Day 2: Thoughts of the Enemy

With my first three children, I battled postpartum anxiety and some postpartum depression. My mind has combated so many degrading and untrue thoughts of the enemy.

During those months, Satan was at it like a venomous snake constricting its prey:

“You can’t do this.”

“You were not cut out for this.”

“You are failing.”

“These children would be better off without you.”

“You are all alone in this.”

“So-and-so doesn’t care about you.”

Lean in, sister.

These are thoughts of the enemy, and they are not who you are.

They are not where you are headed.

You are a daughter of the Most High.

You were hand-picked to Mother those beautiful blessings.

You might not feel like you have the strength to do it, but God is in the miracle business.

Soak in Scripture.

Cry out to God.

Blast your praise music (in headphones so you don’t wake the baby, of course!).

Talk to your spouse.

Talk to a counselor.

Don’t sit alone and stew in those nasty and degrading thoughts.

Do not let Satan win, Mama. It is in the season of hardship that we learn to rely on a strength much greater than our own. Raising babies is no joke. I’ve never felt exhaustion like I have in this season — even when I was working 60+ hours a week at a physically demanding job and attending graduate school full-time. It can be a vicious cycle when focused on the wrong things.

Find the blessings. Ask for help. Be a blessing. Take mental snapshots of the baby snuggles and toothless grins — you will need the encouragement when the nights are long and when it feels like the crying will never cease.

Heavenly Father,

Tonight, I lift up the mama who feels weak and fatigued. Lord, she feels like she doesn’t have the strength to keep going. Please comfort her, Father. Please put people in her path to help her regain the physical and emotional strength she needs to keep going.

Please remove the negative thoughts and replace them with promises and hope. Please give her the words to ask for help. Please comfort her.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen

You’re doing great, mama.