Grit & Grace: 5-Day Devos For Moms Of Young KidsSample

Reporting for Active Duty

It was five o’clock, and I was having one of those days where there’s way too much day left at the end of my patience. My three-year-old had recently given up her afternoon nap, which meant Mommy hadn’t had a break all day. And Daddy had a dinner meeting, so there was no relief in sight.

As I prepared dinner, I surveyed the landscape of my life: As far as the eye could see, my house looked like the aftermath of a hurricane. The kids were giving Oscar-worthy dramatic performances in the family room, fighting over which cartoon they would watch next. And macaroni noodles boiled over on the stove.

As the baby wailed from his high chair (the safest place he could have been at that moment) and I considered the same course of action, a thought entered my mind: This is not what I signed up for!

At times motherhood can feel like a bait and switch.

You imagined it to be one way, and the reality is completely different. You imagined you’d be a certain kind of mom, and you are completely different. You may even wonder for an instant whether you would have taken it on had you fully known what the job would require.

In life we sign up for many things, but we don’t sign up for motherhood. We may make a choice to bring a child into the world, but we are recruited by God to be that child’s mother.

When I think of it that way, it changes everything. I have been recruited! I am called to my children. And the great news is that I’m not alone.

First Thessalonians 5:24 says, “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” And Ephesians 2:10 offers this encouraging word: “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

While motherhood can seem like a monumental task, God promises to be with us every step of the way. He Himself equips us for the task. Before you were ever born, He knew the good works you would do. Good works like refilling sippy cups and kissing boo-boos.

Whether you’re just starting your day and hoping for smooth sailing or about to finish up “one of those days,” take comfort in the fact that God has recruited you. And He’ll help you do all the wonderful things He has planned.