Seasons: Daily Truths to Refresh the Weary MomExemplo

Hannah’s story is full of grace, which isn’t too surprising; her name means grace. But her journey doesn’t start out beautiful, it starts out broken. The Lord has closed her womb. Why? Why would the Lord close her womb? She is clearly an amazing woman. She goes to the temple to worship every single day, she honored God and feared Him. What is so beautiful about Hannah is that during the hard season, the time of not having what her heart truly desires, she was content. Yes, she still felt sad, she cried, and she was,
at times, so overwhelmed by the hurt in her heart she would not eat. Yet ... she kept going to the temple. She kept worshipping God; she never stopped praying. She found her hope when it all felt hopeless.

In Psalm 16 it says, “The boundary lines have fallen for me and they fall on beautiful places.” I love this thought because it is essentially saying, “I accept God and the boundary lines He has put on my life.” Whether that refers to your house, your finances, your children, your relational status, or your occupation, you have found contentment and you believe that the lines fall on beautiful places. You trust God in this season. What power. What strength and what peace Hannah has. This shows me that her identity was not wrapped up in whether she was a mother or not. We can clearly see that this was the desire of her heart, but her identity was found in the Lord.

So, when I think of you, I want to remind you that your success and your identity are not based on your motherhood. Our role as mothers is to train our children in the way they should go. And to see those correction moments not as disruptions, but as a moment that God is letting you see the state of your child’s heart. Turn that moment into an opportunity to call out the wrong, and to teach what is right in a loving, kind, and gentle way. Our contentment is not on the success of our children, or the behavior of our children.

We cannot change them, only Jesus can and that is why He came.

Do you have a four-year-old that knows enough to think they know it all and is questioning your every decision? Nurture those questions. Teach Godly principles out of love so that second-hand faith becomes first-hand. Do you have a toddler who truly defines the term, “terrible twos”, and that on a daily basis, there is more crying than laughter? Their emotions are a roller coaster and you are on the ride just trying to catch up. Not like I am speaking from personal experience or anything. Be patient. Teach patience. I have realized in those moments when I am about to "lose it", that those are the moments to be an example of submitting my emotions to Jesus. How many times have I caved into my feelings and yelled or slammed a door? I just gave all the power in the situation to my child. And then, I feel terrible. In the moments where you can’t be patient or calm, remove yourself. Trust that the Lord will give you another opportunity to show love and self-control.

The way to teach contentment is to be content. Be vulnerable to God in those places. He has been trying to get your attention in those places He wants you to become content. Be real. Be raw. And be honest with God. I promise He will fill those places with love, and once they are filled, contentment comes.

Because, contentment is a soul thing, a spiritual thing, Jesus is leading you while you lead your children. Lean into Him today.