In last week, a couple different posts have been making rounds in Xian mommy blogosphere about how to recognize, confront, handle failures as a mom. Basically, call out your sin.
Tons of friends have shared them along with crying emojis and "this is hard, but I need to hear this right now." My initial instinct was annoyance. (Which is probably a statement on my maturity.)
Part of reason, I think I was annoyed, tho, is b/c of timing. The posts looped thru my feed, bookended by holiday pics & posts about New Year's resolutions.
And all I wanted to do is hug each of these sad, tired, overworked moms who've been wrangling oversugared kids who've been up past bedtime for weeks & traveling & off their normal schedules & tell them, "Okay, we need to talk about this. But maybe not right now, hmm?"
Also, when we do talk, we'll start the conversation by better defining failure & clarifying sin. Having emotional limits? Not sin. Yelling at your kids? Maybe sin. Depends.
Being exhausted at the end of the holidays and not wanting to get up to respond to every little thing your kid wants and eying your spouse that maybe he should respond to this one this time? Yeah, not sin.
When he doesn't get the suggestion, directly asking him to play Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who will bathe the kids? Totally not sin.
Ordering takeout simply because you'd rather do a puzzle than cook? Also, not sin.
Here's the thing: Parenting is exhausting & like any vocation, it will expose your weaknesses. God will form you through it. He's working on you while you are working.
But most of the time, what He's doing is showing us our limits & our need for him. He's not standing over your shoulder pointing out how you're getting it wrong & why can't you get it right & for goodness sake, please just BE A BETTER MOM!
This way lies madness. Or legalism. Or at the very least, a drinking problem when you find you can't.
Do not despair, young mothers, God has promised to gently lead those that are w/ young. Even through your failures. So follow him, lean hard on his grace, & don't try to do it alone.
