To the Mother of Young Children

By Jen Anderson

There can be a fog that comes with being a mother to young children. Your body has spent years growing and sustaining babies, enduring the aches and pains of pregnancy, and managing the exhaustion of nursing a baby day and night. Your sleep is interrupted and the list of needs never ends. And in most of these moments, you look down to find someone else’s snot smeared across your pants.

Motherhood can also be painfully lonely, and you do a lot that goes unnoticed. Your kids require so much of you that it’s hard to sustain friendships and develop community. You clean a little bit of every room all day—just enough to keep you busy without having anything to show for it. It’s hard to get time for yourself or by yourself. There are little feet that follow you everywhere (including the bathroom) and there’s always another mess to clean or meal to prepare. Mothers spend their days pouring out for their families—giving even when there’s nothing left to give. Do you ever want to hide behind a closed door so that no one can rely on you for anything? You can’t possibly meet everyone’s needs. 

Our human bent is to rage against our weaknesses, but God knows the tough parts of motherhood are beyond you. You don’t need to be tough. You don’t need to be perfect. Be a humble mom who knows your need for God. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). You will grow weary in this world. Persevere in your weariness! Being poured out for the sake of another is hard, and part of your calling as a mom is to live in dependence on God. Jesus poured himself out for the sake of others, and He was exhausted and needed rest. 

Are you getting rest? You’re always going to have a long to-do list, and it’s tempting to use naptime to do all the things. But sometimes the most productive thing you can do for your family is to give yourself rest. Rest gives you strength to fight your fears and anxieties. It helps you to regain patience and reset your mood. Take time to sit and slow your breathing. Rest your heart and your mind in the Lord. If Jesus needed the Father, how much more do you? Your strength as a mom doesn’t come from your ability to do it all; it comes from your dependance on God. Go to Him and be filled. Talk to God in prayer. He promises that He won’t leave His people empty. 

These years of changing diapers, cooking meals, and cleaning up messes are laying a foundation to build on for years to come. You won’t regret playing that game on the floor or going through the slow bedtime routine. And by God’s grace, your faithfulness in the young years to teach, to train, and to discipline your children will produce sweet fruit as they grow. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

One day you’ll come out of some of the fog of mothering young children. You won’t be pregnant again or have to hurry home to nurse the baby. You’ll have capacity for more things outside of the home. But for now, continue serving your children and loving them, and then point them to the One who alone can meet their greatest need. Motherhood is an enormous joy and privilege. Keep doing the good work set before you, and your Creator will sustain you.