Yet, I'm very positive that we all have one thing in common, we hope to be a "Better Mom". Some of you are striving to be "Better" than what you had growing up. For others that were blessed with a Loving and compassionate mother their goal might be to match that standard. Some mothers simply strive to be the "Better Mom" to ensure they keep growing and work toward being better than they were the day before.
Strive to be a "Better Mom" and don't ever Stop! When we give up we fail our children and we ultimately fail ourselves too. There are mounting reasons that stop a person from chasing after "love, kindness, justice, self control" and they all stem out of bitterness, regrets, anger, frustrations, etc. Which, without condemnation I can confess come so easily at times. Most especially when maybe life is not what you want it to be, maybe it's not all coming together like you thought it would or should. Maybe it's not what you pictured or had imagined the whole journey to be like. Maybe you keep looking outward and the false/judged appearances of others and that has made you even more cold and hard to your own little world of parenting. Comparison parenting is such a thief. Parenting is hard work, it takes commitment and loyalty and huge amounts of personal sacrifice and selfless living. At least that's the way it should be.
It's hard to care for little people when your own soul is broken, bitter or hurting. That's the exact reason why I'm writing this today. Forgiveness for yourself. Forgiveness for not being perfect. Forgiveness for the anger and outbursts. Forgiveness for your adult temper tantrums that match your child's. Forgiveness for feeling exactly opposite of your hearts truest desires. Forgiveness for planning unbalanced meals, for being late to the kids practices, for getting your kids out the door without matching socks or reminding them ten times to be sure they had brushed their teeth that day. To be Forgiven for your loss of patience for when they threw their dirty laundry to the floor for the 100th time or how they tracked muddy into freshly washed linoleum floors.............................................
Accepting the work in progress, as God does. As you seek forgiveness, you'll know you are forgiven. In that moment healing can take place. Even when God is pulling back the scabs to confront at the core of all the issues to begin with. Sanctification hurts and there is NOTHING like the challenges of parenting that just tear at the fabric of who you are. You are being torn at, so you can be made UNDONE ......so that God can put you back together again.
Learning to let go of the cause and reasons for your personal struggles that affect your parenting is Key to the healing process. Our excuses will likely come from a place of pain and hurt. Those pains and hurts are usually a mask for unforgiveness and honestly probably from a huge sense of rejection. If you haven't noticed the most emotionally involved parents are super charged toward being "The Better Mom" when they never really had one to begin with.
Forgive, release the words into the atmosphere from your heart and don't wait. I know your day will come when the Spirit will undo you and put you back together again. That image of the mother you so long to be will be honored in his Mighty Name and Image. Don't be so afraid to struggle and to fail, it's in the raging fire inside you that you find your best refining moments.
It's time to honor what you already do, it's time to honor how much you already love, it's time to honor how much you already serve and give. It's time to honor your commitment and loyalty to your children and to God. You are a Better Mom because you want to be and that is where the power of transformation in your parenting lies, in the hunger and thirst for more love!
Don't stop Striving but do stop to forgive, heal and honor yourself!
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