The Battle of Embracing Hope: Becoming A Holy Warrior
Another restless night of tossing, turning, praying, readjusting, and more praying. I knew having kids would lead to sleepless nights, I just didn’t realize it would continue into their adult years. I had a misconception that when our kids were grown up, I wouldn’t feel tired like I did with three littles running around our house. Over twenty years later, it’s a very different kind of tired.
Parenthood…the Journey
In the early days of parenting, there was exhaustion from bad dreams, middle-of-the-night ear infections, first steps, playdates, and never-ending grocery shopping. Life was like a game of Tetris; trying to make everything fit.
As they got older, those sleepless nights became my anxious insomnia. Our babies became newly licensed drivers out late with friends. Those playdates became graduations and moving out. And those nightly trips down the hall became traveling to different zip codes, sometimes on a plane.
Let’s face it, entering parenthood is a sweet gift and a challenge. It’s one that we embrace, but as much as we love every ounce of our kids, being a mom can drain the living life right out of us. Fatigue enters the very essence of our being, lending itself to worry, anxiety, self-doubt, and the feeling of hopelessness we don’t want to admit out loud, or even silently to ourselves.
To say parenting was, and still is, overwhelming is a bit of an understatement. I’m so thankful for my mom’s encouragement telling me God chose me to be the momma of each one of our babies. It means I am, equipped to walk through all of the steps with them.
Royal Empowerment
Parenting can feel like a long journey. We’re responsible for these little lives that we love so much. We hold their tiny hands as they take their first steps as they struggle to find their balance. Later we watch from the sidelines with our hands clenched in prayer as they tread into dangerous areas that can bring the kind of consequences we tried so hard to teach them to avoid growing up. I know that painful place all too well.
As impossible as it sounds, God loves our children more than we do. Here’s another truth, according to Galatians 4:7 you and me, we are His children, too!
We are the daughters of a King! We’re heirs of a trustworthy and sovereign God who loves all of His kids. That’s such a beautiful and comforting image, but if I’m being honest, as true as I believe it to be, it’s hard for me to trust my own life to God, let alone my babies, no matter how old they are.
Trust can be hard for different reasons. Maybe you didn’t grow up in a home where you felt loved or safe. Maybe you had your heart broken by someone you thought you could trust. Maybe you lost someone and the hole in your heart feels like a void that’s impossible to fill. Maybe you don’t trust yourself, or God. I get that. I’ve been there. I still go there!
Insecurity, lack of confidence, and the comparison we’re up against from the perfect lives we see around us and on social media are all fueled by lies from the Enemy. I fall into this trap over and over. It feels like I need combat boots just to make it through a day, but we don’t have to allow this.
We have holy armor that God gives us to stand in His truth, remind us who we are in Christ, and protect us from lies (Ephesian 6:13-18 – ESV). Our battles are already won through our faith (1 John 5:4 – ESV).
Embracing Hope
Maybe you’re thinking this all sounds great, but it’s hard to walk it out when we’re bombarded by life before our first sip of coffee. Sweet Sister, I understand, but be affirmed! We have the gift of God’s Word. We get to spend time with Him in prayer. Moments spent with Him offer us a lens into who He is and the promise that we can look for Him in all things with a trustworthy expectancy.
In the same way we love our kids; the way we want to support and love them through the good, bad, exciting and heart-wrenching life moments, we have a Heavenly Father who wants to do the same with us; with our children – His children.
We get to have a hopeful confidence in our Heavenly Father who loves us. We have that hope because of the promise that we are fueled by the power of God.
Ephesians 3:20 (ESV) says it beautifully, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”
I love every part of that verse! Claiming the confidence that we can do “far more abundantly” than we would ask, or think to ask, feels like a heavenly shot of espresso to my heart. It’s like we have our own superpower!
That is something that brings hope to each of my sleepless nights. It can for you, too. And if no one has ever told you this before, I’d love for you to let me speak this truth to you. Momma, you are so deeply loved by the One who chose you to be His very own. He entrusted you to raise His children here on earth. You are already equipped to handle all of the challenges. Let that holy assurance fill your heart and help you walk in confidence as we blaze the trail of motherhood together, fueled by the power and hope of the Holy Spirt.