When You Feel Like A Bad Mom

We’ve all been there.

The house is filthy, we’re exhausted from running around all day getting the children to their next activity, and we wonder if all the effort is even worth it. Maybe they continuously argue with their siblings and our attempts to intervene just create more trouble. Maybe they have a sassy mouth or keep arguing with us over every little thing. Maybe they constantly disrupt the classroom at school, or won’t do their homework. Maybe we don’t prepare breakfast the way they wanted it cooked, don’t  wash the shirt they planned to wear, don’t let them go visit a friend, and they throw a major fit.

And we wonder what we’re doing wrong.

Some days the doubts are relentless. We get so weighed down at times that we even consider giving up. We see other moms who appear to have it all together and wonder if we will ever measure up. We hear the whispers from the enemy that we’re a terrible mother. And we begin to believe it, forgetting that the Bible says there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

Can we do a better job as a parent? Sure we can; non of us  is perfect or without sin.

But that is not the point.

When you’re having a bad day, when the doubts assail you and you wonder if you even deserve to be a mother, think about Jesus instead of what’s going wrong. The Bible doesn’t tell us to analyze our mistakes and figure out where we can be better. Never does God insist we keep striving to be better.

He wants us to be still and meditate on the fact that He is God (Psalm 46:10). He says multiple times in Scripture “Follow Me”, “Seek Me”, “Delight in Me”. When we turn to Him often, everything else falls into place (Matthew 6:33). This doesn’t mean our kids will act like angels – it means we’ll develop the positive attitude we need to overcome the bad days.

We cannot succeed in motherhood without help from above. Every day is a chance for a do-over because God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). The more we acknowledge God in our lives, the more we shed our old skin and become holy like Him. In so many verses, God calls out to our hearts, inviting us to spend time with Him, to let Him into each moment of our lives.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about whether or not you did a great job as a mom.

It’s about Jesus and His amazing grace. He loves You, no matter how many mistakes you or your children make.

God doesn’t think you’re a bad mom.

In fact, He delights in you. Yes, you – the mom who forgot to buy toothpaste, who dropped off your child late for the tenth time, who didn’t have a chance to clean the kitchen or cook dinner on time. You, that mom who is clueless as to how to teach your child to grow into a responsible adult.

So you don’t do everything right. So what? That is not what God wants from you. Our worth is not defined by our actions. All that mom stuff will work out fine if we just love Jesus and make Him our first priority.

Copyright © Jen Cudmore, Moms of Faith®, All Rights Reserved