Unlimited Motherhood: Overcome 12 Limits That Overwhelm and Conflict Our HeartsНамуна

Title: To Lose Heart Is to Lose Everything

I’m tired. Weary-to-the-bone tired.

I fantasize about taking an exotic trip to a hotel two blocks from my house. No need to travel far. All I desire is a twenty-four-hour time period where I can sleep, uninterrupted by the word Mommy! I would rise only to eat. Scratch that. I wouldn’t even rise to eat. I would dine in bed and take full advantage of the hotel room service. It would be quiet. It would be boring. It would be glorious!

Exhaustion has the upper hand in my life. Maybe it’s stress induced. Maybe it’s the emotional drain. Maybe it’s the fact that I have five tiny humans who depend on me for sustenance.

Comedian Jim Gaffigan jokes about having a large family: “If you want to know what it’s like having a fourth kid, just imagine you’re drowning, and then someone hands you a baby.”

That’s exactly how I feel, like I’m drowning. It’s hard to accomplish anything when you’re drowning. If the day ends and your head is still above water, you deserve a medal. Or a round of applause. Or at least someone to look you in the eye and say, “You’re doing a great job, Momma!”

Yet in the core of my being, I know God has more for me than surviving another day. He has more for you too.

Galatians 6:9 reminds us not to grow tired of doing good. Paul is encouraging the Galatian church not to lose heart. Because the truth is, as moms, we’re not just tired physically. Weariness penetrates deep into our souls. Another translation of this verse states, “Let’s not become discouraged . . .” And in today’s world and even in our personal lives, there is a plethora of things to be discouraged about.

But why should we not give up? Because at an appointed time ordained by God, you will reap a harvest of blessing. There is a season of weariness. There is a season of rest. There is a time for hard work. And there is a time for great blessing.

Because Jesus doesn’t require perfection from moms. He simply requires us to wake up each morning, push through the pain, love our families, and keep going.