 Hang in
There, Mama!
For
those moments when you think you’ll never live up to the Supermoms
around you—when you’re elbow deep in the grind of diapers and
laundry and peanut butter sandwiches—you need a good dose of Grit and Grace.
This
refreshing collection of 90 daily devotions comes from two moms
who’ve found themselves face-to-the-floor in need of encouragement
and now offer it to you. Through humor and vulnerability, these
short messages of truth remove the filters of perfection clouding
your vision and bring clarity to your purpose as a mom. As you read
the Scripture and prayer that accompany each day’s message, you’ll
discover more fully who you are in Christ and how to raise your
children to reflect His love to the world.
In
giving yourself grace, you will find you have even more grace to
give from the One who is present in your life right now and in
every moment.
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Motherhood Requires Grit and Grace
by Suzanne
Hadley Gosselin
Before I had children, I felt like a successful
adult. I had my moments, of course, but for the most part I felt
proud of my accomplishments and confident in my ability to “adult.”
I remember having idealistic talks with my husband while we were
dating about how we would parent our future kids. We were so
sweetly naïve as we pictured an orderly home with obedient
children. I pictured myself as the mom who would look great while
offering my young children stimulating activities and play dates. I
would have the house clean and dinner on the table when my husband
arrived home from work. I would write from home—steaming coffee in
my hipster mug—while my children played quietly (and cooperatively)
nearby. How hard could it be, right?
If you’re a mom, think back to your own imaginings of motherhood.
Did you have similar ideas? How did those work out for you?
Probably not exactly how you expected. The beautiful images I had
in my head didn’t materialize. The reality was much different. It
was still beautiful in a chaotic sort of way. Baby cuddles on lazy
mornings. Witnessing the absolute wonder of a child’s curious,
developing mind. And coffee, so much coffee … gulped down in
desperation and rediscovered as “iced coffee” hours later.
As my children grew, the pressures mounted. The more mom tasks I
had to manage, the less competent and capable I felt. In fact, many
days I seriously wondered if I was cut out for this. I also felt
spiritually depleted. I found myself in the most demanding season
of my life with little spiritual sustenance. And I felt like all my
shortcomings as a mom—a lack of patience, selfish tendencies, angry
outbursts—stemmed from the fact that I was not spiritually
nourished.
The more disconnected I felt, the harder it was to see the bigger picture
of who God was calling me to be as a mom. He had called me to raise
godly children who would faithfully serve Him. That’s a big
deal—and something the enemy wants us to forget. We are raising
glory ambassadors who will show the world Jesus’ love.
A turning point for me was giving myself grace and just trying to
do “something” each day, even if it was just reading one or two
verses in my Bible. I had to tell myself the truth: Being a mom to
young children is hard. It takes real grit to do the job. But moms
are up for the challenge. How do I know? Because God said that He
preordained good works for us to do, and being a mom is one of
those good works.
Mamas, as we put on spiritual armor to do battle among the spilled
Cheerios, splashed-in toilets, and total exhaustion of our
children’s little years, we can and will prevail! As we embrace who
God has made us to be in this season, we can draw from resources
deep within that He ordained from before the foundation of the
world. This journey will not only change our children’s lives; it
will change ours.
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Suzanne Hadley Gosselin lives in Colorado with her husband, Kevin, and
three children. Formerly an editor for Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. magazines,
she has written for Zondervan, David C. Cook, and Focus on the
Family. Suzanne enjoys sharing a good cup of coffee and
conversation with a friend, serving with her husband in children’s
ministry, and visiting her family in the Pacific Northwest.
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Gretta
Kennedy is a speaker, mentor and writer
with a degree in women’s ministry from Multnomah University and
over 20 years of ministry experience. She passionately supports her
husband, Jay, and his fulltime camp ministry. They are raising
their three children on Vancouver Island and report their
adventures on the travel blog Traveling Islanders.
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