Hey there, hot mess mama.
I see you.
I see you trying to wrestle your kids into their car seats while they writhe and scream and make you want to give up trying to go anywhere with them ever again.
I see you trying to put together a healthy meal for your kids to throw on the floor eat – only to pour yourself a bowl of cereal in exhaustion.
I feel your frustration as your child throws himself on the floor yet again while you try to get him dressed so that you can be late yet again.
I see you as you try to read your Bible during nap time, only to fall asleep in the pages of Leviticus once more.
I see you showing up with no makeup, oatmeal in your hair, spit up on your shirt, with the contents of your diaper bag strewn across your car as you search for THE ONLY TOY THAT MATTERS to your child. The one you left at home.
I see you as you scroll through Instagram looking at moms who have tighter bodies, better schedules, cleaner homes, happier kids, all while they make more money through their side hustles and plan elaborate educational activities for their kids.
You wonder if you’ll ever NOT feel tired again, if your body will ever look the same, if your family will ever appreciate your work, if you’ll ever make the money you want to make or accomplish any goals ever again.
You wonder if you’ll ever have it all together.
I’m with you, and I am you.
I am the hot mess mom who never has it all together – the one who makes the other moms feel like THEY have it more together than they originally thought.
I work and plan and hope and pray to one day have it all together. I print schedules, make chore charts, meal plan, set alarms, scour Pinterest, read all the books and all the articles and pray all the prayers.
And I just know that this is the week I will finally have it all together. This is the day.
And here’s the honest truth: I won’t.
Perfection is a lie perpetuated by our own guilty consciences, social media, and Satan.
The moment we feel like we have arrived and are finally perfect – that’s the moment when we disown the work of Jesus to save us from our imperfections.
Here is the good news, my hot mess friend: you don’t have to be perfect, because God already is.
And here’s some more good news: God meets us where we are in our struggle to be more like Him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
– Isaiah 40:11
This idea that God gently leads those who have young is almost startling to me. The powerful, awesome God who created the stars in the sky and conjured up such terrors as crocodiles, Great White Sharks and super volcanoes – this same God is also…gentle?
So I dug a little deeper into this verse. What does it mean for God to gently lead me?
The Hebrew term used for ‘He gently leads’ means ‘to lead or guide to a watering place, bring to a place of rest, refresh.’ This is the same terminology used in such verses as Exodus 15:13, Psalm 23:2, Psalm 31:3, Isaiah 49:10, 2 Chronicles 28:15, and 2 Chronicles 32:22.
I don’t know about you, but I adore the idea of rest and refreshment. I picture God leading me to a quiet place by the water where I can rest on a blanket in the shade. I can eat (without someone stealing my food or complaining about theirs), I can close my eyes and sleep (without listening to a monitor for a crying baby), I can read a book leisurely without interruption, and I can breathe.
This is my vision. What’s yours? Where is God leading you for your rest?
So if you’re feeling like a hot mess mom today, remember two things:
1. You are not alone.
2. God is gently leading you toward rest.
We can follow David’s example and pray for God to lead and guide us:
Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
– Psalm 31:3
And lastly, let’s have faith and trust that God WILL lead us to a place of rest. In His timing, which is perfect.
In the meantime, know that you are not alone, hot mess mom – God is with you. And so am I!
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