Raising small humans is not for the faint of heart. My daily 2:30pm coffee is proof that superpowers (in the form of more caffeine) really are necessary at times.
Life can be messy. Just tonight we went from a full on dance party in the car to Rubberband Man(don’t ask) to the kitchen where I proceeded to toss a 6 count chicken nugget and a side of fruit across the island as the 6 year old pitched a fit in my room proclaiming that I am, in fact, the worst mom ever. That lovely episode was followed by a hormonal pre-teen begging incessantly for a phone straight to my sensitive one at the counter in tears out of the blue because he missed his Pop(my dad, who passed away this past July). My husband was traveling and it was me vs. this small army we created and I was LOSING.
Parenting is hard and grueling work and for the love, sometimes you just want to be in bed watching The Office re-runs with clean hair and shaved legs, and maybe a slice of cake. I often feel like I’ve blown all things motherhood, and then I remember grace and that God hasn’t called me to perfect parenting or a struggle free life. Loss is hard and unrelenting, but it brings new life and new growth. It offers new perspectives. Parenting is hard and often lonely work, but it brings abundant rewards, though often hard to see when you’re tossing fried chicken across your kitchen.
Generally, after one such episode, the enemy hurls lies in your face that say you are a failure, you are not fit for this, and you are losing this fight.
You are not a failure.
Do you hear me? You are not. Kids offer abundant grace. They are so capable of immediate forgiveness and big giant bear hugs to the mommies and daddies who feel they have blown it. They Eskimo kiss and make us laugh and literally overflow our cups. Life’s hard moments allow God to take our messes and rough edges and broken pieces and turn them into something beautiful. They remind us how very incapable we are apart from the Creator who gives us breath and the ability to navigate rough seas.
I am so thankful. Thrown chicken and all, for these nights that challenge, because by the time our heads hit the pillow we have exhaled and given thanks for each other and for our hard moments, for they bring about the most profound and beautiful change. They draw me closer not only to Jesus, but to my kids as well, if I let them, but we must guard against the lies.
“I used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now I’m more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.” ~Bob Goff
The world will tell you that you are failing if your kids fail. The world will tell you that you are failing if you are anything less than a totally Pinterest worthy together mom. The world will tell you that your success as a parent is based on your performance, as well as your kids. The world will tell you that each mistake you make warrants a #momfail label.
But God sings a different song.
God reminds us that His mercies are new every morning. God whispers to us that His grace is sufficient. God tells us that we don’t need to worry about tomorrow, because today is hard enough, and that he will supply all of our needs, according to His glorious riches.
Psalm 103:8-12 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
God shows us His love, his grace, and his mercy DAILY. He shows up, never leaves, and lavishes us with the ability to parent these small humans. He says He is enough. He will give us what we need for each day. It may be the hardest thing we have ever done, but we can rest in knowing that God looks on us as His dearly beloved, not as failures. Through the good and the bad, thrown chicken and all, His grace is more than sufficient and His love, it will never fail us. You, my friend, are NOT a failure.
*professional image courtesy of Emily Megan Photography
*professional image courtesy of Emily Megan Photography