When I was a little girl, I always wanted to grow up to be a mom. My mom made it look a lot easier than it was. I didn’t know that it is the most difficult job on earth, with the longest hours, the least recognition, and the most sacrifice.
From the moment you hold your baby in your arms, your heart grows, and your life is never the same. This strong love puts your child’s well being and needs above your own.
Like a mama bear, a mother is willing to fight for and protect the child God has entrusted to her care.
What I grew to understand, was that being a mom is really the most important job in the world. It’s the job that shapes lives, gives foundation to the next generation, and builds a legacy.
How you raise your family has a lasting impact on generations to come. The faith you’ve passed down, the traditions your family holds dear, the values and moral codes weaved into the fabric of your family – all become part of who you are, what you stand for, and creates a lasting legacy.
That’s a big responsibility and some days, it isn’t so easy.
Being a mom grows a strength we often didn’t know we had, and refines us often through fire. I don’t know about you, but there were some days that I felt like I wasn’t enough, that I was messing up this parenting thing, or that I’d like to run out the front door.
I remember losing my voice (not from laryngitis) but from yelling at one of my boys! Not my best mom moment. My “indoor mommy voice” wasn’t working that day, so I thought I needed to turn up the volume. I had to apologize and ask for forgiveness from that son for losing it.
I’ve cried myself to sleep many nights, as I replayed a day over in my head. I’d recall how I really tried to remain calm, but after dealing with the same issues all day, my frustration got the best of me.
When the boys were little, someone cried over something daily. There was constant discipline, teaching, and training. I was exhausted.
But then I’d go check on them before going to sleep, and they would look like little angels, innocent and sweet. By my fourth one, I started taking pictures of him while he slept (I know… “stocker mom”), just so I could remember.
Being a mother is one of the greatest gifts from God. James 1:17a says “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” You are entrusted with these lives to mold and shape. As much as you love them, God loves them and you even more. You can parent confidently knowing that God is with you. You are not in this alone. Your investment of time and energy are filled in by God’s love and grace.
Being a mom brings a joy that fills your heart with an unconditional love. It is a forever job that doesn’t stop when they leave your home. A mom’s love is always present, always praying, caring, supporting, loving, and always encouraging. It just loves from the sidelines, instead of being in the game.
On this Mother’s Day, if you are a mom, may you feel cherished and honored for being the amazing, dedicated, hardworking mom you are or have always been. On Sunday may your kids bless you. And if they don’t, know that God sees every effort, kind act, teaching moment, dinner made, tear that fell, sacrifice, and prayer spoken- and He knows and says: “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
Happy Mother’s Day & may God bless you and your family!
Quotes to Encourage & Make You Laugh:
“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Perhaps one day, they’ll understand all the sacrifices she gladly made out of love for them.” – John Mark Green
“My kids wanted to know what it was like to be a Mom so I woke them up at 2 am to let them know my sock came off.” – unknown
“There is no such thing as a perfect parent. So just be a real one.” – Sue Atkins
“Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a mother.” – unknown
“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.” – Linda Wooten
“Because I feel that, in the Heavens above / The angels, whispering to one another, / Can find, among their burning terms of love / None so devotional as that of ‘Mother’” – Edgar Allen Poe
Motherhood: Because privacy is over-rated.”
“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” -Princess Diana
“If every mother in the United States could wrap her mind around her true value as a woman and mother, her life would never be the same. We would wake up every morning excited for the day rather than feeling as though we’d been hit by a truck during the night. We would talk differently to our kids, fret less about our husbands’ annoying habits, and speak with greater tenderness and clarity. We would find more contentment in our relationships, let mean remarks roll off our backs, and leave work feeling confident in the job we performed.” – Meg Meeker Md
What a beautiful Mother’s Day blog. Had me in tears. You captured all the aspects of being a godly mother.
Thank you, Arleen. I’m thankful this message moved your heart. Hope you had a lovely Mother’s Day!
This is so beautiful, but when I was reading it to Mike, I just ended up sobbing! Like you said, you never stop being a mom and your heart just grows as your family grows. Right now, I have some emotional days when I can’t hug and squeeze all of them! Thanks for using your gift of writing, Leann. Happy Mother’s Day! 💗💗
Oh Sandy, I love your heart! I hope you get those hugs very soon. Sending you a big hug right now, and can’t wait to give you one in person. It is funny how God just makes room for more love in your heart when another baby comes along. It’s God’s economy, and for that I am grateful.
You have always been such an amazing role model for me from the days we played house practicing to be mommies all the way to the real thing! I have always admired the time and care you took of your sweet boys. You truly invested in each and every one and you amazed me how you were able to even home school them in the super busy early years. In the younger years, you always told me the days are long and the years are short. Now being on the other end of raising kids, this is so true. How quickly it all went. Your Mother’s Day message was truly a blessing to me today. I loved this reminder of how important the precious role of being a mom is, even if we spend more time just watching from the sidelines these days.
Awe, thank you Renee! This season of parenting does go by quickly, and our roles as moms change. We become more of a mentor or a sideline cheerleader, as they spread their wings and fly. It is a bittersweet transition, but part of the training and launching process. Thank you for reading and for your encouragement!
Oh my gosh! That last quote by Meg Meeker!! I always wanted to grow up to be a Mommy, too. It was my greatest dream, and I am so thankful for my kids. I thought raising littles was hard, but raising bigs (through mostly prayer) is so much harder! Our influence over our adult children is so much more subtle, but nonetheless just as important. Before I read your blog this Mother’s Day morning, I was praying blessings over the moms in my life and then over my children. I was, once again, asking God for wisdom as I continue to parent my 19, almost 23 and 25-year-olds, as well as to my almost 29-year-old son-in-law. I’m so thankful that you started your blog and are sharing your wisdom with other women/moms. Thank you for listening to the Holy Spirit and for using your beautiful gifts!
Leah, I so agree! raising teens and then adult children is more difficult than the little years by far. But prayer is powerful. It is our one invisible power when we go straight to God, that impacts our children. They are all so blessed to have a praying mom like you, Leah.
Beautifully said, Leann. Motherhood IS the most important occupation there is. You are an amazing example of what a mom should be. Some of the things that you did for your boys and the work that you put into them was an honor to witness.
I think God grows a mom as He grows the children. Each season of motherhood requires different attributes. Once the kids are out on their own, as two of yours are, there is a change in what is needed from us. We are going to always be there to support, listen, and more importantly pray. Sometimes it is hard to take a backseat, but you will always be needed and loved.