Replacing a False Supermom with a True Superhero

As you already know from your own experiences, our false messages can be loud and convincing. I used to feel like I needed to mirror the moms that everyone seemed to highly esteem in our church, on social media, and on YouTube. Comparison only made me feel miserable, yet I instinctively felt I could still somehow become a supermom because these sources encouragingly told me that I could, which also made me feel like I should.

I was wrong on both counts—and the influencers weren’t the real problem. The problem was that their external messages resonated with negative messages I was already hearing on the inside. No matter what they were actually saying, what I heard from these women reinforced the false belief that if I would just follow someone else’s prescriptions, “supermomhood” (along with “super kids”) could actually be attained.

The truth is, neither we nor the influencers we may follow will ever achieve the elusive ideal we chase after. Believing in this notion will leave you feeling as I did: like a failure, always falling short. Was I perfect? No, but these extreme viewpoints of myself were not the truth either. My perspectives lacked grace and kindness, and they didn’t help me answer the question, Who is the mom God has uniquely designed me to be for the specific children He has entrusted me to raise?

Here’s the full truth: all that you are created to do as a mom is live out your relationship with your children based on how you were uniquely made and within your own circumstances. The Author and Perfecter of your faith story (Hebrews 12:2) has promised to see it through to its flawless end. All the strategies you think you should pursue must eventually yield to your identity in Christ and the unique way He has created you. This involves recognizing all the external pressures to measure up and false ideals you carry within, replacing them with a remarkable revelation: Christ stands as the ultimate superhero, fully redeeming you (Romans 3:23–24) and continually caring for your family.

God, thank You for your role as the ultimate Savior and Redeemer in my life. Help me return to the truth that You are the only true hero of my story so I can lean into the mother You uniquely designed me to be. Amen.