Skip to main content

Why It’s Important That You Know You’re a Great Mom

 This blog was originally posted here.

Last time I guest blogged here, we were in the middle of a very tiring and challenging journey, looking for answers to our son’s medical diagnosis. After 18 months of visiting specialists and running a battery of tests, we found out just before his second birthday that he has a rare genetic abnormality. We’re now about 18 months from that point and have learned so much about what that means for him developmentally and how we can come alongside him in his growth and in attaining new skills. He is doing so well and has grown so much; we’re so proud of him and thankful for all God has enabled him to do so far!

What I didn’t realize in being his mom is that along with the pride and gratitude I felt for every new skill and every new word used in context, I also had developed quite an insecurity in my mothering abilities due to all of the questions and looks people have given us since he was born. Questions regarding his size and slowness regarding meeting milestones — you name it, we’ve been questioned. I thought I was “over it” and at a really good place, comfortable in my mom-skin, until we recently welcomed our daughter to the world.

Everything with her has been so… well, typical, in a really good way. Feeding every two to three hours, sleeping well, gaining weight and growing taller, meeting milestones right on track. It’s been markedly different these first 11 weeks of her life and I feel so much more confident in mothering her. I actually shared with my dad that I think I’m a dang good momma — just a few short weeks after having her.

This was a huge shift in my mind and heart and all glory to the work of our Father God in me. In seeing my value as being his daughter. I delight so much in my daughter, even when all she was doing is sleeping and breathing, and I realized how cherished I am. How cherished each of is to him who created us, who knows us better than anyone else. What an incredible experience and gift to be a mom!

As I learn how to mother my children, each to their personalities, gifting, and challenges, my prayer is that I continue to have confidence in myself as the woman chosen to help bring them up to know the Lord and love and follow him. Not that my confidence would be in my abilities nor lack of confidence due to my own challenges, but that my confidence would be rooted in who God says I am. Beloved. Chosen. His daughter with whom he delights. His conduit for loving my husband and children. The steward for the gifts he has bestowed upon me for their benefit.

Friends, do not believe the enemy when he tells you you’re not enough for your kids. You are a dang good momma. Don’t let others tell you, nor should you tell yourself, anything contrary. Be kind to yourself. Cut yourself some slack. Trust your gut and most importantly, trust your God. He will continue to equip you to the calling of being a mother to the children entrusted to your care. It’s important that you remind yourself of this – the simple fact that you delight in your children when they have done nothing to deserve it is a direct reflection of the amazing love our Father has for you. Let His love for you be all the affirmation of your efforts and the filling of your cup, as you help bring up your littles in his mercy, grace, and love.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

If You're Going to Put on Makeup

  If you’re going to put on makeup, you’ll probably start with some mascara. When you take out your mascara, you’ll remember you like to curl your eyelashes first, so you’ll have to find your curler. When you find your curler, you’ll slowly put your eyelashes in, one eyelid at a time. Curling your eyelashes will remind you of how fun it is to curl your hair, so you’ll probably find your curling iron and plug it in. While it’s heating up, you’ll get inspired about what to wear, so you’ll go to your closet to pick something out. You’ll choose a favorite shirt and pair of pants and excitedly put them on. When you step into your pants, you’ll notice your toenail polish is peeling off and decide that it would be fun to have them match your favorite shirt. So you’ll go to the cupboard and take out your nail polish remover and select the right color. You’ll remove your peeling polish and see the blinking light of inactivity on your curling iron. So you’ll wash your hands and curl your hai...

Don't Worry About the Small Stuff

.... And most of it is small stuff. Lately I've been thinking about how much other people have the potential to either make you smile or get under your skin. I've recently encountered several situations in which I had been struggling to not let other people completely ruin my experience with something or my attitude about things. Through a lot of processing, I realized that I was trying to micro-manage and control other people's responses, thoughts, actions and words in my own strange way. I was giving them the power to dictate whether or not I enjoy myself and enjoy life. How strange of me! Then I realized that a lot of people tend to do that (although usually subconsciously) and end up being so frustrated by everyone else's junk or bad attitudes that they themselves become junk-carrying crabby people. So I figured, hey, I have enough stuff to carry around on my own. Why on earth would I try to also figure out your issues? (unless of course you ask for help) Plus, ...

Ding-Dong-Ditch Isn’t Just for Kids

 This post was originally published here . A few weeks ago, I brought a meal to a friend whose son had gone through surgery about a week earlier. As we had a quick visit in her kitchen, she asked if I had brought a meal to our mutual friend who is battling cancer, and I told her I hadn’t been able to yet. I had been reaching out to her to try to find time to connect and planned to bring a meal, but I couldn’t get anything on the calendar, so the meal hadn’t been shared yet. My friend told me that when they had been in the hospital with their son in the NICU, the only way she could accept offers for a meal was if people dropped it off on the doorstep and left it in containers that didn’t need to be returned. I asked for clarification. “So, they basically ding-dong-ditched you and left a meal behind?” “Exactly, and it was amazing,” she answered. “Aha! I will offer to do the same for our friend,” I replied. The next week, I was making a huge batch of potato soup and I texted the other...