Dear Mom Who is Worn Out and Weary (hope for the messiness of motherhood)

Dear MOB Society,
I feel worn out and exhausted all the time because I just can’t keep up with the amount of boy-energy that storms through my home on a daily basis. Their needs are big and I feel so small. I want desperately to be the kind of mom God has called me to be, but my wearines often overwhelms me and then leads to defeat. I feel like such a failure. Can you help?

Sincerely,

One weary mom

Dear sweet weary mom,

It’s simply music to my ears and comfort to my often weary soul when I can connect with another mom who knows the characteristics of how deeply exhausting being a mom of boys can be. We love them to Heaven and back, wouldn’t trade them for anything…but there are days when we wonder how on earth we’ll make it through the day (or next minute). Their boy-energy seems to literally re-create itself every 30 seconds, all day long. So in turn, keeping up with their physical demands often make it hard to even begin to address their spiritual and emotional needs.

Can you relate to this, as well?

I get it. I really do. I’m a mom of four young sons who bring my mama heart such incredible joy each day. And yet, they also drive me down to my knees in prayer regularly. Often, my knee-worn prayers are the desperate, pleading-with-God, sort of prayers, uttered in tired tones with worn out words.

When the day is long and my patience is short,  I feel defeat creeping in.

When I’ve warmed the same cup of coffee seven times and then can’t find where I’ve set it down, that old familiar feeling of helplessness rises.

When these boys of mine are loud and racing about, all needing something from me at the same time, I feel paralyzed.

When their hearts are hardened toward each other or me, my heart wants to break.

And when I can’t seem to gain any traction and the blurring moments of each day whirl by me with constant boy-defining energy, I know, without a doubt that our Hope-defying enemy is just waiting for that opportune time to attack.

So, what’s a mama to do when she feels like she’s failing in the boy raising department? We need an action plan! Something we can pour our energy into…something that will match that boy-energy filling our homes at all times.

And this is the actionable word the Lord placed upon my heart to combat my mom fears and replace them with confidence and Joy. Ready?

REJOICE!

Rejoice in Jesus because He is the Hope-Giver that crushes defeat by reigning victory in our lives when we Rejoice in Him! It’s a faith step, for sure…especially when life is hard. When my tired head wants to hang low, I know I can look up and Rejoice because  Jesus energizes the heart, mind and soul when faced with the sheer exhaustion often felt while raising sons.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. –Romans 5:1-4

To help us boy moms take this action step of always rejoicing in the Lord, I’ve put together an acrostic of faith steps to help us on those days when we struggle to keep up with our sons.

R – Remember God’s faithfulness.

Think back over this past year. Was it a particularly tough one? How about the day to day with your boys? Take time to remember all the ways God met you in your exhaustion and carried you through…then, take it a step further and write down each prayer of thanksgiving to God in list form.

E – Exercise your faith AND your body.

We all need a good workout program. The best one I can think of involves putting feet to our faith while getting our feet moving (with our sons) to bring total health to our heart, mind and body. This will support your resolve to walk in victory as a strong and healthy woman of God.

J – Join in with a joy-filled noise!

You know the old saying, “If you can’t beat ém, join ém.” Let’s choose to join those noisy boys, turn up the music and worship the Lord together.

O – Offer grace.

This one might require an extra measure of faith. But, it’s so worth it when we can see our sons’ eyes melt and their hearts soften as a result of extended grace.

I – Inspire them with God’s Creation.

Often, all it takes is a moment of inspiration to get everyone to slow down and focus on the most important things in this life. So, get outside. And intentionally talk about God’s miraculous Creation.

C – Celebrate the big and small things.

Go ahead…find a reason to make a cake or throw an impromptu party and celebrate.  Make a big deal out of anything that brings you and your sons joy.

E – Express gratitude together.

Each day, find a special time when you can talk with your sons about what you’re all thankful to God for. And then write these things down together in a journal every single day.

With God’s help, we can take action steps toward a life that rejoices in the crazy, chaotic,  and oftentimes  exhausting days of raising sons for the Lord. He will supply you with all the energy you need.

Megan Spires  is a homeschooling mom of 4 boys, writer @ DevotionalMotherhood.com and co-owner of the Christian Women’s Community Blog, Managing Your Blessings.

This post is part of our first series of 2014, Hope for the Messiness of Motherhood. Find all of the posts in this series here.