Are you struggling, Mama?

Do you lose your temper, berate yourself for the outburst, beat yourself up to a guilty pulp, swear to be patient next time, and then snap at the first child who rounds the corner?

Do you jump out of bed feet already running, hurrying the children along, anxious that you won’t get to here or there on time, worried that the project won’t get finished, fretful that a certain person won’t come through as promised, nervous that if you don’t get one more thing crossed off the to-do list before bedtime everything will simply fall apart?

Do you organize and prioritize, systemize and mobilize, only to find that none of it really “works” for your family so running late, blowing budgets, eating out and the general “critical mass” of chaos simply crowds out any semblance of calm?

Do you compare yourself to her, compare your spouse to him, compare your stuff to theirs, compare your child to that one over there... and then find yourself drowning in discontentment wondering why everyone else is a “have” and you are cast off as a “have not”?

Do you (or yours) strive to live -- truly live -- in spite of a medical diagnosis, an unspeakable tragedy, a life-altering disability or a debilitating mental illness?

Are you striving to blend a family, share custody, or go it alone?

Is your marriage mismatched? Is your home a holy hell? Is your yapper always yelling? Are you consistently critical, intensely insecure, genuinely joyless?

May I encourage you to stop?Literally...

Just stop... and be still... and know this...

GOD SEES.

We could write thousands of articles touching on every thinkable topic facing moms today, but there is only one place - one Person - where true peace of mind can be found:

Jesus.

God sees our struggles here, and His answer is Jesus.

God’s answer for your struggles is Jesus; God’s answer for my struggles is Jesus; God’s answer for her struggles is Jesus.

Jesus.

When we’re desperate, we frantically reach for anything offering stability or direction - anything to confirm that we’re doing this mothering thing right.

But the truth is that “God, the source of hope will fill you completelywith joy and peace because you trust in him. THENyou will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NLT).

Friends, as a mom in Jesus you can be completely filled with joy and peace no matter what you’re facing! In Jesus, you can overflow with a confident hope even through your struggles!

So... are you struggling, Mama?

Then turn your eyes on and keep your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2)...

Because with Him, you are MOM and you are enough .

Blessings, Ruth Schwenk

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Words can't express how thankful I am for each of you who have joined us on this journey for the past two years. I am overwhelmed by the thousands of women that come here every single day to share life and learn together!! While we may not be perfect (or even close to it), we desire to be better - for our families, for the world, and for our great God and Savior! Thank you for joining me in this movement as we raise children who will impact the world, take care of our homes, love our husbands, and ultimately honor God with our lives! ~Blessings, Ruth Schwenk