Becoming a Better Mother: Don’t Rely on Yourself

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In other words:  we need God.

The fact that motherhood does not come with a detailed handbook, is a truth we know well. Many of us spend a lot of time floundering around trying to figure out how to do this thing. Of course, if we should ever feel that we’ve got it under control, we ought to be ready for a big shake up. Because it’s coming! (You know what I mean.)

Kids come up with the craziest problems. Issues I would have never dreamed up. Stuff I have absolutely no clue how to deal with.

When these issues arise, I try to figure out what to do. How to fix it. What to say and in what way to say it. I ask myself question upon question. How can I help these children grow into decent, civilized adults?! How? What do I do?

In all fray, I forget to talk to God about it.

Now that is just plain silly.

It’s silly that I would forget to talk to the One who created me. The One who created my children. And not only that, the One who decided my children and I would be a good match! He chose them for me and me for them.

My first child came into the world yelling. She yelled all day and all night. I don’t know why. But she did. I remember looking at “easy” babies and wondering what I was doing wrong. Why wouldn’t she stop yelling. I cried from exhaustion when she woke every half hour through the night for the 15th month in a row.

You know what, in some ways I’m grateful for the difficulties.

I know if my baby had been “easy” I would have thought it was because of my own prowess. I would have thought, “Hey, I’m pretty good at this.” Instead, I could only look to heaven and cry out, “Help me! I can’t do this.”

And I still have to do that. I just don’t always remember to. And that’s a shame.

James 1:5 says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you”.

I truly believe God is waiting to infuse us with wisdom, to provide support and a listening ear, if we turn to Him.

Thinking we are good enough to handle this job on our own is foolish.

We need to rely on God’s strength, not our own.

But how?

I find the answer to so many life questions is often the same: Read the Bible consistently, pray frequently, spend time with godly people who will encourage and support you.

This week let’s be sure to spend time each day asking for strength and wisdom from the One who gives it.

If you are struggling with a child in some area, or just feeling like you don’t know what to do as a mother, tell Him. He knows and cares.

If things are going well, don’t forget to acknowledge Him. All good gifts come from above.

I love you dear mothers who read this series and my prayer is that God will bless you this week as you strive to be the best mother you can be. I am grateful to all who share this road. May we lean on Him and not ourselves.

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.”
-Psalm 28:7

This is the fifth installment of the Becoming a Better Mother Series.

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7 Comments

  1. yes, great series! and i really needed to read this today. i know i need to rely, to depend on God but i always tend to fall back to using my own strength. then, wondering why things aren’t working better, i realize my error and then try again to humbly ask Him for help. i don’t want to merely survive these years with young children, i want to enjoy them! i think relying and trusting in God is a big part of that. 🙂

    1. Hopefully we will get better at this as we grow older 🙂 As we keep on trying it must come more naturally. I’m sure!

  2. Amen! Oh – what a few days it has been here. The Hubs works so much. I’ve been stuck at home all week with no car with a 10 month old and 2 1/2 year old in rainy weather. I forget to call on God for strength. I was just so frustrated a few moments ago when my little one, who only napped 30 minutes all day, was STILL awake at 11pm. Happy, but AWAKE and ON me. Oh, the peace that washes over when we turn it over to God – even if we do snatch it back just moments later!

    1. That’s crazy! A 30 minute nap and staying awake until 11pm! yikes! And they always want to be ON Mommy 🙂 I think that is one of the hardest things: the constant physical contact. Of course, the snuggles are lovely…but sometimes we need a time out!