Encouragement For The Mom Who Feels Like She Isn't Enough

No matter how many birthday cakes we make from scratch, how many games we cheer at from the sidelines, or days we shuttle kids from place to place, there will be times when we feel like we’re not doing enough for our kids. None of us are immune to feeling less than, or wishing we had more energy, wisdom, patience, creativity, and a degree in child development.

Our grown children will be the product of our daily investments, and that often makes me feel like “The Little Engine That Couldn’t” at the base of a very large mountain. 

We all need to be reminded that God created us as finite human beings, and the circumstances of this season were filtered through his sovereign hands (thankfully he also created coffee, which is currently being filtered through my coffee pot). But what if we take that just a step further and consider that we actually are not enough for our kids, in this season or any?  

Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you it takes a village. But if we were everything for our kids, would they ever feel the need to pray for energy, wisdom, patience, or creativity? In John 15, Jesus tells his disciples to abide in him, not their mamas. He is the one who will develop good fruit that lasts in us and in our kids. 

To abide in Christ means to live in constant dependence on him and his Word. So rather than stressing about our limits, what if we used them as reminders to abide in, or depend on Christ? And rather than stressing so much about what our kids will be like when they’re independent, what if we focus on teaching them to depend on and abide in Christ? 

Jesus doesn’t just promise to grow us when we abide in him, he also promises to abide in us. Jesus indwells us, and works in us with his power and authority. And that’s what he’ll do with our kids.

So take a breath and know that your best – limited and frazzled as it may be - is perfect. Not because it’s enough, but because it’s not. Your ‘not enough’ equips you to teach your kids to depend on and abide in Christ. And He is enough.