I know I have been quiet here. I hope to share, in the coming days, all that has been pressing on my heart. Today, I want to share with you a book that has been a blessing to this weary mama, Hope for the Weary Mom: Where God Meets You in Your Mess, by Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothlin.
When I would see the joy in other mother’s eyes and hear it in their voice, I would wonder where mine was. For some, motherhood seems so natural. For me, it did not come easy. I was burdened with guilt over my struggle for many years. Through my 18 years of motherhood, and four children later, God has done a work in my heart. I have embraced my call to motherhood, with passion and greater joy.
Still, I find days and weeks laced with discouragement and weariness. Having a book like this, Hope for the Weary Mom, written by moms who are honest about their struggle, helps me to see I am not the only one. Stacey and Brooke share transparently how they walked through trials in motherhood, providing an invaluable gift of hope. We need each other, and they set the example of how to join in community and find the support us mamas need. Most of all this book is a testimony of their faith and trust in God, and show us how to truly rest in and rely on the grace of God.
In the book I read these words from one weary mama to another.
“I’m weary. Battle-scarred. Beaten down from the fight for my sons’ hearts. I’ve promised God I’ll never give up on them, never quit, but the temptation to wave the white flag is strong. I’ve come to the end of myself. My ideas for producing change have all failed to move them even an inch, and I wonder if I really DO do my best parenting when I’m on my knees.” –Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothlin, Hope for the Weary Mom: Where God Meets You in Your Mess
Yes, I echo those words,
“I really DO do my best parenting when I’m on my knees.”
May I pray for you now? May I include myself, this weary mama, too?
Lord Jesus, I lift up every mama that may be reading the words here, whether they are weary or not or near it. I pray that You would provide us with strength, wisdom, grace and patience. That you would show us the way to go. Lead us beside those still waters You promise us. May we find Your rest. Renew us. Revive us. Speak to our hearts about our children — how You see them. Help us have vision for their lives. Help us embrace the high calling of motherhood, knowing we are doing a holy work in raising them as Your disciples. We do not have to have a clean house to invite You in. We do not have until we have it all together to come to You. Help us know that You receive us just the way we are, because of grace. Help us know You will not ever turn us away. Help us to walk in freedom, learning to live without the fear of losing love and acceptance from You, if the job of transformation gets too messy. Help us to remember that You want to be with us, right in the middle of our mess, to offer us HOPE. In Jesus Name…Amen.