Not long ago I was standing in the kitchen drinking a breakfast shake (Aren’t modern day mamas always trying to cut down on sugar?) when I began thinking about life as a mom.
My little girl was sitting in her high chair scribbling on it with markers… #thankgoodnesstheyarewashable… and my son was sitting on the floor pretending to read a book.
Both children are in a really sweet stage where they say, Mommy, I love you! at the most random times. The words are so precious and make me know they feel loved and happy in our home.
Are our days always perfect? Absolutely not! In fact, just a few minutes after the serene scene mentioned above, one child took the other child’s coloring page and started cutting it up with scissors which resulted in terrible screaming and shouting from the offended child! Then I found a piece of silverware in the trash can!
I began reflecting on the realities of motherhood that morning and wrote down a few thoughts regarding this delightful, yet difficult responsibility.
7 Motherhood Realities for Modern-Day Mamas
Love is the heartbeat of motherhood.
Love for our children is endless and begins when carrying each baby in the womb. We all have the mama bear instinct, and nobody better mistreat our sweet bundle of preciousness. We may not always like the choices our children make… Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child (Proverbs 22:15a)… but the roots of love are deep in our souls.
Mamas have highs and lows… literally!
One minute we are on top of the world, and the next minute we are down in the dumps. We are humans and emotional beings, and sometimes little people know exactly how to push our buttons! Thankfully, Jesus made a way for sinful creatures to trust Him as Savior. As Christians, we have the power of the Holy Spirit available to help us make correct choices. With God’s help, we don’t have to live in despair.
John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
When I read my Bible consistently, listen to uplifting music, and talk to God throughout the day, I have more highs than lows and am able to make better choices as a mom. When motherhood has more lows than highs, nine times out of ten, I’m neglecting something in my spiritual life with the Lord.
Mamas feel success and failure.
Maybe you are really good at organizing and cleaning your home but meal planning and cooking just aren’t your forte. Maybe you regularly spend quality time playing and reading books with your children but occasionally raise your voice or lose your temper when they whine or argue.
Do you compare yourself to other moms and find yourself never measuring up to what you view as the perfect mom? Every mother feels successful in some areas and failure in others. No mother is perfect, and that’s an important truth to remember. We need to praise God for His strength in our successes and ask Him for help when we fail.
2 Corinthians 12:10
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Read Comparison, Contentment, and Compassion: What to Consider When Enough Is Not Enough.
Motherhood is beautiful and messy.
Snuggles, kisses, hugs, reading a good book, holding hands on a walk, and smiling through tears at kindergarten graduation are all beautiful moments. Vacuuming after EVERY meal, dealing with yet another temper tantrum, breaking up an argument between brother and sister, and seeing your child disappointed by a friend are some of the messy moments. We all wish for sunny days and rainbows, but life has ups and downs, mountaintops and valleys. Responding correctly to our beautiful and messy will help our children respond appropriately to their own beautiful and messy moments.
Mamas need self-control.
We have unending tasks and are responsible for the welfare of our little tribe. It takes discipline to keep a home, train children, and nurture the relationships of family. Little eyes are always watching and oftentimes those tiny humans are imitating our every move. We have to plead with the Holy Spirit to help us have self-control in the big areas like our temperament and even in smaller choices like fueling our bodies with nutritious foods.
Mamas have only one main goal.
What are your goals as a mom? Do you want to feed your family nutritious meals? … keep your house sparkling clean? … be a supportive room mom? … give your children extra-curricular opportunities for sports and music? … protect them from hurt and disappointment?
The exhaustive list of mom goals could go on and on. From the moment a child enters the world, a mom has hopes, dreams, goals, and plans for her sweet bundle of joy. It’s only natural, and it’s healthy and normal to wish the best for our children.
Read Hope When Goals and Dreams Collapse.
Any noble motherhood goal has its place, but what is THE most important goal?
My number one goal as a mother is to lead my children to Christ. Do I lose sight of this goal at times? Yes! Am I a perfect mom? No way! Do I make mistakes? Yes! However, my children are my number one mission field.
Our children may eat the healthiest meals, make the best grades, and wear the nicest clothes, but if they die without Christ, our noble efforts of motherhood were in vain. This short life is preparation for eternity, and eternity is forever!
Every human is given a free will. We all have the choice to either accept or reject Jesus Christ and His free gift of salvation. Some mothers spend their lives sharing Christ with their children to no avail. We all have a choice, and just because a child refuses to accept Christ doesn’t mean a mother didn’t do her best.
Nevertheless, how are we spending our days? Are we making the moments count? Are we directing our children to Christ? Are we praying for them to accept Him as Savior? I would dare say that modern-day mamas could all take inventory and do a better job in this area of our lives.
Read A Different Kind of Spring Cleaning ~ Matters of the Heart.
God’s love and forgiveness are new every morning.
We can begin each day with a clean slate due to the Lord’s mercies.
Lamentations 3:22-23
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
If yesterday didn’t go as planned, it’s okay. We can forgive our children and our children can forgive us because God has provided the ultimate Example in sending His Son Jesus to forgive our failures and mistakes!
Don’t get discouraged because you don’t have time to volunteer and participate in every extra-curricular activity out there! Don’t get down in the dumps because you aren’t ministering to more people. I am not suggesting that we neglect other ministries, but I do believe that ministry begins at home, and we must minister to our own families first.
Our mama responsibilities are never ending, but we are all in this together. None of us has everything figured out, but we can succeed with the help of our Heavenly Father and encouragement from one another. How are you handling life as a modern-day mama? How do you make the most out of your high and low moments, your successes and failures, your beautiful and messy times? How do you point your children to Christ?