GLASS

Being a good mom doesn’t mean being a perfect mom. It doesn’t mean having it all together. It doesn’t mean that everything will work out the way we dreamed it. It doesn’t mean our kids will lavish us with gratitude. Being a good mom is hard. It requires trust in the Lord. It requires confidence to keep getting up when we feel so worn down. It requires determination to keep doing the right things that will produce fruit when the season is right.

Being a good mom reminds me of my favorite coffee mug. Actually, to be more accurate, my favorite coffee mugs. Without fail my daughter would break my “favorite” mug, resulting in me finding a new one to latch onto for my morning burst of energy. Each glass would be filled and it would be emptied. Isn’t that how motherhood is? It’s beautiful and inspiring, broken and messy, old and new, full and empty. 

As moms, we can relate to the struggles of motherhood that I like to call GLASS. 

Guilt

Loneliness

Anxiety

Stress

Self-worth

They can all come crashing down on us as we are doing our very best to give the ones we love all that they need. Mom guilt has been a pervasive influence throughout my motherhood journey. Why did I not see what was going on? I should have.. If I could go back and do it again I would have.. Not to mention the pressure of the world coming into our daily lives telling us we have to do things “this way” from diapers, to breastfeeding, to schools, dating, working, or staying at home. You name it and we will feel guilty if we do, guilty if we don’t instead of operating under the revelation that God created us specifically to be the mom of our kid(s). Even though we might not get it all right, we are right for them. We can have peace in our decisions and we can move forward from our mistakes. 

Allowing guilt to lord over us often leads us to lonely places. After all what mom wants to share her struggles instead of looking filter perfect like all the other moms? However, isn’t it refreshing when we have honest conversations with each other that end with “me too” moments?  

Loneliness is a choice that when embraced cultivates a life full of anxiety. We wonder why our kids are more anxious than ever, but I think we have to stop pointing the finger at all the outside spaces and instead look at the mirror of our lives. Our kids will emulate what they see. Although the future is unknown, as Christian mothers we can walk in confidence instead of operating in unease. God will work ALL things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28), so no matter the struggle we can trust God in the present resulting in a home of peace and hopeful outlooks of our futures. 

The opposite of peace is usually present when we instead succumb to the pressures and stress of it all. The tensions are real! Especially for us moms of teens, but instead of giving emphasis to the strains we can choose to hand over the worry to God. We often can’t fix “it” whatever “it” is, but God sure can. Truth be told, he has all the data, and understands the psychology, anatomy, and emotions of it all, while knowing exactly why he created our kids the way he did, for the intentional purpose and future he has prepared for them!  (Psalm 139:13-14)

If we can grab ahold of this freedom and allow God to lead us instead of worrying ourselves into dark places, I believe we can move our own beliefs about our mothering from worthless to worthy. There’s not a mom who doesn’t struggle with her value in some seasons of motherhood, but our value has never changed to God. Instead of judging yourself into a position of low self-worth, allow God’s thoughts of you to become your own. He knows what he’s doing and he believes in YOU! 

So cheers to you, Mom. May your cup be full of love and adventure, but when you are feeling broken and empty, know that you are not alone AND you’re doing better than you think you are! Rest your hope in Proverbs 22:6: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.