Being A Mom Is Tough

I'm a real Mom, with real kids, and real messes. I have come to the conclusion that there are two areas in my home that will never be a spotless or as tidy as I like: the kids craft area and the dining room. For whatever reason those areas are where the children gravitate when they want to spend time doing things, dragging out toys, drawing, you name it. The rest of my house stays clean as can be, so I have learned to put that aside and let those two areas be areas of joy and creativity for my children, and I've stopped trying to make them into two other perfectionist parts of the house for me. As a single Mom it's even harder to keep on top of everything while you're working full-time, going to college full-time, and have three kids under the age of 11. I should also let you know that I've been a single Mom for 7 years and do it with no help from the father or my family either physically, emotionally, or financially. I truly am a one woman show! 

I used to be a perfectionist and it was became almost the death of me. I'm learning to let that go little by little and although I look around and things still bother me, I do not rush over to try and correct them. Sometimes I stop and smile and look around at the different things in those areas and the joy that they brought to my children. Sometimes I stop and I look up to the heavens, smile, and thank God that He is refining me and relaxing me to be a mother of quality instead of quantity in  the things that I do. That He is allowing me to see the beauty in the mess and imperfections of my life. That He is showing me that although being a Mom is tough, it is also one of the greatest blessings that The Lord has bestowed upon women. I could not imagine my life without my kids. 

Being a Mom doesn't come with instructions. There are no easy answers to some of our most difficult times, at least not answers that we can see. Children go through so many changes, and we as parents go through changes along with them. Being a Mom is frustrating, stressful, sad sometimes, joyful many times, worrisome, full of fear and anxiety about the future, a beautiful learning experience, and crowded with daily decisions and emotions. Are we doing our best job? What are we doing wrong? How is it going to affect them? Are we too lenient, are we too strict? There are a million questions we could ask ourselves on a daily basis. The bottom line is--being a Mom is tough, but the rewards mirror those of the treasures that we store up for heaven. There never has been and never will be anything like the experience of motherhood. So embrace the messes, laugh at the frustrations, smile at the trials, and remember that our strength comes from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He will see us through all, and thank goodness he has such a beautiful sense of humor to allow us to embrace even the hardest of times with joy, peace, and continuous learning. 

Kids may not come with instructions, but our life does have an instruction book of the best kind to help us handle things and show us where to go when we need help. That book has always been, is, and always will be the Bible. In it you will find all you need to know about how to live a godly life, how to teach your children in the right ways, where to go when you need to cry out in anger, hurt, frustration. What to do in overwhelming moments of joy and gratitude, and how you can share that and spread that to others. God gave us the most perfect gift when he created the Bible and it is a gift of the written Word that is never out of date, it's information is never old or ineffective, and it is a lifesaver for this single Mom! So yes, I'll say it again--being a Mom is tough…but our God is tougher!