As a Mother I am judged every time I leave our house. Especially being that I have two extremely busy, inquisitive, strong-willed, extrovert children who are not in the least shy.
You've seen the look: Pursed lips, furrowed brow, sidelong glances.
My heart rate goes up and my palms sweat as I valiantly try to quickly and quietly (er, not TOO quietly) make my children appear like little angelic offspring. I care way too much what others think.
My kiddos were running around like uncontrollable banshees in our local thrift store yesterday morning. As I was struggling to corral them an older woman came up to me and said, "You are a great Mom. You are doing a GREAT job." To have that little bit of mercy shown during a particularly trying Mommy moment was a ray of sunshine through the storm clouds.
Fighting the demons in our heads that whisper "You are failing as a Mother, you aren't doing enough, you are worthless" is a monumental task. Only with Jesus.
Lord, bind those demons, shackle their powers. Have mercy on all of us today. Let all of us struggling Mama's be a light that shines for YOU through to our children.
Let the importance of what YOU think of us as Mothers take precedence in our thoughts.
Not what strangers think of us.
Not what our "friends" think of us.
Not what our neighbors think of us.
Not what our relatives think of us.
Not what our Facebook friends think of us.
Not what other parents think of us.
Not what our community thinks of us.
Nothing matters but to please YOU Lord. Help us be Godly Mothers today. Be our ray of sunshine through the stormy skies of Motherhood so we can shine Your love and grace on our children.
Amanda
Amen to that! It's so easy to fall into that mommy comparison trap but at the end what truly matters is that our daily actions glorify HIM and that those "angelic" littles learn to do the same through our example. =) Love you Amanda...and for the record, I do think you are a great mom! =)
ReplyDeleteI have "wild" kids too . . . and most of the time I wouldn't have them any other way. I know God made them the way they are and will use them. It is SUCH a blessing when an older woman, a stranger, gives a compliment; I focus too much on my "failures" and how I'm not living up to what I think others think I should be doing. Your prayer is my prayer. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI too have two very determined busy children, always have, always will. its who God created them to be!! God also chose you to be their mommy!! One day at a time!! You got this!! You know whats best for those two little monkeys and none of us are perfect.
ReplyDeleteWhen you become a mom I think you join a team. A team of women who need Grace extended to them, love extended to them. And that what that woman was giving you!!
Bless you girl for your honesty!
ReplyDeleteYou are an AMAZING mama,raising AMAZING kiddos!
You are loved dear friend.
p.s. feel like we're ships passing in the night. :(
ReplyDeletewe're off to sun peaks for the weekend.
can we do coffee next week????
Well said, Amanda!
ReplyDeleteKeep those eyes focused on the cross - and know that I will not judge you :) I may strangle your child if he is acting up but... J/K No really, you are doing an awesome job. Can't wait to see y'all soon!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you post this because just today in Walmart a random guy passed me and my two boys and said "Wow, you're out numbered mom...Great job! Keep up the good work!" It is nice to have a compliment instead of the people staring at you like you are crazy and don't have a clue what you're doing and you wonder if they are thinking if are an unfit mom.. Thanks for the great post!!
ReplyDeleteAmen.
ReplyDeleteMommy is the toughest job in the world, but the most important. Keep up the good work!
This post couldn't have come at a better time! I have two kids--one is just about as perfect as a new teen can be and the other one...bless it (insert southern drawl). He's wild, he's willfull, he's hard-headed, and he's very smart to boot. Makes me crazy and make heads turn. I'll tell you what his teacher told me, though--and she homeschooled three very productive kids of her own before she came to public school. Enjoy him for what he is while you can with gentle guidance because he will be gone one day, but you want him to be gone with his spirit intact so that he'll come back from time to time. If it's broken, he may not return.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this encouragement!
ReplyDeleteWell said, momma...thanks for the reminder! :)
ReplyDeleteI love this post! It's very inspiring!
ReplyDelete