Have you lived under the lie of feeling like you’re “not enough” as a mom? As a young mom who was a striving perfectionist and wanted to be excellent at everything I did, I always fell short of what I thought I should be. It didn’t matter how much or how little I worked, what book I read, or what advice I took, I constantly felt like I was failing as a mom.
Why? Because I am a sinful human being and I will always fall short of God’s perfect design. I will fail my kids. I will mess up. And when I try to find my identity in being a perfect mom, I will constantly feel like I’m not enough because perfection is unattainable. It’s an always-moving target that you cannot hit.
Here’s the deal friends: You will never be enough, and though ‘Mother’ is a wonderful title, it is not WHO you are. And if we find our identity in being a mom, WHEN we mess up, we will feel like a failure.
5 years ago the Lord started doing a work in my heart and began the long process of calling out my identity and His original design – WHO He created me to be in HIS image. I don’t think I’ll ever be done learning how to daily walk in my true identity – in FREEDOM! But this process has also unearthed the lies I was believing about motherhood and my striving for perfection and has led me to my knees in surrender to the Lord with the lives of my children.
I will never be enough as a mom, and it’s because I need Jesus, and so do my kids. In surrendering them to His feet, I GET to give up control. I GET to ask them for forgiveness when I make mistakes. I GET to fall on my knees and ask Him how to parent my kiddos. And I have received the most astounding peace in my parenting. I know I won’t get it all right. But I am trusting Him with their hearts. He has them firmly in His grip. He cares about their hearts even more than I do! And I trust that His Spirit is working despite my mistakes. It doesn’t give me an excuse to be lazy, but instead, it constantly brings me to my knees and the Word as I seek HIM to lead my husband and me, and trust that He will bring His promises to fruition in their lives, in His time.
Mamas, peace comes when we surrender. Peace comes when we no longer look to our kids to fulfill us. Peace comes when we know that our identity is not based on their behavior or performance. Peace comes when we stay secure to the Vine and trust that His Spirit is stronger in our weakness than our greatest strengths on our own.
You are not enough. You will never be enough. But your Father is more than enough. And you GET to rest in Him – the King who calls you His own, and has also called your kids His own.
