The Mother Load

An epic failure … as a person and a mom. That’s how I feel about half of the time these days. Endless laundry. Endless dishes. Endless to do lists. Endless fits and tantrums. (Not always from my kids.) And endless needs. Needs which, sometime shortly after birthing Kid # 2, I realized I was literally inadequate to fill. Motherhood is such a gift. A gift I longed for and prayed for, one God graciously gave me in His time. A gift He meant to bless me with and to bring me to the end of myself. To highlight my shortcomings and inadequacies like nothing before. To point me to the Cross.

Enter Jesus.

Why am I always so surprised by this feeling of inadequacy? God’s Word promises I will have trouble, that life will not be easy, that there will be burdens too heavy to bear. But He also promises to be with me, to never leave me, and to take those heavy loads upon Himself. He promises that He already overcame the world, so that I don’t have to.

Lately, I’ve been carrying a heavy load, literally the “mother load.” Maybe you have been too. But if we lift our eyes above the laundry, we can be thankful for the “burdens” He gives. Because it brings us to a place of humility, down on our knees, with arms spread wide in surrender. This is what He calls us to in life, in mothering. To carry, care for, love, and guide these little humans, yes, all while being carried by our Heavenly Father.

Thank you, Jesus, that You give strength to the weary, that you increase the power of the weak. May we hope in You and renew our strength. Make us tread upon the heights. Make us run and not grow weary. Make us walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:29–31)

Make us moms humble enough to be carried.

“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” Isaiah 40:11