7 Ways to Be a Productive Mom
As moms, we can easily become overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy and perfectionism. Here are some specific ways to be productive without the guilt.
This can weigh so heavily on us that it actually prevents us from growing and building character as mothers and as daughters of God. We become ashamed of our lack of "measuring up", so we fail to give our best and resist meeting with God due to guilt. We must recognize His grace.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5
If you want to be productive as a mom and learn to come out from under the pressures placed on you, either by yourself or by others, consider carefully these 7 ways you can aim high without feeling defeated.
Pray everyday
Prayer is our lifeline for strength and endurance. We need to constantly be connected to the Spirit so that we are building our children up, not tearing them down through reactive words.
Our day-to-day happenings are what makes up our life and the lives of our children. Prayer should absolutely be a large part of it.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Romans 8:26 {emphasis mine}
Prepare for flexibility
We can miss important moments when we focus too much on just getting our to-do lists done. When we prepare ourselves for interruptions, we are less apt to become frustrated by them, but instead, embrace them as part of God's plan.
Our first priority as moms is to raise our children in the Lord. We can hurt this course if we constantly become frustrated with them for "upsetting our plans". The plan is merely a tool. Don't allow it to control you.
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9
Praise Jesus in all Things
Praise is a powerful weapon. Joy in the Lord isn't something that's necessarily achieved. Joy is found through praise and worship, prayer, and resting in the Lord - in all circumstances.
I find the biggest breakthroughs happen when I praise during those desert times. For some, this may be a long season. For others, it may only be a bad day. Praise Him. He's worthy whether things go our way or not.
The Psalms are full of praise to God and why we should praise Him.
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant. Psalm 135:3
Walk Out Your Purpose
It's not about finding your purpose because as mothers we should all know our first purpose is to raise our children to know Christ. The goal is to live with purpose. Walk out your purpose. Our end purpose is eternity. Eternal things are what we should be aiming for. Teaching our children morality is not enough because being good is not what gets us into heaven.
Jesus didn't die to make us good; He died to make us alive. Live for Him! This precedes everything else, but overflows into our lives; even our lives as mothers. When we recognize our purpose is to love God with everything, we can pour that onto our children.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2
Practice Routines
Developing habits is no easy feat, especially for those of us who have a rebellious side against schedules and routines. We need to resist the temptation to we scrap the schedule when we don't follow it perfectly.
Developing a daily schedule takes practice. Everyday practice. A routine helps us to get vital things done everyday. They also offer major stability to a household and security for your children. Even if it doesn't play out perfectly today, wake up tomorrow and walk out the routine anyways. Relationship with Christ should weave through your routines and your life.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9
Let Go of Perfection
Perfection does not exist the way we think it does. Working ourselves up because we cannot do everything perfectly is nothing but a waste of precious time and energy. Jesus died for the very reason that we could not live up to these standards. That doesn't mean we shouldn't put in effort! Yes! We should put in our best efforts. And where we fall short? Jesus fills that gap.
..for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24
Persevere
The key to all this productivity besides the aforementioned is to keep pressing on. To not give up no matter how hard things get or how many times they go awry. Staying on course is the key to winning the race in the end.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
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Being productive isn't about putting out more work in less time. It's about walking in the calling God has for you, and slowing down to embrace the moments you're in. Part of being productive is being present. It's about recognizing your identity is in Christ, not in your works.
For His Glory,
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