I had only been up for a couple of hours on a recent Saturday morning, and already I was doubting my ability to mom that day. I had gotten up early to spend time with God before the busyness of the day ensued.
That time, which should have been centered on Bible reading and prayer, was instead a disheveled mess of unfocused thoughts.
I felt stressed.
I felt anxious.
I felt tired.
I felt like going back to bed.
But I couldn’t.
My son was up watching his morning tv show, and I knew my daughter would be getting up soon.
Normally Saturdays are my Sabbath-no housework, no errands, nothing-just time with my family, time resting, and time getting filled up spiritually.
However, our family had just endured a week of illness, one of us after another going down with a stomach bug. I felt behind on everything-errands, housework, laundry, you name it. Plus, anxiety over our busy spring semester was wiggling it’s way into the stress mix. Why was I even thinking about all of those things weeks away anyway?
Ever been there?
As my thoughts bounced around like ping pong balls back and forth in my mind, I quickly realized that I didn’t have enough in me to mom that day.
Enough energy.
Enough joy.
Enough peace.
Enough strength.
I didn’t measure up to all that would be demanded of me that day.
I was like that mostly used up bag of sugar in your cupboard. You know the bag. It’s been sitting there untouched for a few weeks or maybe even a few months. When you finally have time to bake some homemade cookies you’ve been craving, you reach for the bag, lower your measuring cup into it, and discover that there’s only a half cup of sugar left.
Unfortunately, your recipe calls for a full cup so you don’t have enough to make that batch of cookies taste as sweet and yummy as they should taste. So you scramble, adding in some other things to try to make the recipe still work-a little bit of stevia, maybe some brown sugar, cinnamon, anything to have enough to still bake these cookies you were craving.
That morning, I was that half cup of sugar-just enough to kinda sweeten the cookies but not enough to make the recipe work.
I knew that mom-ing that day would require a full cup, though. I couldn’t half-cup my way through the day. I was going to have to pull out as much energy, joy, peace, and strength that I could muster. But from where? My cupboard was empty.
In that moment, sitting on my couch, I should have been diligently reading my Bible and praying to the Lord to refill my cup so I could be all the things I needed to be.
Instead, though, my thoughts kept racing. As my stress and anxiety level rose higher and higher, one by one the grains of sugar I had left in my cup were getting picked out and scattered on the floor for the dogs to clean up.
I took some deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. But my efforts were futile. Full of stress, I felt ready to cry or yell. I didn’t know which would happen first, but I braced myself for the impending explosion.
God Whispered to Me
Just minutes away from a Mount St Helens-level eruption, in a moment of pure love and grace, I felt the Lord whisper to my heart,
“My grace is sufficient for you.”
Gosh, I so love the Lord and his sweetness toward me.
He could have condemned me for forgetting him and his goodness so easily or for falling into distraction instead of focusing on him.
But instead, he whispered to my soul exactly what I needed to hear. 2 Corinthians 12:9 is one of my favorite verses because it’s always been a reminder to me that no matter what I am facing, God’s grace is sufficient. It is enough.
By whispering those few words to me, God reminded me that with his grace, I would have enough to do all that he had called me to that day.
Enough energy.
Enough joy.
Enough peace.
Enough strength.
Isn’t that such a good reminder, Momma? God’s grace can fill up your cup so that you have enough to be the mom you need to be today. You may have woken up only half full, but with him, you will have everything that you need.
My prayer for both of us today is that we would remember throughout the day that God’s grace is sufficient for us, no matter what we face.
Baby kept you up last night, and you can barely keep your eyes open? God’s grace is sufficient for you.
Toddler hitting you? God’s grace is sufficient for you.
Preschooler having a tantrum at Kroger? God’s grace is sufficient for you.
Eight year old fighting with his younger sibling? God’s grace is sufficient for you.
Teenager arguing and talking back? God’s grace is sufficient for you.
Adult child facing challenges and you don’t know how to help? God’s grace is sufficient for you.
Being a mom is hard. I don’t have to tell you that, though. Whatever comes your way today, I’m praying for you to feel encouraged to turn to the Lord in every moment. He’s near to you, and he loves you.
Before you go (I know you’ve got stuff to do!), will you pray with me?
“Dear Lord, it’s so easy as moms to feel depleted. We are trying to keep up with so many things, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Would you remind us today that your grace is enough for us? Please fill our cup, not just to full, but to overflowing so that we can be a reflection of you to our kids. Thank you for your abundant grace, mercy, and love. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.”
Pressing on in faith and grace, Jennifer