I recently spoke to the moms at the girls ministry event called G3 Ministries-God, Girls, & Greatness that I host in Keller, Texas. The event’s theme name was Courageous Journeys and was for girls in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. The message God put on my heart for the mommas in the break out session was called Courageous Journey of Motherhood. I believe this title is so fitting, because it takes courage to be on this journey of being the mom God called us to be.

We all have a desire to be the best mom we can possibly be. However, the daily process of motherhood is a journey of growth. I know there were days when my kids were young that I felt so inadequate for the job. Now that they are older and teenagers and a young adult, I still can have days I can feel inadequate or unqualified. These emotions can seem so strong and can try to control our outlook on motherhood. The truth is though, these emotions are not the reality they are just trying to get us to believe they are the truth about the situation. Emotions are not supposed to be our master, but rather we are supposed to learn to master our emotions. We have the ability to take control of our emotions and be the boss of them.

We have a choice everyday whether to let our emotions lead us or we decide to let Truth from God’s Word dictate our thoughts and perspectives.

God’s Word says that He has given me His ability and power and I can do anything He calls me to do. Being a mom that doesn’t always feel equipped or adequate for the job is exactly the perfect opportunity to experience the power of God flowing through me and giving me the strength that He says He will give me. I get the chance to do things that are beyond my own ability and strength and that is exactly where God wants me to be. You see, if I only do the things that come natural to me and avoid what is uncomfortable, I become self reliant and dependent on myself. God loves to stretch me beyond my own ability so He can infuse His strength into me and I can recognize my need for Him in order to become fully reliant upon Him.

This is the journey of motherhood. God sets us up to recognize that we can’t do this in our own ability. We certainly can do it in our own strength but we will not get the results that are God’s best. God has a plan for our kids and for us that will bring us to maturity in Christ. However, without giving up self reliance and recognizing we need Him, we will not grow into the people He is desiring to shape us to become.

This has been my journey. God has used the courageous journey of motherhood to shape me and mold me into His image. He has used it to refine me and help smooth rough edges in me. He has used it to give me a heart of compassion and see my children the way He sees them, all the potential He designed inside of them.

We often think we are raising our children to grow up in the ways and promises of God, but actually God uses our children to help us grow up in the ways and promises of God. He can use our journey to draw us to Himself in a deep and intimate relationship. Without the challenges of motherhood, we would forget all about our need for God. But just like a child needs a parent to lead them and guide them, God is desiring for us to have child- like faith and lean on Him for His wisdom and guidance in everything we do, especially motherhood.

My prayer for you today is that you will look up in the midst of the mundane and recognize your need for God today. He can’t wait to give you wisdom and infuse strength into you so you can experience His power everyday.

It only takes a simple surrender daily to ask Him to help you. Start with asking Him for strength and His power in your life.

Admit you can’t do this on your own and you need His help.

Ask Him to show you how to bring out the best in your children and give you creative ways to connect with them.

Ask Him to give you solutions for each situation you face.

Lastly, ask Him to reveal Himself to you and His love for you. I promise you, the more you do these simple steps, the more you are going to have uncommon grace and power from God to be courageous on your journey to becoming the best mom you can be.

He will empower you and give you every tool you need to succeed. The best part is He will give you peace and joy on your journey so you can enjoy the journey instead of being in a rush to get to a destination. The journey is the destination.