A Prayer For The Mom Who Is Empty

I was busy and surrounded by children, but I was lonely. And tired. As women, we tend to err on the side of sacrificing for our kids’ needs, our husband’s needs–even the dog’s needs! (When will she stop chewing on the shoes?!) We want to serve from a place of love, but we forget that our needs matter too. Sometimes, we know we need to step outside our bubble, but when we try, we bounce back to the center of the chaos if the slightest resistance pushes back. 

Exactly one year ago, my family moved from California to Tennessee. My four sons are 5th generation Californians, so the change was dramatic. Leaving behind my only blood relatives, including my mom and dad, as well as my lifelong friends, was one of the hardest choices I have ever made. God paved the dusty way across the states and we took two weeks to explore and visit friends before settling into our new town: population: 744. A significant change from the millions of neighbors we had in Los Angeles. 

An extrovert, I set out to host a neighborhood brunch, organize game nights, set up playdates, and deliver plants with cards of introduction to our neighbors. We attended church, joined sports teams, volunteered for community work, and organized hikes to waterfalls with nearby colleagues. And still, I felt lonely. And still, I felt tired.

One morning, I woke up and prayed: “Fill my cup, Lord.” I was running on empty. Blessings were all around me and my heart was full of gratitude, but though my calendar was full, my heart was not. I longed for quiet moments of stillness. I had not taken time to grieve the loss of everyday moments with my family still in California or taken the time to explore what it would look like for me to find interests of my own in this new normal. Most of my prayers were for my children, few of them were for me. I sat outside on the porch, green tea steaming from the cup in my hands, and I told the Lord that I needed Him to fill my cup. He did, of course. I came away feeling His presence, renewed and ready to pour out from the overflow of God’s tender care for me–and even ready to say “no” a little more often to protect myself from spreading too thinly. 

It’s not noble to take care of everyone else without nurturing my soul and the desires of my heart. God sees me–and you–as His precious daughters. Just as I long for the best for my children, God longs to give the best to me. He has good plans for me. Blessings for me. Provision for me.

2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”

Moms, it’s often in our nature to see the needs of others, but let’s commit to drawing near our Heavenly Father on a regular basis. Let’s offer Him our hearts, our cups. We don’t need to strive to meet every need for all the people in our lives, running ragged and feeling depleted. God gives generously to all His children, and that includes moms.