For the lonely, worn down, tired out. For the busy. For the one who feels inadequate. For the one who feels like she’s failing. Invisible.
Unseen.
But it’s also you. For those of you who are THRIVING. Feeling purposeful. Seen. Known. Heard.
It’s for all of you, Moms.
Whether you have kids in college, or 3 year old at home. Whether you have one kid or five kids. Whether you’re thriving in motherhood, or whether you’re hurting from loss.
You’re doing freaking awesome. You ARE freaking awesome. Whether you know it or not. Whether you feel like it or not.
Your job of changing crappy diapers, mopping up spill after spill, and keeping up with your kids to make sure they stay alive, matters. Driving your kids all around God’s green Earth to make sure they get to extracurricular activities does not go unseen. Your job is important. Not only in the world, but in the Kingdom if God.
It takes a special kind of woman to be a mother.
You cut your heart out and place it inside of another human who walks and talks and hurts and sins. You are vulnerable. Your heart gets broken time and time again and is dependent on the actions of a another person.
And DANG IT PEOPLE, this is what Jesus does for us. Moms, you reflect that.
I can’t even imagine what that feels like. You women are strong. You are powerful and influential.
The responsibility that comes with being a Mom is wild. My good friend Hunter Miller said this yesterday and I thought it was hilarious and totally accurate: “You could raise up a person that’s a serial killer, or one who changes the world.” Stressful. Am I right?
But know this: You aren’t perfect. You weren’t created to be perfect. You weren’t created to be enough for another human being, especially your kids. Don’t expect yourself to do everything right. Don’t expect yourself to always make the right decision.
You’re going to mess up.
You’re going to hurt and be hurt.
You might simultaneously feel like you’re too much and not enough. But you’re HUMAN, and this is truth: you are enough. You are because He is. Don’t be afraid to show your humanity; it only allows people to tangibly see the Lord’s power and perfection in your weakness and brokenness.
Don’t speak lies over yourself. Don’t say that you’re not good enough, or adequate enough, or less of a Mom than the lady next to you. Because the reality is, nobody can be a Mom to your kids like you are. Your role is irreplaceable.
You are enough.
Your life matters to your kids. Actually, your life matters PERIOD because it matters to God. He C R E A T E D you; uniquely formed you.
Staying at home all day, or going to work while juggling being a Mom holds value. Keeping in touch with your adult kids and loving them to the best of your ability (whatever that looks like) matters. It’s important.
You’re changing the future. You’re changing the Kingdom when you set the example of a life recklessly abandoned to Jesus. You don’t need to be a better Mom. You need to press into your identity as a child of God and find your unique role as a Mama in THAT.
Not in what people think. Not in how many events you volunteer at for school. Not in how healthy your kids eat and how picture-perfect your dinners look. Not in how patient you are compared to the “golden” Mom. Not how grand your kids turned out to be.
It brings me such sorrow to think that Moms don’t see how important they are. G O D chose you. He gave you your gifts because it brings his Kingdom to Earth in a totally unique way.
People might not call being a Mom a career, or a future, or a calling. But I say it’s one of the most crucial, difficult, and necessary callings a woman could have. And, just like any other calling, it should be lived out with purpose, passion, humility, and grace.
Be the best Mom that you can be. That’s all anyone could ever ask for. All God requires of you is obedience
and faithfulness. That’s all he requires of anyone. To step out in boldness and faith and courage.
Live out your calling as a Mom with P A S S I O N. Passionately love your kids. Passionately serve. Passionately give. Passionately discipline. Passionately pour out what the Lord fills you up with every. single. day.
The Moms I know are some of the coolest people I’ve ever met. They give. They nurture. They speak life and truth into hurt and sorrow. They give perspective. They set an example that I desire to follow.
Thank you to all the Mamas that exist in my life. Thank you for pouring into me. Thank you for feeding me (spiritually and physically). Thank you for letting me be a part of your life.
To the best Mom in the world, you rock some serious socks. I’m proud of the woman that you are. I look up to you. Real love requires sacrifice, and you embody what it means to sacrifice. Thanks for not being perfect, and in turn, allowing God’s glory to radiate in your weakness.
ONE last thing.
I can speak these truths and you can read them. But it is your CHOICE to believe truth. I cannot make that decision for you.
What an honor it is to know Moms. But what a greater honor it is to be one. Live in that honor.
-Lyss
Friends, seriously. Thank you for reading. It’s so humbling to be used as a vessel; because that is what I am. A mere vessel. I hope this didn’t just bring encouragement to Moms, but to everyone that read this. Your calling, your life, it’s important. It makes a difference. Live it out with zeal and passion.
I want to ask you to join me in coming to the humble realization about how insanely awesome Moms are. Thank them. See them. Give them grace. Appreciate them.
