Dear Mom,
You are a gift of God to your
husband and your kids.
But you don’t always feel that way,
do you?
There’s a low-level feeling of
guilt that creeps into your heart from time to time. Sometimes it bubbles over
into tears, usually on lonely, difficult days.
You scan blogs and read books about
being a good mom. You find some helpful tidbits here and there, often from
women who are grandmothers now. Women you can learn from but who seem to have
forgotten the struggle. They seem to have it all together.
In your heart, you want to be the
kind of mom who trains up kids to make a difference for the kingdom. You know
it’s an honor to be entrusted with these kids. You know you’ve only got one
shot. You want to be the mom who teaches them the Bible, models how to pray,
and trains them up in the fear of the Lord.
But most of the time you feel like
you’re barely holding it all together.
Your house cleaning can’t keep up
with your kids’ mess-making.
The kids embarrass you by acting up
right when your guests arrive.
Your husband doesn’t get just how
worn out you are by the end of the day.
You come to the end of your
patience. You lose your temper. Then you feel worse.
The last thing you consider
yourself to be is a “good mom.” And you think to yourself, It’ll be a
miracle if my kids turn out okay.
And – surprisingly – that’s right
where God wants to meet you. The place where you admit your powerlessness and
your need for Him.
It’s only by God’s grace that any
kid grows up to be a force for the kingdom.
You see, there are no perfect kids
and no perfect mothers. No matter what you read in blogs, see in magazines, and
learn in books. There are sinful kids and sinful moms and dads.
And the only thing greater than
both is the grace of God. The God who says “there is therefore now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The God who loves to forgive, to transform,
and empower.
God loves you – not because you are
a good mother but just because you are His precious child.
God loves you – not because you’ve
mastered all the skills of parenting but because He has.
It’s divine grace that will
transform your parenting – not guilt.
It’s grace that will keep you going
and serving and scrubbing when you’re exhausted and worn out.
It’s grace that will conquer your
feelings of inadequacy and remind you of God’s love for you in Christ.
It’s grace that goes for the heart
of your kids, not just their behavior.
God has demonstrated the fullness
of His love for you through the cross of His Son, even while you were still a
sinner.
He has promised you His presence.
He has spoken His approval over you
in Christ.
He is the perfect Father who
delights in you as a daughter.
Find in Him your Treasure and Joy.
Be to others what He is to you.
So walk in freedom. Let Him hold
you together when everything seems to be falling apart.
Bask in His unfailing love for you.
And rest in His promise of power.
