You Are Made for This: 14 Devotions to Uplift & Encourage Busy MomsSample

Letting Them Fail

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ROMANS 5:3-5

If you've been a mom long enough, you’ve uttered the words “I told you so” or “because Mom said so” to your children. Maybe these aren’t the best "mom phrases" to use, but at that moment, it’s all you could come up with because you told them no and they insisted on a reason why. Or maybe you spoke those words after your child rejected all eight of the real reasons you were giving them as to why they had to do something, but how could they possibly argue with the tried-and-true “because I told you so”?

It’s in these moments when we moms can sometimes come to our wits’ end. We can take a good lesson from Romans 5, which tells us suffering produces endurance, and that produces character and hope. Wow, Mama, isn’t this a good reminder? When we are being pushed beyond our limits, let’s look past the situation at hand and to the lesson God is teaching us.

It’s also good to note that our children are going to have frustrations and setbacks. What do you think would happen if your child got everything they ever wanted, never missed the mark, or never “failed” at anything? Working hard and pushing through situations can build character and hope. It’s okay for these moments to happen. We can’t do the work for them; it’s up to them to push through. Sometimes we have to reach into our faith roots to remember it will work out in the end for us—and them.

Made for This!

The next time your child experiences a shortcoming, no matter their age, take it in stride and with grace. The world isn’t over! Help guide them to know what we’re reminded of in Romans 5. As the old saying goes, if you fall off the horse, you should get right back on! In the same way, if they didn’t make the team, or if they didn’t study hard enough for the exam, character can be built in these and many other moments. We often look to blame others for our child’s shortcomings, but instead of yielding to this temptation, choose to build their character and give them hope for the future. Remember, Mama, you were made for this!