You are Not a Failure, You are a Daughter of the King

There are many temptations in our world to fall into the trap of believing the lie that we are a failure. As wives, we struggle to compare our marriages to other's marriages, or to what we see portrayed in social media, movies, and in books. As moms, we are tempted to compare how good of mom we are.

We see one mom posting pictures of the amazing dinner she made for her family and automatically, instead of rejoicing that she is accomplishing something that will bless those she loves, we can often fall into the comparison trap and become discouraged. "Thinking, man is it dinner already? I don't even know what I am going to make." Or, "we just have spaghetti again."

The world impresses standards of what being a good mom or wife is supposed to look like and what we should do. We can easily expect things from ourself that are unrealistic or not even what we are called to, and when it all piles up, and we haven't accomplished what we intended, we can begin to believe the lie that we are a failure.

I have been there. I have felt the pressures to have and be and do. 

It broke me. 

Not in the holy kind of brokeness, we should desire, but in the broken, depressed, lowly view of myself kind of brokeness. 

Have you been there before?

I have some encouragement and a gentle warning, Sister.

In those times when I have fallen into believing the lie that I am failing, I have allowed that lie to take root in my mind; that is when I begin failing. 

The truth is that my real failure and sin always comes from how I react to believing the lie that I am failing. 

For example, I just can't do it all. I just can't. I know you can relate. But in those times when I begin to focus on what I can't do, that is when my attitude changes from being motivated and productive, to frustrated and grumpy. When I feel down on my capabilities and expect too much from my human self, and I can't do what I am expecting of myself, my attitude towards everyone is NOT pretty. 

When I begin to get overwhelmed, I can easily grow angry, and when I grow angry, I can sin, by leading my kids harshly, rather than tenderly.

We are all sinners and we definitely make mistakes, but a failure, we are not. We need to remember that being in Christ means we are a new creation, not just every Sunday when we go to church, and not even every day when we wake up and start a new day, but Christ has come to redeem us now, at this moment! 

If you are in the midst of a rough day, you can ask God to redeem it right now, to push reset on your day!

As you go through your days remember to guard your hearts and minds and teach your children to do the same. 

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8

If you are a feeling like a failure as a mom today, receive this virtual hug from me, a sister in Christ and remember that you are holy, beloved, forgiven, cleansed, clean, cherished, beautiful, and chosen.

You have been redeemed.

You are God's child, a daughter of the King. And He has the power to help you overcome any temptation, any obstacle, anything that is overwhelming. All you have to do is ask.

Lord Jesus, would you help us to be alert and aware when we are tempted to believe lies about who we are. Remind us that we are chosen, renewed, and holy, because of what You have done in our lives. Help us to receive your grace so that we can freely give it to others. Thank you for our families. Help us to be a beacon to our children of living in grace and freedom in Christ. Would you reveal to each of us the lies that we believe about ourselves and help us to cast off any false identities or lies we are believing. Help us to remember that we can call on you at any moment and just push restart on our day. Amen.

Be Courageous, 

Angie Tolpin, The Courageous Mom