Motherhood is for the Weak

Being a Mom is gloriously hard. The questions are endless, the messes are many, the responsibilities are constant and the moments are precious. Late last night, both of my little girls had a nightmare and ended up in my bed. Yesterday morning, my son came up behind me and put his arm protectively around my neck. Two days ago, I was answering questions about why seeds need water to grow and why God created the spider. Last week I was doubled over weeping as I apologized for being short and rude to the three small image-bearers of God that He has allowed me to raise.

Motherhood is soul-exposing, isn’t it?

Motherhood, precious and beautiful, is a pride-stripping gift that gets down into the nitty-gritty of our soul and sends us to our knees. And that is a very good thing.

People say that motherhood isn't for the weak and in some ways, they couldn't be more correct. It takes discipline, discernment, energy, wisdom, and faith - none of which come naturally - to be a parent worth their salt.  It isn't easy to wake up two, three, or sometimes six times each night to feed and soothe a crying baby.  It is no light thing to make decisions about breastfeeding vs. bottle-feeding, vaccines vs. no vaccines, homeschooling vs. public/private school, and so on and so forth.  Our homes are probably not Pinterest-worthy and our food likely does not look like a picture out of Betty Crocker's cookbook.  Our children have tantrums and talk back and we get frustrated and overwhelmed.  All of these things expose our limitations and reveal the truth: we are weak. We don't have it all together.

But while raising little souls is not for the faint of heart, motherhood - real, Christ-honoring motherhood - is for the weak.  It isn’t for the lazy, but it is for the women who humbly acknowledge their limitations.

In fact, our very weakness sets the stage for God to be seen in all His supreme glory.

The truth is, we will never parent perfectly.  We will get angry.  We will make unwise decisions.  We will do our best one day and do the bare minimum the next.  We are weak and frail, but we are not without Divine help.

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul lays out his weakness to the church in Corinth.  In verse 9 Paul recalls what God said to him about his dilemma.  He says, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.  Rather than making things easy, rather than smoothing the rough areas of life, God tells Paul that His supreme strength is going to shine through the cracks of Paul’s brokenness.  Paul’s weakness is only going to show others what Christ can do through a willing and surrendered life.  It is the same for us. 

As you walk through your own set of first things, last things, and really, really hard things, don't be too prideful to be weak. You may be tapped out from the diaper changes, the incessant crying, the many decisions, the jam-packed schedules, the growing pains, and the time outs.  You may be wondering how Christ could ever be seen when you’re weary from cleaning dried playdoh out of the carpet or when you can’t find your child’s shoes on Sunday morning, but let this be an encouragement to you: Let your weakness glorify Christ.  Let your limitations point your children to the limitless God. 

We don’t have to be perfect, we just have to be faithful.