Just as life runs at its own rhythm and lacks any bit of tidiness at times, I figure it’s okay to have some organized chaos here at Searching for Moments, too! Run with me today off the track of The Something Better Series as I explore the tough parts of being a Mom. Alison, at Life of Scoop is hosting an enriching series about relationships and I am honored to be contributing there today! But let’s start here first 
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At some point in our lives, we formed a mental image. The image of a Mother’s love. I don’t know … were we scouring the crowds or simply watching television when we saw the one that made us say,
“That one! That’s the Mom I want to be!”
She made it look so natural. So easy. So perfect.
But the reality of being a Mom is different. It’s not always natural or easy. And most definitely not perfect.
That truth has left me questioning myself. Wondering if I’m capable of loving my children well.
How about you? Do you love your children, but walk through your days pushing back the sting of insecurity? Wondering why your reality just doesn’t match up to who you want to be?
Friend, can I whisper encouragement into your heart?
You don’t have to be the Mom of your dreams to love your children well.
You see, loving our children well is not a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. God didn’t give you that Mom’s kids. He gave you yours.
Loving our children is not a one-size-fits-all kind of deal! #relationships…
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And yours are unique. Uniquely wired to give and receive love. So how we love them looks differently than how another Mom must love hers. The love we give must resemble the needs of our particular child.
It’s not that we can’t glean lots of helpful strategies and support from the Moms who have gone before us, but we cannot allow them to be our mirrored reflection. We cannot lock ourselves into a one-size-fits-all box. Our children simply won’t fit. And neither will we.
Love has all kinds of moments. Some that are wonderful and some that are not.
Moments where love must dig in and not give up. Where it’s fierce and it does the difficult.
A few days ago, I witnessed devastation on the face of a Mom who I call a hero. The tears poured from her grieving heart. She is a Mom who loves fiercely and who rescued her child from the chains of foster care. She dreamed of that joyful lavish love. Only no matter how much she loved, she couldn’t free her child from the chains of previous trauma. His capacity to love and be loved had been altered beyond what one Mom could do.
In the deepest act of love possible, she had to surrender and allow him the support of professional help that would serve him best. All that she had to give with every fiber of her being wasn’t helping him and that is a sting beyond what a Mom can endure without the hope of Christ.
Sweet friend, I am thankful your situation is not to this extreme, but I know your situation still has pieces of the difficult laced throughout it. There’s difficult whether your child struggles with the really tough things like Autism, ADHD, or depression. Or your child has learning, speech, or physical delays. Or even if your sweet treasure simply has a bent toward the spirited, shy, or dramatic type of personality.
…Join me here at Life of Scoop to finish reading When You’re Not the Mom You Wanted to Be.
While you are there, take some time to read through some of the other posts from her Relationships series. We all find ourselves struggling in relationships at some point or another. Her series will give you strategies and hope to get through those struggles.
And then don’t forget to come back Monday for #MomentsofHope and Thursday for the final post in The Something Better Series!
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