Being a mom is one of the most rewarding jobs that I’ve ever had, but it’s also one of the most challenging. My son has special needs which adds another dimension to navigating the complexities of motherhood in 2022! Momming ain’t easy yall!
Often times when I find myself in stressful situations, like trying to rush into the store with my kiddo for a “few” things, explaining why we can’t tell the man at the park that his shirt is ugly, trying to complete chores with the help of my little one, IEP meetings, or even just on bad days (The days where behavior and emotions are out of whack and everything is off the rails.). I ask God, “Why did you pick me to be this child’s mama? Lord, I have no idea what I am doing here!”
And the enemy says to me:
You are not equipped for this.
You are not smart enough for this.
You cannot navigate this.
You are not making the right choices.
You will fail.
What kind of Mom are you?
But the Holy Spirit says to me:
God equips you.
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. – Hebrews 13:20-21
God is wise and gives you His ear.
Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. – Psalm 116:2
God directs your path.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6
His word guides your choices.
All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
No weapon formed against you will prosper because He protects you.
No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgement… – Isaiah 54:17
You are the kind of Mom that knows that God handpicked you, knitted you, to be the mother of your child.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. – Psalm 139:13
God knew my every flaw, weakness, sin, and struggle before He chose me to be Jackson’s mom. Despite the imperfections, He chose me! God chose me, and He chose YOU.
We are enough, mama, because we are all enough through Christ! Christ walks with us through every season of motherhood.
What a journey it has been so far for me—to walk through the valley of having a child in the NICU, to walk through the valley of diagnoses, to walk through the valley of the school system, to walk through the valley of COVID chaos—with God. I can look back now and see that during those times when I cried out to God in those situations, asking why He chose me to be this child’s mother, He was working in me. He did see my every flaw, weakness, sin, and struggle, and He used those times in the valleys to change my heart, to refine me, and to equip me in new ways. He used those times to show His faithfulness to me. I know there are valleys ahead, but I also know that He will guide me through those too!
Maybe you’re in a valley right now—sleepless nights with a newborn, biting phases with a toddler, the terrible twos, a preschooler who’s just starting school, threenagers, a special needs child, a child with a learning disability, teenagers with all the hormones, or navigating life with grown and flown children who may make choices you don’t agree with, and you’re crying out to the Lord, “Why did you choose me?” Just remember that God chose you. He formed you to be your child’s mama at every stage of their life.
What a job motherhood is, and what a blessing to know God is with you on this journey and God chose you for this!
