Moms, Let God do the Heavy Lifting
By Meg Bucher
"Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms." Psalm 68:19 NLT
Motherhood is full. The dry-erase calendar to my right requires a fine-print dry-erase marker to fit all the things in the squares. The planner on my desk is covered in weekly to-dos, and my life is a proverbial sticky note. Once I crumple one up and throw it away, another replaces it with responsibilities to remember. The older my daughters get, the faster life is moving. When they were little, I made a photo book for each year of their lives. New photos were always being framed and placed around our home. The pace of life has picked up over the years, and I have decided to enjoy the days instead of stressing over the backlog of traditions I excitedly began as a young mother. "There will be time …" God continues to reassure me.
Leaving my career was difficult when God called me to stay home with my oldest daughter. With no more than the voice of God tugging on my heart as the bottom of the economy was falling out, I obeyed God. He did the heavy lifting, providing freelance jobs for me as I cared for my baby girl, and blessed us with a second beautiful daughter! He reignited my love of writing and provided opportunities for me to earn a little while the girls were little. Whenever I became impatient, "There will be time for that …" He reassured me. Seek Him first; take care of my girls second. That became my life fifteen years ago, and I have never looked back. My trust in Him only increases as He miraculously leads me through each season of life.
Raising teen daughters is ridiculously difficult. The only way for me to stay steady for them is to lean on the One who has been my constant Rock all these years so far! Their onsetting independence has allowed me to accept more opportunities to work hard with all He gives me to do! Life is hard work, but it's incredible how He does the heavy lifting for me …when I am willing to allow Him!
Intersecting Faith and Life:
The Lord carries us in His arms daily, whether or not we comply. There are days He has held my full weight through life and every emotion! Some days, all I can do is pray until I'm okay. On other days, I barely notice He's doing the heavy lifting. Those days, it can be tempting to take too much credit for all the blessings in my life. That's why the first part of this verse is so important: "Praise the Lord; praise God our savior!" Yes, praise Him.
When we reference our personal history with Him, we can trace the tracks of His faithfulness. When we seek Him in His Word, we find the encouragement to navigate current moments. The most important thing we can do as mothers is praise Him amid our mothering. Give Him all the heavy stuff and trust His wise counsel as He walks us through it. Just because we know He carries us through each day doesn't mean life is always smooth sailing. But it ensures we'll get through it according to His will when we throw our faith entirely in Him. My life didn't turn out as I dreamed it would when I walked across the stage to get my college diploma, but how the Lord purposed it should. He designed me uniquely to live my life for His Kingdom. So, take a moment today, busy mommas, to reflect on the perfectly loved child of God You are …and vow to praise, trust, and allow Him to do the heavy lifting.
Further Reading:
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Djavan Rodriguez
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