Encouragement For The Mom Who Wants To Quit

Do you need a motherhood pick-me-up?  Some days there seems to be a major contradiction between beautiful and joyful mothering and reality.  When you are in the trenches day in and day out you can easily lose your vision.  At least I know I can.  Some days as a mother, try my soul.  Add sickness and exhaustion and I am literally done in!   Discouragement soon follows…here is some encouragement for the mom who wants to quit!

I can easily forget my value and focus on all my failures as a mother.  As a mother of 6, my weaknesses are many and I can find myself concentrating on them and not on the good I have accomplished.   For a start, it is hard to evaluate one’s mothering skills. Being a parent is fraught with uncharted territory.  In those moments of uncertainty, it’s good to focus on the facts.

Encouragement For The Mom Who Wants To Quit

• Every mother is divinely appointed to be her child’s parent.   God never makes mistakes.

• Motherhood is a process.

• God is your ever-present help in times of trouble.  You are never alone.

• Motherhood is discipleship and discipleship is messy.

• You can learn to be a good mother.

• God answers prayers!

As Christ-followers, we need to remember that the end goal of motherhood is to raise up dedicated disciples of Christ.   Reflect on this truth.   Often having just one thing to focus on makes the mission of motherhood much less overwhelming.  Let this fact simplify the decisions you are daily faced with.   How you communicate with your family, what activities you are involved in, and even the ways we entertain ourselves and our children.

Motherhood does not need to be overwhelming when we shift our focus off of ourselves and onto the strength of God to accomplish the task at hand.  Now that 4 of my 6 children are adults I can sit back and clearly see how faithful God has been to accomplish His goals in each of my children’s lives.  Yes, he used me to be His hands and feet but ultimately I must give credit to God for the accomplishments and spiritual growth of each one of my kids.   Just knowing, that I am not alone, gives me the freedom to sit back and enjoy the high calling of motherhood.

I would like to share a poem with you that has come to mean a great deal to me.  This poem has helped me get through the difficult days of motherhood.  When I want to give up and throw in the towel,  I go to my Bible first and then I read this poem and I find that the gentle verses rejuvenate me to press on.  I pray it will do the same for you!

THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE IS
THE HAND THAT RULES THE WORLD.

      BLESSINGS on the hand of women!
Angels guard its strength and grace.
In the palace, cottage, hovel,
Oh, no matter where the place;
Would that never storms assailed it,
Rainbows ever gently curled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

      Infancy’s the tender fountain,
Power may with beauty flow,
Mothers first to guide the streamlets,
From them souls unresting grow—
Grow on for the good or evil,
Sunshine streamed or evil hurled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

      Woman, how divine your mission,
Here upon our natal sod;
Keep—oh, keep the young heart open
Always to the breath of God!
All true trophies of the ages
Are from mother-love impearled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

      Blessings on the hand of women!
Fathers, sons, and daughters cry,
And the sacred song is mingled
With the worship in the sky—
Mingles where no tempest darkens,
Rainbows evermore are hurled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

William Ross Wallace

YOUR TURN…

How do you embrace the high calling of motherhood?

Blessings,