For the Mom Who Wonders If It Will Ever Get Better

Join me in welcoming one of our newest contributors, Heidi Jones, to The Better Mom. She is sharing her journey of learning to turn her motherhood struggles over to Jesus. - XO, Ruth

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Sweet Mama, I see you there on the bed, surrounded by piles of dirty laundry that soak up your outpouring of tears like they never happened. But, oh they are real. Your little one is waking up from a nap, crying out to you but you are not ready for the demands of a toddler. You are worn out and weary from trying to control, fix and keep up.

I see you because I was you! Let’s travel back in time together about six years and there I was, sitting on the side of my bed struggling with my own feelings of failure in every area of my life—as a wife, a mother and even to myself as a woman. Everything was out of control and I felt like I was drowning in the responsibility of it all.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:29 -31 (NIV)

Up until that period of my life, I always felt like I could do it all. But in that moment, I knew that was so far from the truth. He had a better way, in fact, He knows the best way! So just like Peter, I called out to the Lord to save me and now, here I am all these years later, to tell you what that looked like for me.

It was not an immediate miracle. He did not pull me out of my circumstances, nor would I want Him to! I love being a mom, I love being a wife, I love this life that I have been given but He sure did meet me in that bedroom. As I released control to Him, He began to answer my prayers and heal the broken pieces of my heart and my life.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 (NIV)

Soon after that day, I found “The Better Mom” online and began reading it daily. What?! There were others out there just like me; imperfect, broken and searching for ways to improve. Countless mornings, the post spoke straight to my heart, on a topic that was the very struggle of that day. It amazed me to see how God used these women to comfort me just when I needed it most.

He sent other things too, not just one website! Music was a huge encouragement, along with other websites, books and even friendships.

There were still difficult days, but less of them and I handled them… better. The weeks went by; the months went by which then turned into years. Now I have joined the very team that helped me so and the message I felt necessary to share first was this:

When we surrender, he comforts us in our weakness and eventually we are equipped to be a comforter to others.

He gently grows us and then sends us out prepared to help others with the experience and the knowledge of what we’ve been through ourselves.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 (NIV)

So please, believe me when I tell you that although it will never be perfect, it gets better. Stop struggling, give it to Jesus, then watch him transform your broken heart, your struggling marriage, your hurting family and your wounded home into something better than you could have ever dared to imagine, let alone ask for.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

Now, go get your adorable toddler. Gently toss them into that enormous laundry pile, giggle and retrieve then repeat. That will lighten any load. See, doing laundry CAN be fun!

Blessings,

Heidi