braying donkey

braying donkey

Monday, January 20, 2014

It's Time to Stop Trying to be a Good Mom

As I was running on the treadmill today I started to hyperventilate.  No it wasn't due to the strenuous 10 mph pace I was keeping, it was due to the pressure I was putting on myself to be a GOOD mom.  You see today is a holiday and on a holiday a GOOD mom would take her kids somewhere fun, like the beach.  But also a GOOD mom would shop for and prepare nutritious gluten-free meals and snacks for the school upcoming school week.  And a GOOD mom would actually fold the six loads of laundry spilling off the couch onto the floor so her kids could find the clothes they wanted.  A GOOD mom would remember that her kindergartner still has not passed his shoe-tying test at school, has not learned his second packet of sight words, and barely knows his talent show routine.  A GOOD mom would take time to help her children succeed.  A GOOD mom would have already written the twenty-plus thank you cards for the birthday presents her son got last weekend. A GOOD mom.... AHHHHH!  

And then it hit me.  I don't have to be a GOOD mom.  Instead, I need to be a GODLY mom.  A godly mom is filled with God's love and shares it with her children.  A godly mom realizes that it is not by her strength that things will get done, but by relying on God for His strength and letting Him share the burden.  A godly mom does not stress about prioritizing what is most important but spends time seeking wisdom from the Holy Spirit, and then accepts that wisdom with faith.  A godly mom teaches her children godly character not just with words but by her actions.  When I am obsessing over being a GOOD mom, I usually become overloaded and have some sort of emotional outburst that eventually destroys any GOOD thing I have managed to accomplish.

So to any moms out there that are feeling burdened by social pressures, life circumstances, to-do lists, personal goals, and chaotic schedules..GIVE UP!  Stop trying to be a GOOD mom. Chances are you will never measure up to your own standards.  Take a minute to pray to the God who created family, who created you and your kids.  Ask Him what you should do.  Ask Him to help you have the wisdom and endurance to do it.  Then take a deep breath, focus on Jesus and His love, and move forward in what He has called you to do.  You are not alone.  You have the Creator of the universe by your side, not to mention countless other moms out there who feel burdened just like you!

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)