Living Changed: When Your Birth Story Didn’t Go As ExpectedSample

True Strength

As moms, we can often feel like we have to hold it all together and be everything to everyone. I think we feel like this because we enjoy being needed, but also because of our pride. We don’t want anyone to think we’re weak, but the truth is that there is strength in asking for help.

In the early morning hours after I gave birth, I stared wide awake at my hospital room ceiling. I felt hopeless as I tried to process what happened. I’d just had my baby, but she wasn’t in my arms. I didn’t feel connected to her or feel like I knew her at all. Laying in her isolette one floor above me, I thought about how she probably knew her doctors better than she knew me. And if they were taking care of her, would she even need me? I started to believe the lie that she and my husband didn’t need me. That I didn’t matter.

A few hours later, my nurse walked in and asked how I was doing. As hard as it was to say it out loud, I decided to be honest and ask for help. I felt embarrassed as I told her the thoughts I was having, but I knew they weren’t healthy. I knew that in combination with a family history of Postpartum Depression, Anxiety, and Psychosis, these thoughts weren’t leading me anywhere I wanted to go. So, I sacrificed the comfort of staying quiet and chose to advocate for myself.

Motherhood can be isolating, and so can our trauma. Satan is called the Father of Lies, and he wants us to believe we’re alone in what we’re going through. If he can keep us quiet, he can keep us isolated. And if he can keep us isolated, he can keep us from knowing God’s truth. When we let others in, they can help point us to biblical truth that will set us free from the enemy’s lies.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

The truth is that you are not alone because God will never leave you. You are not broken because God calls you His masterpiece. The truth is that there is nothing you can think that’s too bad for Jesus. There’s no emotion too strong for Him to handle. There’s no question that He doesn’t welcome.

My pastor says it this way: “Satan shouts his lies, but God whispers truth. Why does God whisper? Because He’s close.” Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” He is with you. He is close, and He’s whispering truth to your heart.

If you are struggling with your mental health or feel like you may need professional help, I pray that these words would encourage you to take action. Asking for help is never a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. Don’t keep your pain hidden. Don’t listen to Satan’s lies. Don’t stay quiet. Tell your spouse, a friend, a trusted coworker, or a health provider that you need help. Tell God. He is always close, and He’s always ready to listen.

God, in my lowest moments, I know You are here. Help me to take all my thoughts captive and make them obedient to you. Help me to discern your truth from Satan’s lies. Give me the courage to ask for help. Help me to be brave. In Jesus’ name, Amen.