Risen MotherhoodSample

We Need a Risen Motherhood

We became first-time moms within nine months of each other, and although we didn’t realize it at the time, we both entered motherhood with high expectations. We had visions of tidy living rooms, gourmet homemade dinners, peaceful walks with the stroller, and obedient children who loved Jesus (and their mamas).

Today, with eight kids between us, our optimistic expectations have toppled under the pressures of everyday life. Motherhood left us feeling inadequate, frustrated, and desperate for new solutions. 

If motherhood is supposed to be so wonderful—one of life’s biggest blessings—why do we feel stressed, tired, dissatisfied, and overcommitted? If social media personalities, motherhood gurus, and book-writing experts hold the answers, why do we need more and more help?

Influencers, authors, and even our own friends and family tell us that simply because we are loving moms to our children, we are enough. Our well-intentioned efforts (however large or small) are all they need. We should stop worrying about the nagging guilt and create the life we want.

But deep down, we still have this lurking feeling that we’re missing the mark, and we don’t know how to cope with it. 

The world would have you believe the problem is that you can’t seem to get your act together, but the reality is that you can’t get your act together. Not in the sense that your sink always seems to be piled high with dishes, or you’re not getting to the gym as often as you should, or you shoot random discipline strategies from the hip every 30 minutes. No, you can’t get your act together because you’re a sinner in need of a Savior (Romans 3:23).

We cannot will ourselves into finding joy in motherhood because we cannot will ourselves into the obedience or love God requires of us. If we’re to find true, lasting joy in our motherhood journey, what we need is the work of Jesus Christ.

We don’t need the world’s version of motherhood; we need a risen motherhood, transformed by the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. We need his shed blood if we’re going to shed our guilt and failures. We need his fullness to fill us where we are empty. We need his sacrifice and hurt so we can sacrifice for others until it hurts. We need his wounds to cure our wounds. We need his atonement to atone once and for all for our sins. We need his death to give us life.

What we need is the good news of the gospel. 

If we are found in Christ, we have everything we need. Not because we suddenly have all the perfect answers, attitudes, and behaviors, but because the same power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power in your daily life (Romans 8:11). The Holy Spirit gives you help and wisdom, allowing you to see that motherhood isn’t just made up of long days and tedious work—motherhood is made up of a million tiny moments that are springboards to worship. 

Reflect: Where do you look for hope and help in motherhood? What would you do differently if you saw each moment as a meaningful opportunity to serve and worship God?