Find the Miracle in the Mayhem of Motherhood

Posted on Sep 20, 2018 Topic :
Posted by : Jami Amerine

I don’t know about you, but I admit, I started my parenting journey believing in a consequential God. In all fairness, my entire life is based on the consequential.

If I put the baby to bed too early, then I will have to get up too early.

If the toddlers take a nap in the car, then I will bust free from the confines of my Weight Watchers points and eat pie and Cheez-Its.

If I don’t put the laundry away as soon as it is folded, then it will sit on the table until Sunday lunch.

If the laundry is still on the table for Sunday lunch, then it will get dumped in the laundry basket and be rewashed and refolded and not put away again.

If I eat that piece of pie, then I will give up all hope and lose another week of healthy eating and just vow to start over on Monday—and then I will follow up the pie with Cheez-Its.

Steeped in an if/then lifestyle, it is hard for me to fathom a God unchanged by my actions.

In his book God without Religion, Dr. Andrew Farley reminds us that “God is not in a swivel chair, rotating his face away when we sin. Because of the cross, his face is always toward us.” This image of a “swivel-chair Jesus” resonated with my long-held understanding of a Lord of consequence rather than of mercy. For years I envisioned a Jesus who turned His back on me when He was displeased and spun around to face me only when I was good. What an exhausting way to believe. What an exhausting way to live.

Maybe you’re exhausted by these beliefs too. Have you ever had these thoughts run through your mind?

If I get up and have my quiet time, then Jesus will bless me.

If I pray really hard, then Jesus will hear me.

If I fast, then God will have mercy on me.

If we don’t go to church, then God will be furious.

If we go to church, then God will sanctify us.

If I continue to mess up, then I might get sick, or one of my children will suffer.

But no matter how good our plans and intentions, our imperfections get in the way. Our sin separates us from the living God. So Jesus, who was and is without sin, sacrificed Himself for us. If the law had worked, then we wouldn’t have needed a Savior.

The realization that Jesus sees me as blameless and whole in spite of my sin is beyond the scope of my brain. Still, these are the if/then statements I believe I need to remember:

If Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, then I must believe His blood worked.

If I believe, then I am free from sin and condemnation.

If I am free and cleansed from sin, then He dwells in me.

We can’t control the outcomes of life through our striving. But if we give the control to God, then we can walk the sanctified path of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

When you feel like you're failing at this mom thing, remember this journey is not about being a perfect parent. It’s about being parented by a perfect Father.