I’m praying for you, Mommas. This is not an easy task, raising these babies. Sometimes it can feel as though we are taking one step forward and two steps back, but be encouraged. There is hope even in what we label as our failures, because the Lord can come in, show his grace and mercy and make things work for good in both us and our children’s lives. You are not alone.
All moms feel a mess at times!! I am so thankful for and inspired by the moms who are willing to share their struggles right along with their victories. We can be real, be vulnerable, & know we have God on our side and that he has given us His Spirit! When times are challenging and the enemy whispers that I'm failing at this mom thing, here is what I cling to:
All the goodies
We all know about the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness & self-control (the goodies). Of course we would all like to have ALL those ALL the time. I mean, we all get upset with ourselves when we lose our temper with our children, are too busy to sit down and listen to what they have to say, or are just moody all the time. But how in the world can we share all that good stuff with our family when we don't even have it inside of ourselves? Thankfully, God’s word tells us how to not just have those goodies, but to be filled with the Spirit. Filled with the Spirit that has all the kindness, joy, peace where it just overflows onto everyone around us. That's so much better than me trying my best to squeeze out one more drop of a nice word or smile before I just go off. I want the goodies to overflow from deep within <3
Ephesians 5:18-21
— be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Being filled with the spirit so that we walk in love, joy and peace, etc, happens by speaking the WORD, singing worship songs to the Lord in our heart, out loud, all the time and by giving Him thanks. —We can do that! Instead of spending our time worrying, stressing, and over-analyzing our situation, we can to intentionally place our mind on what the Lord is telling us to do right here. Every time you feel yourself begin to worry, that’s your signal, to begin praising, giving thanks and speaking the Word. We can do that!
The Warrior Mentality
The Word of God is our Sword - we fight many battles and win when we meditate on the God’s promises and speak them over our children. Your tongue speaking God’s word over your children is your greatest weapon against the enemy and for God’s will in your child’s life. Don’t forget to use it —eeeerrrry day!
Ephesians 6:13-17
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
Praise & Worship is a lifeline
Sometimes we just need to make ourselves take our eyes off of our mess and force ourselves to focus on to his goodness! He can change our circumstance & for sure will change us as we are in his presence. I have been strengthened, healed and made whole in a moment of worship. In God’s presence I am reminded that the battle is His & not mine. He’s the Almighty & I can trust him. — He takes all the pressure off of me & gives me rest.
Learning to receive
Listen, there’s times I would NOT have made it without my people coming beside me and just being there. Period. All the faith in the world and God still makes us need people. That was a hard pill to swallow, and still is at times, but the sooner we learn that we need people, the sooner we can walk in the God's goodness that is stored up in people! As moms who provide everything for everyone, we find it much easier to give help than to receive it. Biggest thing I can tell a mom who is struggling is to ask for help, girl and when someone offers help, accept it. For real though.
Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Emotions can't steer this ship. We've got too much riding on it.
Our emotions are NOT trustworthy and if we make decisions based on emotion, regret is sure to follow. We all need a friend who will tell us the truth (based on the Word of God), even when it’s not what we want to hear. A friend who will tell us the hard things and love us at our worst. We all need godly counsel at times. We need someone( who can look objectively and spiritually into our situation and speak truth to us. Seeking counsel is not a sign of weakness, but it’s about being self-aware of our own existing weakness and desire to be obedient to the Word of God.
Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety. (Pr 11:14)
Faithful are the wounds of a friend (Proverbs 27:6)
As we sum this little bit up, I think you are amazing for being a mom after God’s heart, for seeking to grow as a woman and mom, for wanting what’s best for you children and seeking God for what that is. Before we are anything else to anyone, we are God's daughters. That's our #1 identity. We are His. For every flaw you feel you have, there is a grace and mercy to cover you all the while causing you to grow from glory to glory. The picture at the bottom of this blog was the inspiration for this post, and a quokka is a real thing. So even on your worst day, remember you're better than a quokka ; )
Because God’s got us, we got this.
Love you, Sister.
