Sweet sister,
You matter! As I’m about to send my first of three daughters off to college, I tear up looking back over the years and how quickly this new season of motherhood has arrived. When I look back over my journey of motherhood, I hope to encourage you to cherish the days you’ve been given with your children. I know in the early years some days seem long, but we need to remember that this season of motherhood is short. And, like mine, your children will grow up before you know it, too.
My heart behind this study is to encourage you in your calling of motherhood. How you love, cherish, and cultivate the hearts of your children matters. Looking back, I have a better perspective of what really matters – and what really doesn’t. I was, and still am, an imperfect mother. I’ve tried my hardest, but I’ve also failed many times. It is in those hard days that I’ve learned to lean into Jesus. Those failings have given me opportunities to ask for forgiveness, humble myself, receive God’s grace, and show my children what it looks like to follow Jesus- imperfectly but faithfully. They have witnessed and experienced firsthand what grace looks and feels like. We are all flawed and broken yet perfectly loved by God. We all need God’s new mercies every morning.
Sweet sister, I know the journey of motherhood isn’t easy, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t good. How you invest your life into your children and the next generation matters. Your years of sacrifice create ripple effects for future generations that will have a profound impact on them for years to come. Motherhood is a beautiful calling filled with ups, downs, and everything in between. In the beginning, you experience countless sleepless nights. Later, as your children grow toward adulthood, spread their wings, and leave home, you will have different kinds of sleepless nights when you wonder if you prepared them enough.
I wish I were face-to-face with you right now. I’d love to hug you, look you straight in the eyes, and tell you that YOU are the perfect mom for your kids. God didn’t make a mistake. You are just the mom your kids need to prepare them for God’s calling on their lives. So lean into Jesus on your good days and bad. Put the pressure and weight of feeling like you have to be a perfect mom off of yourself and on to Jesus. You aren’t meant to carry that burden, sweet friend.
On the days when your patience wears thin and your strength feels sapped, turn to Jesus. On the days when you question if you are doing it right or wonder if you are messing your children up, turn to Jesus. And on the days when the dishes keep piling up, the laundry overflows, and the demands are unyielding, turn to Jesus.
In the struggles of motherhood, we are given opportunities to be molded into Christ’s image and reflect His character to those around us. In the gift of motherhood, we have the incredible privilege to shape, nurture, and love our children in a way that reflects the heart of God.
So sweet sister, join me these next six weeks as we delve into living a life of grace, surrender, and love. We will discover the beauty of a gospel-centered home and the joy of raising children rooted in God’s Word as we cultivate their hearts to love God greatly with their lives.
