Moms: we sometimes spend so much time fretting about how we or our kids fail to meet our expectations. We compare ourselves to others, lies we've chosen to believe, and the impossible standards we've adopted. We weren't meant to mother from that place.
I remember so well those early years in mothering littles, when the days seemed so long that I fantasized about bedtime and how eager I was for the day to end. I would be so tired and overwhelmed with my daily fiasco of diapers, spilled soggy cereal, temper tantrums, and interrupted naps, that I couldn't receive the encouragement to treasure my days and to be present in the moment from more seasoned mothers.
But as I grew in embracing my role as wife and mom, I began to see that so much of what wore me out and discouraged my heart had to do with the lies I believed about what my kids (or I as a mom) should look like or how well I should manage it all. Of course there was so much for me to learn about being a mother -- kids aren't born with a manual! -- but the frustration I felt stemmed ultimately from looking to perceived cultural standards and myths, rather than biblical truth.
Motherhood is sanctifying not because he called us to a task that we are capable of without Him, but rather to one through which we must rely on Him. The more we welcome the sanctifying work that motherhood does in our lives, the more we are able to pass on (and demonstrate) the greatness of our God to our children.
My friends Ruth Schwenk and Karen Ehman have written a newly released book, Hoodwinked, to dismantle 10 myths we moms believe, and remind us that we can confidently approach motherhood on account of God's faithfulness and the encouragement we can find in uniquely caring for the family God's given us individually.
Almost 14 years into motherhood, I can now see: So much time was wasted comparing and contriving myself to become something that God never called me to be -- perfect. Rather than stewarding well the time I was given each day with my children, I focused so often on how I wasn't getting more done or doing better with my time...I so often found myself overwhelmed at all that I needed to do that I couldn't enjoy what was right before me.
One of my favorite chapters in Hoodwinked is "Myth #7: Motherhood Is A Rat Race." In this chapter, Ruth and Karen help us to recognize how sacred time is...how "understanding our calling always leads to great clarity." We so easily squander time or wander aimlessly in our days as moms when we don't understand our purpose with greater assurance.
“We should number our days not so we live fearfully, but in an effort to live more faithfully. Our time as a mom is not infinite or limitless. We count our days so we can make them count.” (Hoodwinked, pgs. 93-96)
I'm grateful that Karen and Ruth have written a book that meets all of us moms right where we are: in need of discernment as to the myths we buy into and how to meet those false notions with the truth of God's Word. Maybe you are in the fog of the myths you are trying to live by, or perhaps you need some encouragement to stop looking to the left or the right, but to seek God for the calling of motherhood. Either way...this book may be of encouragement to you, right where you are. We weren't made to do motherhood alone...or to do it according to our own wisdom.
Get Hoodwinked today wherever books are sold and on Amazon.
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh1DeyF3HtM&w=854&h=480]Be blessed today, mamas. You're doing a great work with a great God.
Because of grace,
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