And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. ~ Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

Different Seasons.

“Motherhood is tough and it’s not for the faint of heart.” I bet you’ve heard this statement before but the reality of life as a mom is so much harder. Nothing prepares us enough for the challenges every season of motherhood brings.

Have you ever wished that you could fast-forward your life to a different season and escape the season you’re in because it’s just too hard? Always tired and exhausted, weary and worn out, stressed and overwhelmed.

Friend, I get it! I have found myself wishing my three children who are 6 and under, were in college but they are a long way from there. When you’re overwhelmed by the mess, noise and chaos of mothering young children, it’s tempting to want to escape it all.

Sometimes, we don’t know if we have it in us to face the day but for the grace of God. Somedays, we can’t wait to get through the day. And if we’re honest, it feels as if we’re just surviving this season of motherhood.

We hope we’re not ruining our kids because of our imperfect parenting. And pray that we’re not wounding our kids with our anger, disappointments and frustration.

 

God’s Beautiful Story.

Some of us are not only surviving, we hate this stage of life because we may feel that motherhood robs us of the life that we had envisioned for ourselves. We struggle to surrender our dreams to the reality of life as a mother. One that is selfless and sacrificial.

Whether you’re a single mom or a mom with multiple children, first-time mom or seasoned mom, working mom or stay at home, we all wrestle to find purpose in motherhood. We’re always learning and always becoming.

Our children are all part of a beautiful story that God is writing of our lives, sometimes through failure, challenges, pain and tears but always with purpose.

We won’t always get it right and we won’t have all the answers to our questions. But when we surrender to the process of becoming the mother that God has called us to be, we allow God to do His greatest work in and through us.

God’s Purpose.

God’s purpose is for us to know who He has created us to be and what He has made us to do. “Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:5 NASB

The process of becoming who God has called us to be requires pruning – a process in which God carefully cuts out things in our lives that are not part of His purpose and plan.

It’s a painful process of transformation that requires change, being stretched and surrender but in the end it is worth it.

Change is tough. What we don’t know scares us. Sometimes we’re comfortable with the way things are, so we struggle with change. But God doesn’t want to leave us the way we are. He has better plans for us if we would surrender to His process of transformation.

God’s purpose for pruning is so we become more like Christ. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” ~ Philippians 2:13 (NIV)

“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ~ Exodus 9:16 (NIV)

Becoming.

What kind of mom are you becoming?

Being a mom, especially of young children, can be overwhelming that it’s easy to lose sight of our purpose in the middle of the mess and chaos that has become part of our lives. In fact, most moms often struggle to find their purpose.

But if we look at our lives through God’s perspective, we’ll see that the very thing we might consider a hindrance to discovering our purpose, is what God uses to lead us to His purpose for our lives.

Becoming the mom God wants you to be takes time, experience, grace and intention. “We become what we purpose to become – what we’re intentional about becoming” – Heidi St. John, Becoming MomStrong.

Let’s be intentional about becoming the mother God created us to be – becoming more like Christ.

For a Season.

Whether you’re a mom of young children, teenagers or young adults, it’s all only for a season. Don’t feel bad about devoting yourself to the season God has called you into.

We need to embrace the season we’re in. That means, we may have to give up and surrender our dreams for God’s dreams for our children and family. Surrender doesn’t mean we lose what we want. It’s giving up something good in order to gain something better.

When we surrender our dreams to God, He gives us His dreams which far exceeds anything we can ever dream of.

So friend, let’s ask God to give us dreams that match the season we’re in.

Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us ~ Ephesians 3:20 (AMP).

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