How is it that the same little people that bring you the most joy you’ve ever known, cause you more stress than you ever imagined possible?
I am going to get real for a second and admit something that as a Mama, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to admit. Sometimes I don’t feel like being a mom. There I said it. Let the chips fall where they may.
I love my son more than I ever thought was humanly possible, but sometimes I get so tired and overwhelmed that I hardly have enough energy to carry myself upright through my day let alone be responsible for another life.
Motherhood is quite literally the hardest job on Earth! There is no clock out time, no vacation time, no sick days….and girl you don’t even get paid!
But similarly to other important roles in life, God views the role of motherhood as a high and important calling. And although it can at times seem like more of a burden, God views motherhood as a blessing that he grants. And when the responsibility of this reward and heritage seems to be too much, we can turn to God’s word for practical and sound advice.
When You Feel Overwhelmed Remember That Motherhood Is A Reflection Of God’s Relationship With Us.
Parenting a child is a completely selfless act. As a mother you give your everything to rearing and providing for your children. You are constantly available to their needs and demands without so much as an afterthought. Regardless of thanks or praise you cater to the needs of your child with sincere love. Similarly, but on a much larger scale, this is our relationship with God. He provides for our every need without hesitation and does so gladly because he loves us. Find joy in knowing that motherhood is a reflection of God’s love and selfless care for us.
Lessons That We Can Learn From Mothers In The Bible
God uses stories of mothers in the Bible to provide us with lessons to learn from and character traits to emulate in our own parenting.
Jochebed (The Mother of Moses): Jochebed was parenting a baby boy under some of the most unfavorable circumstances in history. Pharaoh had ordered that every male born slave be killed in order to protect himself from a future uprising. “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”-Exodus 1:22. (Spoiler Alert: The odds still didn’t work out in his favor.) To protect her son Moses, Jochebed places her baby into a basket and sets him adrift in the Nile river.
This selfless, albeit crazy parenting move, would go on to be the catalyst for one of the greatest uprisings in human history. From the story of Jochebed we can take away that motherhood involves selfless acts, whether they be big or small. And although the return on these selfless acts is not always immediate (ie: waiting for your child to reach adulthood to free your people from bondage) you can take heart in knowing that there will be a season of reward for all your sacrifice.
Naomi (Ruth and Orpah’s Mother in Law): Naomi was also a mother during a time of great strife. She was forced to flee her home country with her family because of a famine that had stricken their land. She stayed away from her land for 10 years and in that time lost both of her sons. Even through this hard time she remained faithful to God, praising him through every bitter moment and caring for the widows that her sons had left behind. Her daughter in law Ruth, was inspired by her faith and devotion to God and even when her sister in law left to find a new husband, Ruth stayed by Naomi’s side and adopted her faith and good doings.
Eventually Ruth goes on to remarry and give birth to a son named Obed who would become the grandfather to King David. Naomi teaches us as mothers that even when we feel our lowest, we still need to show up. We need to show a praiseworthy character and unshakable faith in God because our babies are watching us and will eventually be inspired by our character too. God will always sustain you, push through Mama.
“Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”-Ruth 4:17
Mary (The Mother of Jesus): Everyone knows Mary as the woman who held the honor of giving birth to and caring for the son of God, but Mary earned the right to be respected in her own right. Motherhood was thrown upon Mary before she deemed herself necessarily ready (she was still a virgin after all).
“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”-Luke 1:31
I’m sure that many of us as mothers can relate to not feeling completely prepared for the season of motherhood and realizing that it involves a steep learning curve. Mary was no stranger to this either and often had to learn on the job and navigate motherhood while raising the eventual savior of the world. She showed humility as she let her son grow into his own, eventually becoming the authority on the word of God. She showed herself grace as a mother and had the strength to make the ultimate sacrifice of allowing her son to become the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
Being a mother is far from easy but when we view it as a calling from God we are able to see how much of an honor it truly is. This doesn’t mean that we don’t have the right to get tired and overwhelmed at times, this is completely natural and your feelings are valid. But take heart in knowing that women have been faced with the challenges of motherhood since the beginning of time and have still used their stumbling through motherhood to be great examples and raise even greater children. ❤️
Winging It 