Refreshing devotions for weary mamas who find themselves in need of truth and encouragement! These devotions are aimed to help a mom find her identity in Christ as she faces the challenges, surprises and joys of caring for young children. No need for her to compare herself to the supermoms around her; God has recruited her for her kids and He has big plans for her!
Harvest House Publishers
Day 1
Scripture: Isaiah 41:10
The Worst Five Minutes Ever
As a mom of littles, I often kept my sanity by cooking with my toddlers. One day we were by the stove carefully watching the noodles boil for macaroni and cheese. When the noodles were cooked, I removed the pan from the stove and poured the macaroni into the strainer in the sink. That’s when I realized I needed butter and ran to the basement to get some from the extra fridge.
Twenty seconds later, I was hurrying back up the stairs when I heard a blood-curdling scream. My 2-year-old had done the thing all mothers fear. He had touched the stove and burned his hand. I ran cold water over his hand and sat down on the couch, pressing a bag of frozen peas on his chubby palm.
That’s when I heard the splashing noise coming from the bathroom. I went to investigate and found my 11-month-old standing at the toilet happily squishing poo between his fingers! Horrified, I placed him in the empty bathtub. (I would have rather hosed him off, but it was January and that seemed a bit cruel.) That’s when I heard a loud POP and my 3-year-old’s sweet voice saying, “Uh, oh, Mama. I’m sorry.”
I walked to the living room to discover my daughter had broken the laptop beyond repair. In five minutes I had gone from happily preparing lunch for my littles to crying in a heap.
My whole life, I’ve heard that God will never give me more than I can handle. But in all my dreaming about raising a family, I never imagined a scenario like this. In that moment, I just wanted to crawl into a ball, call my own mother and give away my children.
The truth is, God never actually promises to only give us what we can handle. Instead, He promises He will always be with us. He walks with us through our suffering. He carries our burdens.
We were never designed to “handle” this life without Him.
Isaiah 41:10 says: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
In one verse, God gives such amazing and timely promises of comfort and hope.
Take heart. You have the Almighty God of the universe with you. No matter what comes your way, you are not alone.
Day 2
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9
Unhappy Camper
If you want to be humbled, go camping with young children. My husband and I attempted our first family camping trip when we had four children, 7 and under. I don’t know what made us think it was a good idea to go on our church’s annual camping trip, at the beach, in a tent.
This is where I learned three very important lessons.
- Lesson #1: Camping with young children is taking all of the stresses of parenting at home and adding a lot more dirt and a lot less sleep. Plus, fire.
- Lesson #2: Camping with young children will quickly bring you face to face with your control issues and inadequacies.
- Lesson #3: Camping with young children will make memories that none of you will ever forget. The air mattress deflating in the middle of the night while you’re trying to nurse the baby. Every square inch of sticky little bodies covered with dirt and sand. The ants infesting your picnic table, pillaging the scraps of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches left there the night before. And then there are the smiles. The giggles. The unbridled joy of little ones jumping into the surf, dancing in the firelight, and discovering “treasures” along the trail.
I think camping made me feel so defeated because I was not operating within my strengths. Flexibility isn’t my strong suit. I like to know exactly what’s going to happen so I can feel in control.
A lot of my struggle came down to a belief that I’m more valuable when I’m operating in my strengths… when I’m confident and feel I have something to offer. But the truth is, God can use me in my weakness too. Discomfort and even failure draw different things out of me, such as dependency on others. You would not believe how many kind souls fed my kids, said an encouraging word, or offered a hug.
2 Corinthians 12:9 contains this incredible truth: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
In those moments when you are uncomfortable, and so very aware of your own inadequacies, God gives you more grace. He invites you to just be… weak. That’s it.
You don’t have to be strong.
You don’t even have to be functional.
In fact, you can brag “all the more gladly” about your weakness because it provides an opportunity for Christ’s power to shine through you.
Day 3
Scriptures: Psalms 63, Psalms 107:9
Soul Food
“Fissy, Mama, fissy.” Titus had been saying it for a week in his sweet, almost two-year-old voice. Then the guessing game would start. We were vacationing in Hawaii and had experienced all sorts of wonderful things: snorkeling, hiking, boogie boarding, and beach time.
“Do you want to see the fish, buddy?”
“No.”
“You want to go play in the water?”
“Uh-huh,” came his hopeful reply.
I’d walk over and get his swimsuit and he’d start up again.
“No, Mama. Fissy.”
As the days wore on, and the unfruitful dialogue continued, we all became increasingly frustrated. Then one afternoon, just after his nap, Titus once again said, “Fissy, Mama.” Oh, here we go again. I stared at him, tilted my head to the side, and said slowly, “Buddy, are you thirsty?”
“Yeah,” came the sweet, tender reply.
It was so simple once I figured it out. But it took really putting in the time and effort to decode his language.
Much like Titus, our souls are speaking to us. We all long for intimacy, love, peace, rest, relationship. The question is, how do we fill the longings of our souls?
If you’re anything like me, you might turn to social media to connect with someone over the age of 5. But social media won’t fill that longing. Or maybe you’re looking to your husband to solve all your intimacy needs—something he was never intended to do. Or maybe you find that even being a mom, though wonderful, isn’t completely fulfilling.
Listen to the words of David in Psalm 63: “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole body longs for you…I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods…I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.”
When we understand that our soul is actually hungry and thirsty for God and we look to Him to feed and nourish it, He actually gives us good food.
Psalm 107:9 tells us, “he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
His food is restorative. It’s good.
How are you feeding your soul? What does it look like to go to God first for that filling? Reading his Word, seeking Him in prayer and finding opportunities to worship are a few ways you can keep the lines open throughout your day.
Make today a day of getting soul food from the One who made you.
Day 4
Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Ephesians 2:10
Reporting for Active Duty
It was five o’clock, and I was having one of those days where there’s way too much day left at the end of my patience. My three-year-old had recently given up her afternoon nap, which meant Mommy hadn’t had a break all day. And Daddy had a dinner meeting, so there was no relief in sight.
As I prepared dinner, I surveyed the landscape of my life: As far as the eye could see, my house looked like the aftermath of a hurricane. The kids were giving Oscar-worthy dramatic performances in the family room, fighting over which cartoon they would watch next. And macaroni noodles boiled over on the stove.
As the baby wailed from his high chair (the safest place he could have been at that moment) and I considered the same course of action, a thought entered my mind: This is not what I signed up for!
At times motherhood can feel like a bait and switch.
You imagined it to be one way, and the reality is completely different. You imagined you’d be a certain kind of mom, and you are completely different. You may even wonder for an instant whether you would have taken it on had you fully known what the job would require.
In life we sign up for many things, but we don’t sign up for motherhood. We may make a choice to bring a child into the world, but we are recruited by God to be that child’s mother.
When I think of it that way, it changes everything. I have been recruited! I am called to my children. And the great news is that I’m not alone.
First Thessalonians 5:24 says, “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” And Ephesians 2:10 offers this encouraging word: “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
While motherhood can seem like a monumental task, God promises to be with us every step of the way. He Himself equips us for the task. Before you were ever born, He knew the good works you would do. Good works like refilling sippy cups and kissing boo-boos.
Whether you’re just starting your day and hoping for smooth sailing or about to finish up “one of those days,” take comfort in the fact that God has recruited you. And He’ll help you do all the wonderful things He has planned.
Day 5
Scripture: Psalms 127:3-5
Arrows in the Quiver
My father is number 5 of 8 children. Of those 8, 6 had children of their own; I am number 13 of 24. And we 24 are doing our part to increase the human population too, with nearly 50 kids and counting among us.
I remember all of us grandchildren visiting my grandpa’s house one year. We decorated little sticks that we made into arrows and placed in a homemade quiver to display above the mantle in my grandparents’ home. With it was the verse from Psalm 127:3-5: “Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”
Before having children I didn’t really understand this verse. The one where children are compared to arrows. I thought it odd that kids would be used as a weapon. Sure, it made sense that children are a heritage or a blessing. And it definitely makes sense that children are a reward. I mean, I feel like I hit the jackpot when God made me a mom. But why are they to be arrows? And am I the warrior?
The quick answer: Yes, as the parent I am the warrior, and they are arrows to fight against the evil in this world.
As mothers, we are the first people to teach our children what love looks like. Children learn in our home how to love Jesus. They learn about kindness, gentleness, working with others, and all the things necessary to be functioning members of society. And how, do they learn these things? They will learn best when they see us loving Jesus. When they watch us display kindness and gentleness toward others, they learn how to be gracious and compassionate.
As we step out in obedient faith, following God’s lead, our children gain wisdom and courage to follow God too. As moms, we are their first models of what it means to follow God. They are watching. They are learning. And as they learn, they strengthen as arrows.
One day these children will be adults in a world that desperately needs truth. A world that needs compassion. A world that above all needs Jesus. When we model godly living, our children pick up on it and are more prepared to one day do the same