The One Thing You’ve Got to Know When Motherhood Feels Hard

 Dear Mom whose feet are weary,

I know that the road feels long.

And bumpy.

And downright boring at times.

I know that sometimes it feels like you’ll never turn the corner.

And you wonder if you’ll ever move at a faster pace.

‘Cause that toddler keeps pausing to dig in the dirt and the baby on your hip is growing heavy.

And a mom can only travel so far before she has to 

pause to kiss a skinned knee or marvel over that fistful of dandelions being offered by chubby hands.

I know that there are days when your road feels lonely, days when you want to lose yourself in Facebook because you’re desperate for a face, any face that doesn’t need to be scrubbed or kissed or held.

And I know that sometimes more than a vacation or quiet, more than applause and recognition, you just really want a friend,

a friend who understands that you love these little sojourners like crazy but sometimes you feel like you’re losing your mind.

I know that some nights you lay in bed at night and wonder if you’ll ever think a straight thought again,

if you’ll ever chase a dream instead of chasing a streaking toddler,

if your days will ever consist of anything bigger than your mountainous laundry piles and your never-completed to-do list.

And sometimes, when those babies finally succumb to sleep and the sound of your husband’s breathing echoes the steady thumping of your heart,

you wonder if you’ll ever find the real you beneath all this Mom.

Oh, mom whose feet are weary, I know the road looks endless from here.

I know that this morning when you woke up you really just wanted to stay in bed and let someone else fill your shoes; just for today.

Or maybe for tomorrow, too.

But this, I know for sure.

You’re not walking alone.

The One whose feet trudged up Calvary’s hill in your place walks beside you.

He sees you.

He sees your loneliness.

He sees your doubts.

And He sees your potential.

 He’s got your back

And your front.

Your future and your past.

He’s got you covered.

Every Step.

He knows that you wonder if you’re messing up these kids and that you worry you’ll all get lost along the way.

And He believes that you are doing something marvelous and mighty, beautiful and  brave just by getting up every morning and putting on your walking shoes once again.

When your days are long and your sleep is short, when your heart aches empty and your hands feel full, He understands.

He hears you when you cry with the baby and tantrum with the toddler,

when you snap at your husband and grumble at that blurry-eyed woman in the mirror.

But if you listen closely,

if you rest your head on His shoulder and tune your ears to the hum of grace;

if you quiet your own churning doubts and still your scattered soul,

you just might hear Him whisper the words you need to hear…

Words that remind you

that even when you’re lonely, you’re not alone.

Even when you’ve fallen, you haven’t failed.

I’ll take your hand

and you take theirs,

and we’ll walk this road together

until your feet reach Heaven’s door.

When we fix our eyes on Jesus, the road isn’t as long as it seems. 

Keep walking, dear mama. Keep walking.

‘Because the One who knows you best knows this, too–

That’s how his children always make it home,

One small step at a time.

“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him.” -Psalm 37:23, NIV

-encouragement from the archives