What’s the secret to Motherhood?

As we venture through this journey called motherhood, we all find ourselves wrapped up in a whirlwind of emotions. We can go from feeling completely excited, to paralyzed by worry, to beyond joyful, complimented by happy, and often weighed down by sadness, in a relatively short period of time. We quickly become tired and stressed yet have so many moments that take our breath away (in the good kind of way.) And through the haze of sleepless nights and the fog of feeling like we are failing more often than succeeding.. We often find ourselves consumed by the questions, how do I do this? Am I doing it right? Can I do this? And by this.. I mean Motherhood. We find ourselves so eager to know what the secret to motherhood is. The secret that makes it all work the way it should, and today I am going to share that secret with you.

Lean in…

Are you listening?

The secret to motherhood is..

You.

 

 

You’re the one who prayed daily over that sweet baby boy or girl in your womb as you placed your hand on your stomach in the wee hours of the night when you were too uncomfortable to sleep.

Or you’re the one who laid your hands on an empty womb praying that you and your baby will soon be together, because you knew your sweet baby is out there somewhere, in someone else’s womb just waiting to meet you.

You’re the one who clumsily stumbles to the crying babies room, and holds him or her tight until they are calm again.

You’re the one who your child looks to when they trip and fall, and you’re the one who swoops them up and covers them in the magic mommy kisses that seem to make all the pain melt away.

You’re the one who makes your baby laugh with all your silly songs and goofy faces, never caring how ridiculous you might look, or how off key you may sound.

You’re the one who gets to decide if those sleepless nights are going to make or break you, and you’re the one who gets to decide if those early wake up calls are going to be spent cuddling or grumbling.

You’re the one who spends countless hours worrying and thinking about your children, while replaying certain parts of the day over and over again in your head.

You’re the one wearing last nights yoga pants and the oh so fashionable “top knot” to today’s preschool drop off because instead of getting yourself ready, you ironed everyone else’s clothes and did everyone else’s hair.

You’re the one who knows you can’t do it all alone, and you’re the one who will need to know when to ask for help.

You’re the one who can start off their day with a smile, and end it with a hug.

You’re the one who will give up parts of you, to welcome parts of them.

 

 

You’re the one who can offer forgiveness, even when they have broken your heart.

You’re the one who can ask for forgiveness when you have broken theirs.

You’re the one your daughter will look to when it’s her turn to start her own journey of motherhood, and you’re the one she will remember when she shares her own favorite moments with her children.

You’re the one who gets to decide how loud you’re going to cheer from the sidelines, and you’re the one who gets to decide when it’s your turn to jump in the game.

You’re the one who will beam with pride when they have over come a fear, and you’re the one who will cry tears that no one else ever will over your child.

With each piece of this puzzle of motherhood slowly falling into place, it is being put together by you. Sometimes those pieces are hard and you don’t know where they go, and they will never fit in that spot that everyone else swears they should go. Other pieces will be easy and have smooth corners, and they quickly form your boundaries. But every single piece has your name on it. No one else can put together your same puzzle and get the same picture. You decide where each puzzle piece goes, and figure out where it fits best. You decide what you want your picture to look like at the end. We each have our own motherhood puzzle, and the secret of that puzzle all coming together, is simply…you. I know some days that answer may be feel daunting, and feel as though someone has laid a ton of bricks upon your shoulders, and there will be other days where there are missing pieces scattered all over the place. But I promise you Momma, you are enough. When you dig deep and really, whole heartedly give it your all, and wrap it up in a whole lot of prayer, your puzzle pieces will eventually come together. One day you will sit back and see the most beautiful, imperfect masterpiece that only you and the Lord could make.