Thank you Moms!
Mothers, you deserve to be loved upon lavishly and celebrated. Thank you for EVERYTHING you are doing for your families. It’s hard to find someone who cares and encourages more than you. Your love surrounds and forms the center of your family, and now more than ever, you’ve had to transform into a homeschool teacher, house manager, counselor, spiritual advisor, creative activities director, online shopper, technical guru, and so much more!
Maybe you’re a new mom with an infant or baby, and your days are consumed with feedings, roller coaster sleep schedules and continuous on-demand parenting. Maybe you have elementary or middle school age kids, and you’re trying to figure out how to juggle teaching 3 different grades while mediating fights, logging onto Zoom and coming up with more activities to occupy the hours. Or perhaps you have a high schooler or college student and your heart is breaking with all of your children’s disappointments of missed games, proms, celebrations, trips and life away from home. Maybe you’re a mom pulled to work away from home on the front lines helping essential business continue while helping the urgent and hurting. Regardless of which stage of motherhood you’re in, there is so much we have in common.
You’re not alone in wondering, “Am I doing the right thing?”
You’re not alone in feeling the weariness, the anger, the impatience and frustration.
You’re not alone in your anxious thoughts.
Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
You are not alone. God wants to take this journey with you now…today… tomorrow…and forever. He doesn’t expect you to figure everything out on your own or to have all the answers for everyone, just because you are the mom. Lean into God and do not be afraid of your weakness for He promises, His power is made perfect in weakness.
Life isn’t about how strong you can be or how “perfectly” you can handle everything. We spend a lot of time trying to figure out the right answers for our children… what schools they should attend, what activities to sign them up for, what friends we should connect them with or shy them away from, what sports or camps to go to, what …. and the list goes on. But how much time do we spend teaching them to pray, modeling a reliance on the Lord when we’re worried or searching for wisdom when making decisions? Your faith in God is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children. Your faith is a legacy which can be passed on from generation to generation, steering the success and livelihood of generations to come. (2 Timothy 1:5)
My prayer for you this Mother’s Day is for you to find a resurgence of faith, hope and purpose in our Heavenly Father. At your invitation and calling, He will go before you, walk behind you and carry you so that you and your children and your children’s children will not falter.
Then you will know which way to go since you have never been this way before. Joshua 3:4
Give yourself (and your kids) Grace. And you can be He will too.
In Christ,
Jean
Jean Pennington is the Women’s Ministry Director at the CityRise Network, leading women in all phases of life to a deeper relationship with God, and a stronger connection to a community of ladies pursuing Christ together. You can learn more about our women’s ministry here.