Just Like God

Can we just say out loud, “Motherhood is hard.” Very hard. I use to think it was hard because I had two small children close together in age. I can’t imagine the amount of energy to feed more kids, wipe more noses, and correct more mouths. My hats are off to those who do! I am only half way down the road of parenting, but at the halfway point – if there is such a thing- I look back with such a different perspective. Motherhood is now hard because I realize I am no longer in control. This should be freeing, but instead many days it is painful. I know I can trust my God with my children, but there is still a strong desire to fix what now I can only coach, pray over, and wait upon. I now anxiously wait to see how God will answer the seeds that have been sown all these years. I watch to see how prayers will be answered.As I was in Luke 1:26-38 this morning, I could not help but marvel at a story that in some ways is so old but in so many ways is exactly how God works in us as moms today. An angel appears to Mary to tell her that she will give birth to a son. (This is where our stories and Mary’s differ. No angel appearance or virgin birth here… but stick with me. ) Mary’s first reaction was fear, but it quickly turned to willingness. Mary had no idea in that moment what she was saying “yes” to. Isn’t that us? We had no idea what we were getting into. For some of us, we might have never said yes, if we truly grasped the cost. Yet, we would not miss the journey either. Just like Mary, we are graciously kept in the dark. Gabriel told her some of the story, but not all of it. She never grasped in that moment the price she would pay for carrying the Son of God. She could not comprehend what it would cost her or her son to become who God created Him to be. We are not raising the Son of God, but we still have been given the privilege of raising sons and daughters of the King. We, too could not have truly counted the cost when that pregnancy test came back positive.Here is the beauty of Mary’s story and ours…. We are not alone. Some of Gabriel’s last words to Mary were to tell her that Elizabeth too was with child. A friend who had been barren so long would now walk this journey with her now as a new mom and later as a seasoned friend. Elizabeth too would watch her son, John the Baptist, pay a price for his faith. How sweet is our God to give Mary someone tangible to encourage her on this path as it is revealed one step at a time. This is not a journey for the weak. We must be women of courage and faith. Yet, look around. God does not intend for us to walk alone. Who do you need to seek out for encouragement? Who do you need to encourage while you are on your journey?