When Being a Mom Requires Grit and Grace

Posted on Jan 22, 2019 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Suzanne Hadley Gosselin

Before I had children, I felt like a successful adult. I had my moments, of course, but for the most part I felt proud of my accomplishments and confident in my ability to “adult.”

I remember having idealistic talks with my husband while we were dating about how we would parent our future kids. We were so sweetly naïve as we pictured an orderly home with obedient children.

I pictured myself as the mom who would look great while offering my young children stimulating activities and play dates. I would have the house clean and dinner on the table when my husband arrived home from work. I would write from home—steaming coffee in my hipster mug—while my children played quietly (and cooperatively) nearby. How hard could it be, right?

If you’re a mom, think back to your own imaginings of motherhood. Did you have similar ideas? How did those work out for you? Probably not exactly how you expected.

The beautiful images I had in my head didn’t materialize. The reality was much different. It was still beautiful in a chaotic sort of way. Baby cuddles on lazy mornings. Witnessing the absolute wonder of a child’s curious, developing mind. And coffee, so much coffee…gulped down in desperation and rediscovered as “iced coffee” hours later.

As my children grew, the pressures mounted. The more mom tasks I had to manage, the less competent and capable I felt. In fact, many days I seriously wondered if I was cut out for this. I also felt spiritually depleted. I found myself in the most demanding season of my life with little spiritual sustenance. And I felt like all my shortcomings as a mom—a lack of patience, selfish tendencies, angry outbursts—stemmed from the fact that I was not spiritually nourished.

The more disconnected I felt, the harder it was to see the bigger picture of who God was calling me to be as a mom. He had called me to raise godly children who would faithfully serve Him. That’s a big deal—and something the enemy wants us to forget. We are raising glory ambassadors who will show the world Jesus’ love.

A turning point for me was giving myself grace and just trying to do “something” each day, even if it was just reading one or two verses in my Bible. I had to tell myself the truth: Being a mom to young children is hard. It takes real grit to do the job. But moms are up for the challenge. How do I know? Because God said that He preordained good works for us to do, and being a mom is one of those good works.

Mamas, as we put on spiritual armor to do battle among the spilled Cheerios, splashed-in toilets, and total exhaustion of our children’s little years, we can and will prevail! As we embrace who God has made us to be in this season, we can draw from resources deep within that He ordained from before the foundation of the world.

This journey will not only change our children’s lives; it will change ours.