For every overwhelmed mom who wonders if she has what it takes, I’m on your team.
As a young mom with a two-year-old and an infant, I was beside myself.
We had just moved into a new home in the woods. With no neighbors in sight, our house sat at the end of a quarter-mile driveway. I was terrified of the dark. And it was time for my husband to return to his job in Southeast Asia for three long months.
As I piled my daughters into the car for our trip to the airport, I fought back tears. I hated crying in front of my husband. I knew he was trying his best to keep his chin up for his dreaded flight overseas.
When my husband’s plane finally taxied for takeoff, the tears I’d been holding in began to fall.
I cried all the way home.
While juggling a baby, diaper bag, and toddler, I made my way into the kitchen door. And that’s when my life hit me like a gut punch to the stomach.
What in the world had I been thinking?
I couldn’t do this on my own.
Overwhelmed
I felt alone, scared, and overwhelmed. It’s not what I thought my life would look like. And I had no idea how to make it work.
As hot tears rolled down my cheeks, I crumpled to the kitchen floor and began to sob.
I don’t recall how long I cried (or where my toddler was!), but I do remember halfway entertaining a handful of scenarios that would help me escape my lot in life. From burning down the house to working a nightshift job, I was all over the place in my desperation to change my overwhelming predicament.
But I knew my little girls needed me. Even while I cried, the baby whimpered for a bottle and my toddler asked for a snack. No matter how hard the next three months might be, my daughters deserved a mama who wasn’t paralyzed by fear and sadness. They needed more than an overwhelmed mom.
I hadn’t been a Christian for very long. But somehow I sensed that God was the best life line I had.
HELP FOR THE OVERWHELMED MOM
Still on the kitchen floor with tears streaming down my face, I began to pray out loud and asked God to help me.
I asked Him to give me courage. I asked Him to help me with my fear of the dark. And I asked Him to teach me to be a good mom.
When I finally stood up and dried my eyes, I felt a little stronger. I threw a load of laundry in the washing machine and made a bottle for my baby.
But I never stopped praying.
Fast forward
For the next 25 years, my husband worked overseas. Neighbors built a house near the end of our driveway and treated us like family. Our two daughters grew older, we added a third, and together the five of us filled our home with laughter, friends, and our own brand of craziness.
Some things never changed.
My husband was still gone for months at a time. I never got over my fear of the dark. And I often felt overwhelmed.
But all that time, I never stopped praying.
From the day I collapsed on the kitchen floor in tears until the day our youngest daughter married the man of her dreams, God faithfully gave me the strength, courage, and wisdom I needed as a mom. My girls were a joy and delight to my husband and me, and today they’re my best friends in all the world.
In retrospect, my weakest day as an overwhelmed mom (when I dropped to the floor in tears) was my best day. Because I called out for help.
As an overwhelmed mom, that’s the smartest thing you can do.
With that settled, here are the next steps:
OVERWHELMED MOM, HERE’S HOPE AND HELP FOR YOU
DON’T FOCUS ON YOUR INABILITY
Instead, focus on God’s ability. Believe with all your heart that God means what He says: I will never leave you. When you are weak, I am strong. Get your eyes off your impossible circumstances and look at Christ, who has the power to do in your life more than you know how to ask or imagine.
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.
LET YOUR LIFE BE AN EXAMPLE OF FAITH
Friend, God knows where you are. His love is deep and wide, and He’ll carry you when you need to be held. He’ll never leave you, and He’ll use what you’re going through to show you how faithful He is.
This is only a chapter in the story of your life. God has a plan that stretches far beyond what we can see or comprehend, so hold onto Him as He turns the pages. As you follow Him, your life will become a living testimony of His faithfulness.
God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my life.
Psalm 54:4, HCSB
BUILD A COMMUNITY OF FAITH
I loved being with God’s people (still do), and my children saw me serve Jesus through the local church. I drug my children to church on Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, and Wednesday evenings not because I felt obligated to be there, but because it’s where I most wanted to be. It’s where I served, learned, and made friends who shared a common faith.
When life was hard, church was my refuge. As an overwhelmed mom, it’s where I re-fueled spiritually when I was physically and emotionally exhausted. And I’m pretty sure the fellowship we enjoyed remains one of the biggest influences on my children’s lives.
Why is it that He gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God’s people will be equipped to do better work for Him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity.
FIND YOUR COMPASS
The Bible is a compass for every overwhelmed mom who can’t find her way. With psalms of comfort, historical narratives of faith, letters of instruction, and reminders of God’s power and majesty, the Scriptures are food for a weary mom’s soul.
Whether you’re a new Christian or a seasoned one, open your Bible and begin reading. Make time for it. In the Scriptures you’ll find hope. It’s where God will speak to you and it’s where you’ll find your true identity.
(You can find practical Bible study tips here.)
With gratitude and awe, I can honestly say:
I would have despaired and perished unless your laws had been my deepest delight. I will never lay aside your laws, for you have used them to restore my joy and health.
Psalm 119:92-93, TLB
I don’t know what circumstances you face as an overwhelmed mom, but I do know this:
God is faithful. If you reach out to Him, He’ll show you He’s all you need. He won’t leave you. His Spirit will guide and comfort you.
Open your Bible, read it, and ask God to help you follow Him. You’ll end up being the best faithful influence your child could ever have.
Thank you, for sharing this. My husband is deployed right now and I have two small children a three year old and a one year old, and I find myself fearful and overwhelmed so much. This really helped encourage me.
Lauren, my heart goes out to you because I know how it feels to be in that place. I faced so much exhaustion, uncertainty, and, at times, loneliness. I wish I could give you a hug and look you in the eye and say, “Hold onto Jesus. He is enough. Even in your most overwhelming moments.” Bless you and I want to say thank you for being a wife who sacrifices so your husband can serve his country. So much appreciation for both of you. I’m saying a prayer for you right now and holding you in my heart.