Is it just me or did the world become the Big Bad Wolf once you became a mom?
Like, WHAT! You just became this superwoman, bringing life into this world and now, out of nowhere, you're scared of it! Idk Friends, maybe it's just me. So let me speak to you from my point of view then. Lol
To be transparent, fear has had me in a chokehold for an embarrassing amount of time. With that being said, I can't say I became fearful once I became a mom, it simply heightened and intensified due to motherhood. Now I have fear that I can see. I now have more factors to take in that are added into the lists on things I have no control over. Here's the feeling: I have soooo much love for these little humans and the only thing I want to do is keep them safe for the rest of their lives...but there's no way for me to protect them ALL the time.
Please tell me I'm not the only one!!
With so much going on in the world, it's easy to get caught up in all that we see and not focus on the unseen. God!
I want to remind you (and myself) that you are not the only person that loves your child and wants to protect them. You are not the only one that wants the very best for them! So when those feelings come, give yourself the freedom to speak Truth to those thoughts - "I am not alone in this!" You do not have to come up with a master plan. You do not have to drop everything you've wanted for yourself to be there for your kid(s) - (unless you actually want to). Our Father will keep them, just as he has kept you!
"TRUST"
A simple, 5 letter word, yet one of the hardest traits to have. According to Oxford Languages, the definition of "trust" is: firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something. When it comes to our kids, let's be honest, it's not atypical to have a small number of people we can think of to have that many positive attributes when it comes to our little humans. (shoutout to gradma'nem lol). When it comes to our kids, as mothers, we have convinced ourselves that we are the only people who can help them, care for them, love them and protect them. (we still love you, dad!) As women of faith, how rude and arrogant of us to think so highly of ourselves with little to no regard to our Father in Heaven. What a trick of the enemy to have us convince ourselves that we are the perfect ones who can do all things!
How about we start to challange those thoughts and fears. Not just concerning the little humans but also about the other desires of our heart, your dreams and passion(s). In my personal experience, thinking that I have to be and do all things in my motherhood journey, it has evolved into me being even more fearful of my personal goals. It's funny because in the moment, it actually sound like I was just being a good mother. "I don't have time", "I need to give more of my attention to my family", "the kids are so young", "they need me right now", or my all-time fave, "I'm too tired". Giiiirrrllllll!! All those things may be true but two things can be true! The kids need you AND you're fearful of doing more! (I'm preaching to myself here now)
I'm not here to tell you to be like Nike and "Just Do It". I am here to affirm you, hear you and see you! Parenting is hard. However, parenting in the absence of God is harder. Parenting and not fufilling your purpose(s) outside of parenthood is harder. Parenting from fear is harder. Get this though, not only is it harder for you, it's also harder for your little humans. Have you ever considered how it may feel to have a mom that is not at her best? To have a mom that isn't truly happy? To have a mom that only knows how to be happy when you're around? Wow! Can you image the pressure our kids may soon feel once they are old enough to understand what's going on?
Though I am not here to give you the Nike slogan, I am here to remind you of how Big our God really is! I am here to remind that you can TRUST Him with ALL of your worries/burdens/cares! [Psalm 55:22] I am here to remind you that you can handle more! You can be the mom you've always aspired to be while doing the thing(s) you've always dreamt of doing. Your kids will not love you any less for continuing to work on you. It will actually have the opposite effect. They grow up watching you while you trust Him! They'll know what it looks like to have faith and work ethic. They'll know what it looks like to truly have joy in their lives. They will truly *see* that He can do all things because they saw it all in you! [Philippians 4:13] (please also read Philippians 4:12 on this journey as well)
It may not come easy, but continue to work at it. Whatever your "it" is. Be patient with yourself and don't give up. God got you! God got them kids! God got "it"! Don't just do it, DO IT SCARED!
All my love,
Sarah