They’re the posts that go viral. {You know the ones.} The ones that tug at your heartstrings and assure you that you are enough and that motherhood is a high and holy calling and that moms make the world go ‘round.
And while I don’t disagree with any of that, I need to admit that I also struggle with opinions of that nature. Honestly, it makes me wonder, Are we all just trying to make ourselves feel better in the midst of difficult, thankless seasons?
Then there’s the other type of article. The one that always explains what you’re doing wrong, and what you need to do to fix it and, to turn yourself into a better mother. They’re the ones that explain that you’re killing your children with blue food dye, destroying the earth with disposable diapers, or that the white noise machine you’re using in your infant’s room is making them deaf and ruining their brain. {Yes, this is The Latest Thing.}
And again, I don’t necessarily disagree with making parenting improvements, but this dichotomy is unhealthy. The message we receive as mothers is either you’re doing great, don’t change a thing, or you’re doing it wrong, stop screwing up your child, keep working toward perfection.
Where’s the message that leaves room for grace and growth? The one that tells us you’re doing great just as you are, but I also want you to grow. The one that speaks to our hearts and says you are the perfect parent for your child, but I also have other plans for you. The one that says I walk beside you and will carry you through to places you can’t even allow yourself to imagine, if you only trust Me.
I think most mothers agree that parenting has challenged and molded them in some of the hardest and best ways possible. So mamas, let’s embrace that. Let’s ride this roller coaster knowing that every day we are absolutely enough, but that we also have potential for incredible growth.
And that doesn’t mean we have to pursue perfection or jump on every parenting train that leaves the station, because that’s a recipe for crazy.
But it does mean that we trust ourselves enough to know which trains to jump on, and which ones to let go by. And you know you can trust yourself, because you were chosen as the perfect parent for your child.
After all, you are enough.
But God can help you be even more.
