An Encouragement for Moms with Young Kids

That last couple of hours of my day are often me sitting on our couch, hair frazzled, clothes covered in who knows what, trying to figure out if I should get ahead in work for the next day, unwind for a moment, or just call it and go to bed.

But most of the time, I find myself replaying the day we’ve just finished in my mind. While there are plenty of funny stories to chuckle at, there is often a discouragingly long list of my own shortcomings staring me in the face.

Some days, by God’s grace, I hold firm to boundaries, I don’t waver in discipline, and I meet tantrums with grace and patience. But more times than not, the day held moments of faithfulness but is overshadowed by the meltdown that just wouldn’t end or my lack of patience in response to my daughter’s endless list of demands. Either way, I am completely exhausted by the end of the day.

These little years are difficult, draining, and often feel fruitless. The nights are long, the mornings are early and the days meld together in an endless string of diapers, messes, and tears.

One evening, I collapsed onto the couch accompanied by a flurry of unwanted emotions - despair, regret, anxiety, fear, depression - all of them beating against my weary heart as I tried to seek wisdom on how best to work through the needs of my children.

I wanted to pray but had no words. So I took my copy of The Valley of Vision from the bookshelf and looked through the table of contents to see if there was a prayer I could offer up for my kids. Sure enough, there was one simply entitled “Family”. I started reading it and was almost instantly in tears. The following passage is one I have read almost every day since then:

“I am before thee in my trespasses and sins, have mercy on me,
and may thy goodness bring me to repentance.
to be attentive to my condition and character, to bridle my tongue.
to keep my heart with all diligence, to watch and pray against temptation,
to mortify sin, to be concerned for the salvation of others.
O God, I cannot endure to see the destruction of my kindred.
Let those that are united to me in tender ties
be precious in thy sight and devoted to thy glory.
Sanctify and prosper my domestic devotion, instruction, discipline, example,
that my house may be a nursery for heaven, my church the garden of the Lord,
enriched with trees of righteousness of thy planting, for thy glory.” (Valley of Vision, “The Family”, page 113)

It is a true blessing when God steps in and refocuses my sights on him. I am often unaware that I’ve shifted them somewhere else until I’m overwhelmed by the weariness of my soul. But he used this simple, centuries-old prayer to remind me that these long, draining, seemingly endless days have an incredible purpose.

The line I have in bold above is one that I think will stick with me for many years to come. My home is not meant to be a bunker I hide in to simply survive the chaos around me. It is meant to be a nursery for heaven.

Think about that with me.

The precious babies God gives us are a true gift. Our call as their mothers is to point them to the great God who created them - to share the good news of his gospel, to reflect his character to them, and to equip them with the truth of his word.

And this calling is not easy. The discipline my 3-year-old requires is constant. The whining, the meltdowns over nothing, the flat-out defiance - it’s a lot. My sweet baby boy finally sleeps through the night but threw his first tantrum when he didn’t get the toy he wanted. My patience is tested, my energies are exhausted, and the work is never done.

BUT! The God from whom we’ve received this high calling is faithful to walk with us through every single trying moment. Because our calling is not just to survive the little years and raise well-behaved, polite kids. Our calling is to daily die to ourselves and point our children to Christ.

These two Scriptures are passages I cling to in this season:

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

“And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8

God is with you in the little years. He has not called you to this challenging season and left you to figure it out on your own. He lavishes his grace on you every single day so that you may excel in every good work. And training up your children in the Lord? That is a very good work.

There is a very common saying amongst mom circles that goes something like “You’ve got this, momma!” I personally avoid saying this, because 10 times out of 10 I definitely don’t feel like I’ve got this. I know I’m not alone.

I think a better encouragement lies in the statement “God’s got you, momma!” His strength is made perfect in your weakness so run to him with all of it. He is a perfect source of wisdom that we can run to in prayer in the beginning, middle, and aftermath of the most challenging days.

Don’t grow weary friend! Don’t let the daily chaos of the little years shift your focus away from the weight of this calling. Set your sights on God. He’s got you, momma. And he’s never letting you go.