Can I Tell You Something?

We make this motherhood thing really hard for each other sometimes. We take things like car seat safety, or germ sanitization, or breastfeeding and we make them idols in our heart without ever even realizing what we’re doing. And maybe those aren’t *the* idol. Maybe we are the idol or our children are and these things are the tools we use to worship ourselves and our kids. Our control. Our ability to create safety. Our kids turn into trophies of our own excellence in lunch making and birthday party planning and when another mom doesn’t bow to the same idols we cast her down. Maybe not on Facebook, or through gossip (but maybe there too), but in our own hearts. We elevate ourselves over others because we didn’t turn our car seat until later, or we made it further into breastfeeding, or we’re more knowledgeable about vaccines or essential oils.

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Can I tell you that none of this matters? We are stewards of our children. Not owners. Our first family catechism question is this: What is our only hope in life and death? That we are not our own but belong to God (New City Catechism). All of us. Even our kids. And anything—literally all things— that seek to undermine this, or deflate the Gospel in our motherhood should just be burned at the altar of the Lord. Unknowingly we put our own motherhood against Christ, instead of using it to be the vessel that showcases him. The purpose of our motherhood isn’t to educate on vaccines, breastfeeding, car seats, sleep training methods, or literally anything (insert food choices, screen time, educational choices, etc.) else. The purpose of our motherhood is to tell the story of Jesus. God created all things, and all things were very good. People sinned and needed a rescuer. God sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and rose again, defeating death and the grave. We have new life by trusting in Jesus-the author and perfecter of our faith. That's it.

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Can I tell you that Jesus' yoke is easy, and his burden is light? Resurrected motherhood doesn't bring Jesus + (insert any single method of parenting you care a lot about.) Resurrected motherhood is Jesus + nothing = everything. Jesus loves your babies more than you do. And that mom down the street who lets her kids watch more than 20 minutes of T.V a day—he loves her too. The Pharisees tied up heavy burdens hard to bear. Jesus relieves our burdens and fills us with him, and says "Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." Are you prepared to tell the mom struggling to breastfeed her baby that she just needs to carry that burden a little longer? Are you prepared to tell her her motherhood depends on it?

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Can I tell you that when you talk about things that matter in motherhood, like sleep (because we need it), or sickness (because kids get sick), or car seats(because we should be law following people) let these be vessels for gospel grace and not hindrances to it. Don’t be a “car seat/vaccine/cosleeping mom” be the GRACE mom. Because your motherhood is defined by a PERSON: Jesus. And believe it or not..that one thing is always enough.