He Gives More Grace: Encouragement for Moms in Any SeasonShembull

Day 4: The Facade of Super-Mom

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

I stared at the little box next to the words “Check here to join the school PTA.” As I filled out my child’s school registration, I felt the tension rise within me. Good moms get involved at their child’s school, I thought. I’m already overwhelmed with what’s on my plate, but everyone I know is volunteering. What does it say about me if I don’t?

Those little boxes are around every corner. Sign here to coach your child’s team. Sign here to be on the church welcoming committee. Check here to join our gym membership. Check here to register for homeschooling materials.

It’s exhausting, isn’t it? I feel stressed just thinking about it. So many of us ceaselessly strive to keep up with endless demands and give everything our best. Of course, it’s good to check “yes” in any of these boxes. The problem arises when we come to believe that we should be able to do it all, be it all, and look good doing it. We look at others who seem like they’re doing just that—but we can’t necessarily see that there’s always a cost somewhere. No one truly can do it all. Supermom may appear to be everything you can’t live up to, but she may also be exhausted, unhappy, or “doing it all” at the expense of her marriage, health, or spiritual rest.

Sister, if I could pull up a chair beside you, I’d give you a cup of tea (or coffee) and encourage your weary heart by saying, “Lay down your striving to do and be it all, and quiet the lies that tell you that you’re less of a mom because you can’t. Take a deep breath and give yourself a heavy dose of grace—because God does.” Rest in this truth: every mom has unique capacities and circumstances.

This is not a freedom to say no to everything, though! Galatians 6:2 calls us to “bear one another’s burdens,” referring to the weighty trials and troubles that come upon us—but verse 5 then clarifies that we’re also called to “each ... bear his own load,” which refers to the basic God-given responsibilities we’ve each been given. How that may look practically will vary for each of us to some extent, but as moms, we each have a load that we’re called to bear—to faithfully love and serve our families with the strength God equips us with. Coming to Jesus to receive his rest doesn’t equate to kicking back, putting up our feet, and saying no to anything that stretches or challenges us.

What, then, does Jesus mean by “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest”? It means we are invited to clothe ourselves daily in the truth of the gospel—we are invited to remember that our standing before God is not dependent on how many good things we’re doing or how well we’re doing them. We are forgiven, accepted, and loved because Christ lived the perfect life we cannot and paid for our sins, failures, and weaknesses on our behalf.

Sister, rest in that today. Cease striving to be something you can’t be and aren’t called to be. Ask the Holy Spirit to grant you the wisdom and discernment to rest in Jesus and to be faithful where he has you right now—even if that looks like checking “no” in the PTA box.

GRACE IN A LINE

Jesus doesn’t ask me or need me to be super-mom. I’m free to say no when I need to.