohol and with each passing year, his anger and depression grew, leading to increased episodes of domestic violence and physical abuse until Pam\u2019s mom took the children to safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our stories are not unusual. Today, one in four homes is single-parent led and most solo parents are single moms. The majority of single parents began in committed relationships and never anticipated, expected, or intended to raise children alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All parents need the ability and skills to make wise, discerning decisions. Single parents have the same concerns, dreams, and hopes as other parents. Yet, single moms often feel too overwhelmed to focus and be decisive when they most need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reality for single moms is you<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 represent a wide range of ages and seasons of life <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 wonder where you fit in society and the church<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 sometimes feel isolated, judged, and alone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet you are far from alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Approximately 15 million people are solo parenting 22 million children in single-parent families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 85 percent of single-parent families are led by single moms with primary custody of their children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Some 40 percent of single mothers are over forty years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 More than three-fourths have full-time careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 One-third of single-parent families live at, or below, the poverty level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Less than half receive child support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The average yearly child support to single moms is $6,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Less than half of single moms receive government assistance. Of the single moms who do receive assistance, most do so only until they can survive on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions dog their thoughts. Is my life ruined? Will my child be permanently damaged? Do children need more love than I\u2019m able to give? Can I provide all that my family needs? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The single parent works hard, loves her children, and longs for someone to love her, be strong for her, and care for her as she cares for her children. And Someone does. God sees, loves, and shepherds the single mom and her family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 You are cherished, exactly where you are and as you are, by Jesus<\/em>. \u201cI pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord\u2019s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, <\/strong>and to know this love that surpasses knowledge\u2014that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God\u201d (Ephesians 3:17\u201319).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 When you feel weak, he is strong<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold\u201d (Psalm 18:2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Before you knew him, he loved you<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor you created my inmost being; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

you knit me together in my mother\u2019s womb\u201d (Psalm 139:13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 He gives gentle guidance to single parents<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe tends his flock like a shepherd: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gathers the lambs in his arms <\/p>\n\n\n\n

and carries them close to his heart; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

he gently leads those that have young\u201d (Isaiah 40:11).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re parenting solo, most likely your happily ever after didn\u2019t turn out as you had imagined, and when much that is precious is marred, your tender heart longs to honor the holy and sacred. At the Arise Esther conference, learn  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 How to be a proactive parent <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 How to be a barrier breaker<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 How to develop relationship glue<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 How to deal with dating and romantic relationships<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arise Esther Movement<\/a> and conference<\/a> exists to empower and prepare women and single moms to change the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be assured that God loves you and your child unconditionally, and that his promises are true.
Find additional support in<\/em>The Ten Best Decisions A Single Mom Can Make<\/em><\/a> by <\/em>Pam Farrel<\/em><\/a> and PeggySue<\/a><\/em> Wells<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> on SingleMomCircle.com<\/em><\/a>., and on Facebook at <\/em>Single Mom Circle<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Peggy Sue Wells \u201cHe\u2019s gone.\u201d Those were the words that launched my life as a single mom. Returning from church, as I steered our fifteen-passenger van onto our long gravel lane, I could see our home was strangely dark.  Sitting forward, my daughter peered out the window and searched the empty driveway. \u201cWhere\u2019s Dad\u2019s car?\u201d … Read More about Help and Hope for Single Moms<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[9,28,16],"class_list":["post-685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized","tag-hope","tag-single-mom","tag-workshop-leader","entry"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/beach-323453_1920-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/beach-323453_1920-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"ariseesther","author_link":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/?author=1"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}