Overwhelmed by My Blessings: Encouragement for Moms (Part 6)Sýnishorn

Mom guilt. It’s a universal mom feeling. It washes over you when you have to leave your child crying for you at daycare, with the babysitter or even their own dad. Their tears prick your heart and the guilt comes rushing in.

Or maybe it floods over you when you feel you have been too harsh or demanding. When it seems the only thing you’ve been doing all day long is doling out necessary discipline and taking away more privileges.

It covers over us when we’ve yelled at our children, and can drown us if we have been through a divorce, infidelity or any shameful sin that reminds us of our failings.

We all carry guilt, maybe even when we shouldn’t. How can we prevent it from leading us?

Here’s something to remember and distinguish: guilt combined with condemning thoughts is never from God. Mom guilt that leaves us with dark, self-deprecating thoughts, dwelling on what a bad person we are is a lie from the enemy. It causes us to carry a heavy load, one that we were never intended to carry. It also prevents us from being the best parent we can be.

However, guilt that leads to repentance and a changed heart is from Him. It’s called conviction. It’s a tender pressing from the Holy Spirit that leans on our hearts, telling us that we have missed the mark of Love or are straying from His way.

The Bible is very clear on this: guilt from God is called conviction which leads to repentance, a change in the direction we were headed. This guilt is removed by the power of the risen Christ. It’s an exchange that sets us free! Our shame has been nailed to the cross forever! It no longer exists, except in our own minds when the enemy pushes our buttons. He wants us to believe we are bad moms and holds us hostage to our own convoluted thoughts. The guilt from our enemy is removed by constantly rejecting his condemnation, his lies.

You want to have a clear conscience knowing you did all you could to be a good mom to your kids today, in spite of your failings. At the end of the day, if conviction is lingering, ask Him to reveal any area where you may have missed it with your family. Ask His forgiveness, and ask for the grace to apologize to them and try again tomorrow. If the pressing by the Holy Spirit lingers, don’t shove that nagging feeling down, but rather bring it into the light. Pray over it. Share it with Jesus and your husband, or if you are single, a trusted advisor. A change in your normal parenting practices, in the way you do life, or in your thoughts may be just what you need to set your heart free.

God is near. Trust Him with all your guilt. Reject the condemnation and live in freedom from your enemy’s accusations. Embrace the conviction, believing that all from God’s hand is good as He is shaping us into the likeness of His Son.

Father, please reveal to me any mom guilt that I need to release and reject. Thank you that I don’t have to carry it. I lay the shame of past events and present failings at your feet, and I release them knowing that while those were real events, they do not define who I am now through You. Help me be open to You and those who love me most about any changes that need to be made, whether my circumstances or my heart, in order to live in true freedom. I thank you that You are loving, kind and patient with me, walking with me every step, today and always.