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Recording of “God and Motherhood: How God can Help You in Your Motherhood Journey” read by Nicole Buscaker.
“I can’t do this.” This thought has popped into my head too many times to count as a mom. I’m too tired, too anxious, too overwhelmed to be the mom my kids need me to be. The house isn’t clean enough, the meal isn’t balanced enough, the cupboards aren’t organized enough, and I just can’t do it all.
And yet I forget that there is One who conquered all of my insecurities, imperfections, and weaknesses. Jesus carried the burdens of the entire world, so why don’t I give those burdens to Him now? Why don’t I let Him walk with me in the journey and help me through it?
You CAN let Jesus and God into your motherhood journey. And when you do, you will find an abundance of energy, strength, hope, and love you couldn’t have produced on your own.
Now let’s talk about how God and motherhood and how you can let God into your Christian motherhood journey.
How do I let God into My Motherhood?
It can be easier said than done to let God into your motherhood journey. But it really isn’t that hard! And I promise, it will be worth it to have the wisest and most powerful Being in the universe on your team.
God is all knowing, all powerful and loves you infinitely and eternally. So why not ask God to be a part of your motherhood journey?
God’s ability to help you is limitless, but often He waits for you to ask Him for help. So pray and ask! Talk to Him about your struggles, hopes, and dreams as a mother. Be honest with Him. He can take your anger, depression, anxiety, and fears. So give them to Him.
When you don’t know what to pray for, turn to the scriptures. There are many prayers written out for you that you can use! God doesn’t mind if you plagiarize prayers as long as they are sincere. 😉
How prayer to God helped me in my motherhood journey
Recently I was struggling with constant anxiety. I couldn’t feel the joy I yearned to feel as a mom. I felt like I couldn’t get enough time to myself. There were so many things to be done and needs to be met, and I didn’t feel adequate enough to do it all.
“And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.”
As I read this verse, I realized this is what I needed. I needed more strength and for my affliction of constant anxiety to be swallowed up in the joy of Christ. So that’s what I prayed for. I literally asked God to grant me what He granted Alma in this verse.
And guess what?! God gave me a miracle. The abnormal anxiety that was weighing me down for weeks (maybe months) is gone. I no longer feel weighed down by all the messes that need to be cleaned and the crying children who need attention. I feel free!
Through His Son, Jesus Christ, God entered into my motherhood journey and changed the course it was taking. Because of Him, I smile more each day. Because of Him, I feel confident in my abilities knowing He is with me. Because of Him, I know I can be the mother He made me to be.
I am so glad I found that verse that showed me what to pray for and that I took action and asked God for help.
As you confront challenges in motherhood, search for scripture verses that will get you through them. You may find characters in The Holy Bible or The Book of Mormon who faced similar trials to you. There may be a promised blessing that you were looking for. Or you may just find an overarching sense of peace and reassurance that you can do this.
Whether you open the scriptures to a random page, continue reading from where you left off, or search for a specific topic, you will find God’s help.
3) Attend Church, the Temple, or other place of worship
I have found so much strength and spiritual encouragement when I attend Church or go to the Temple. God meets me in my motherhood struggles and He knows just how to help me.
I feel like there is added strength when I attend as often and regularly as I can. All the spiritual messages from the speakers, the Holy Spirit, and the scriptures add up to lift me in my struggles.
I also find that it is easier to receive answers and guidance from God in motherhood when I attend the Temple. I often go alone and can better hear what God wants to tell me than anywhere else.
Strive to accomplish what God wants you to do that day, not just what YOU think you need to do that day.
It can be too easy to get caught up in the long and never-ending to-do list of laundry, dishes, dinners, errands, events, etc.
But what about the things that GOD wants you to do? Have you paused to think about what that may be?
I love what Jesus tells us:
“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.”
You might think it is crazy to not focus on what you will have for dinner and making sure there are clean clothes for tomorrow. Without those things, afterall, your family’s lives would be in chaos.
God isn’t saying that these things don’t matter, but that He will take care of it. Your job is to FIRST seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. THEN He will make sure you have what you need.
So what does seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness look like in Christian motherhood? Here are some indicators of what it may look like:
teaching your children how to be like Jesus
studying the word of God as a family
teaching your kids to pray
Praying as a family
being present in the lives of your children
have personal scripture study and prayer
attending Church as a family
creating an environment where your children feel loved and safe
making your home a place where the Holy Spirit can dwell
solving conflict with Christlike love
I encourage you to ask God what He would have you do as a mother to seek His kingdom and righteousness above all else. Focus on doing that first, and then God will help you in all else that you need to do.
Once you have let God into your Christian motherhood, He can then provide you with an abundance of help and power. Here are just a few of the things He can give you.
God sent the Holy Spirit to be with us while God can’t be with us physically (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit can do many things for us, including guide us in the confusing and challenging journey of motherhood.
I have learned from personal experience that the Holy Spirit is the best guide you can get in the journey of motherhood. Better than any parenting book, parenting expert, or research studies, the Holy Spirit can help you understand your child’s specific needs. He also communicates to you in a language that YOU understand.
My personal experience with the Holy Spirit’s guidance
One instance in which I use the Holy Spirit’s guidance is after my children are in bed. Often I will have the urge to check on them to make sure they’re okay. However, I know if I do it often it will become an impulsive and unhealthy habit where I’ll feel like I HAVE to check on them every night and risk waking them up.
Instead of giving into this impulsive behavior, I say a silent prayer and ask God if I need to check on my kids. The Holy Spirit answers and usually gives me a feeling of peace while silently whispering to me, “No, they are fine.”
I then go to bed without checking on the girls, and then see them the next morning when they wake up, healthy and happy and well rested.
Needless to say, God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit has saved me from a motherhood with endless anxiety and worry.
2) God can bring me peace during the storm
In Mark chapter 4, we read of Jesus calming the storm that almost sunk the ship that was holding Him and His disciples:
“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”
You have probably been in some sort of storm during your motherhood journey, or maybe you are in a storm right now.
Whatever that storm looks like (mental illness, excessive worry, not feeling good enough, living in a mess of a home, a child’s personal challenges you can’t fix, etc.) God and His Son, Jesus Christ can bring you peace in the storm.
God may or may not make your storm go away. But regardless, He is there with you in it and He can give you the peace and clarity of mind you need to get through it. You just need to let Him.
If you find yourself not just in a storm but drowning in the chaos of motherhood, then God can bring you out on top. That’s what I remind myself when I see the picture of Jesus reaching His hand down to me (picture shown above).
I love comparing the story of Jesus and Peter to my christian motherhood journey:
“And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.”
Like you, I have walked out of the ship of “singlehood” onto the waters of marriage and motherhood.
I have felt many times like I was drowning in a dirty house filled with screaming children and a screaming internal voice telling me I can’t do it.
But I have also felt Jesus pull me out to be on top of the chaos instead of drowning in it.
When I ask for God’s help and am willing to be pulled out of the “water”, then He does it. The water (aka the mess, screaming children, sleep deprivation, etc.) doesn’t necessarily go away, but He helps me to feel at peace and conquer the problem with Him at my side.
Keep your eyes on Jesus and God, and motherhood will be a million times more manageable, beautiful, and joyful.
Sometimes I feel like motherhood is almost manageable. If I just had a little more strength, a little more time, a little more energy, I could do it just fine.
But I don’t have a little more. I sometimes don’t have half enough.
That is why God gave us Jesus. Jesus wants to be our partner and helper. If we are an ox pulling a wagon, He wants to be the second ox pulling our load with us.
Jesus even invites us to take advantage of the extra strength He has to offer that we don’t have:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
So how do you let Christ walk with you in your journey of motherhood? How do you share your burdens with Him? It all goes back to asking for God’s help and letting Him help.
If you try to do it on your own, you will fail miserably. If you ask Him to help and let Him, you will find strength and power you didn’t know was there.
God and Motherhood can go Perfectly Together
If you let God into your motherhood journey, I promise it will be worth it. Do those simple things that have big spiritual significance, such as praying, attending Church, and studying the scriptures. God is in all those things and will meet you there to provide you with what you need as a mom.
If you feel like you are lost, drowning, falling, or in the middle of a raging storm, God can help you. He can give you exactly what you need to be the mom He wants you to be.
You just need to ask and trust Him.
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