By Contributing Writer, Brandy Ferguson

If you read the title of this post and secretly sighed to yourself wishing that you could see the joy again in motherhood, then you're supposed to be here today.

If you feel you've lost the joy you once knew as a young, vibrant mother whose days were filled with new, exciting exploration getting to know your little ones, you're not alone.

At some point, maybe you've felt like you've entered a season of just trying to endure, just trying to cover the basics, let alone find joy in the chaos. Is that you? Have you heard yourself whisper to God lately to help you see the beauty? To restore joy unto you?

If you're like me, many days you feel swept away by the current of your busy family with many little ones at home, and maybe teenagers who need shuttling to this and that. Maybe you feel like you're so busy moving robotically from one activity to another, managing your task list, that there's little time for emotion beyond your own emptiness.

Mothers pour themselves out for their families. And we're supposed to. It's the way God wired us. We want to nurture our babies and husbands and teach our children and keep our homes. We're nesters, and it's in our design.

But that doesn't mean we don't get overwhelmed when there's just too much on the to-do list, day after day. It doesn't mean we don't grow weary when we haven't slept through the night for four years straight.

We don't always focus on the joy in motherhood, because frankly, so often we're too busy and too overwhelmed to even remember that this is a blessing.

Sound familiar? If so, your question is the same as mine: How do we rediscover joy in motherhood?

Of course there's no magic solution, but I've learned that it's a conscious decision involving a few key things.

We must slow down.

Choose to live today. This day. One day at a time.

We must say no to a long list of unnecessary commitments, social and otherwise.

And realize the beauty of teaching our children and keeping our home. Oh, there's so much more value in our noble work than we can even comprehend.

We must pray and ask God to restore joy to our hearts.

He wants to. He wants to help us embrace the fruits of the Spirit and choose for those to thrive in us. Joy is a choice. We must desire it and decide on it.

We must remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

We must stop thinking that we can only have joy if our situation is good or if our circumstances change for the better. Joy is knowing that no matter what, our salvation, and our existence in Eternity is with Him.

We must trust that joy does come in the morning.

Whatever we're going through, we must remember that He has a plan. He has it all figured out, and did, long before we were born. So often, if we'll just hold on, circumstances do change, and relief comes with a new day. And we can trust that ultimately, even if we can't understand the why's and how's of our temporary positions here on this earth, true joy will be realized when we see our Creator face to face in Eternity.

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