EquippedMama

“And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰ Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

How many of you mamas have spent time complaining about how hard it is to mother in the last week? Maybe not out loud, but maybe in your heart. Perhaps as your little one spilled their drink all over the kitchen table and into your once-favorite rug. Or maybe it was when you were blindsided by a behavior you knew you needed to redirect. Maybe you spent your devotional time cuddling a small child, which, while very sweet, left you little chance to understand what you were trying to read.

It happens.

Mothering is full of situations where our best-laid-plans are redirected. With four under six in our home, I am constantly amazed at how time evaporates when we are trying to make an appointment.

Or how a perfectly tidy room can become a disaster in a matter of moments.

In these situations I have a choice.

I can mother in my strength, or in God’s.

In his letter to the Corinthian church, the Apostle Paul wrote about a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7) – something that was causing him great distress and was ongoing. Scholars have suggested many hypotheses for what this thorn was, but the fact is, Scripture doesn’t say. It does say that Paul prayed for it to be removed multiple times and it wasn’t. This is the context for the passage at the beginning of this post. The answer to Paul’s prayer for circumstantial relief was a reminder of God’s grace in His life.

Do we seek out God’s grace in our lives? Do we recognize our own weakness as moms and allow Christ to dwell in us? Or do we pursue the next plan for organization, discipline, and healthy living, hoping that these life hacks will solve our problems? While there is nothing wrong with these things, we miss out on the best God has for us by trying to do everything on our own. 

How does complaining relate to this? Complaining is an act that requires our focus must be on ourselves. It is saying, in essence, “whatever happening isn’t what I deserve.” I deserve unending quiet time. I deserve a full night’s sleep. And a clean house. And perfectly behaved children who do not require redirection.

None of us would actually say these things out loud, but when we complain about them, that’s what our heart reflects.

Jesus put it like this when he said, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” (Matthew 12:34 b).

So what do we do?

How do we make that baby step away from an entitled, complaining heart to one that is parenting in God’s strength? First off, we must recognize our weakness. We cannot do everything our children, husband, boss, family, home and friends need from us all the time. We simply can’t. We must accept our own weakness, and thank the Lord for the limitations He has placed on us. Of course there is a place to do what we can, but we must be humble enough to recognize what is truly beyond us.

We also must intentionally refrain from having a complaining spirit. We can’t complain about the very gifts God has given us as we ask for His help in managing them! We must have a heart of thanksgiving understanding that depending on Christ is always a good thing.

We do what we can, and we commit all that we do to the Lord. We let Him do His perfect work in our lives, and thank Him that He can.

So you might be mothering right now with toddler pee on your brand-new jeans (that’s me). Or you might be frustrated that you can’t make it to the gym as much as you want to. Make a choice. Reflect Christ’s character in the season you are in. Seek His strength, and rejoice in your weaknesses as you raise your littles.

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