Before I had kids, I knew exactly what kind of a mother I wanted to be.
You know, the kind of mother who kept a perfectly clean house, who served delicious and nutritous meals, who had fun with her kids and never raised her voice.
I wanted to be a super-mom. I wanted to be the best mom that the world has ever seen.
But nine years and three kids into this parenting journey, and I find myself hiding in the bathroom with the door locked, longing for just a couple of moments of peace. I feel overwhelmed, exhausted, depressed at my unmet expectations, and maybe even a little resentful of my circumstances.
Don’t get me wrong! I love my family with all of my heart. But, sometimes, it just feels like life is asking too much. I am ready to turn in my super-mom cape and be done!
Which is perhaps why I love the story of Elijah so much.
Now Elijah was a true super-man prophet.
I mean, seriously, this guy had been fed by ravens, raised a boy from the dead, called down fire from heaven, led in the destruction of 450 prophets of Baal, by prayer ended a 3 and a half year drought, and outrun a king in his chariot.
But, somewhere in the midst of being a super-man prophet, Elijah got tired, overwhelmed, and discouraged. Things weren’t going the way that he thought they would.
After all of the miracles that Elijah had seen God perform, it only took the threat of a wicked queen to send Elijah scurrying for the wilderness, seeking cover under a juniper tree. (No indoor plumbing, you know, so he couldn’t just lock himself in the bathroom.)
The super-man prophet Elijah had “had it”! He was ready to throw in the towel and be done. “It is enough; now O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
In Elijah’s words, I hear my own heart cry as a mother. “Enough, Lord! I thought I could do this. I can’t! I had ideas of how this should go. It’s not going that way, Lord, and I am ready to be done! I love my kids, but I just can’t handle this anymore.”
Now, Elijah knew God’s power. God would have been perfectly just in raining a little fire down on Elijah for his doubts, frustrations, and resentments. But, God didn’t do that. Instead, God’s response to Elijah is quite surprising:
1. God let Elijah sleep.
Dear mother who is about to give up, how are you doing in the sleep department? As a fellow mother who knows what it is like to go for six months without ever once sleeping through a whole night, may I encourage you to make sleep a priority? Before you laugh bitterly and click away from this post, hear me out.
Making sleep a priority may mean that you have to take your super-mom cape off for a bit. Trust me, I know how difficult that can be. But, you are not going to be able to be a super-mom anyway if you are constantly exhausted.
- Let some things need to go undone.
- Let go of some expectations or responsibilities for a season
- Take naps when you can.
- Ask Grandma or a close friend to take the kids for a day so that you can get some sleep.
- Allow your husband to put the kids to bed a couple of nights a week so that you can get to bed earlier.
If the Prophet Elijah couldn’t go on without getting a little sleep, chances are you can’t either! If you are exhausted, find a way to get a little more rest.
And, while you are at it, ask God to change your focus from yourself and your to-do list so that you can rest in Him. Because, only when we discover that life is all about Him and not about us, can we truly find rest for our souls.
2. God gave Elijah food and drink.
God knew that Elijah not only needed to sleep, but he also needed to eat.
How are you doing in the food and drink department?
Have you ever found yourself yelling or in tears at 4:00 in the afternoon, only to realize that you are living off of two cups of coffee, two cokes, five gummy bears, and six gold fish that you snuck off your toddler’s food tray?
You can’t be a good mom if you are depriving your body of the food it needs to function correctly.
If you feel completely overwhelmed, consider if your diet may be partly to blame. Look for ways that you can take care of your body with healthy food and plenty of water. (And, while you are at it, consider scheduling a physical with your doctor if it has been awhile!)
3. God reminded Elijah of who He was.
Even after receiving rest and physical nourishment, Elijah was still pouting, angry and resentful. God pursued after Elijah and showed him His strength, then spoke to him in a still and quiet voice.
Are you making time in your day to remember Who God is? Seek God through the reading of His Word and prayer. Listen for His still quiet voice. Make worship a part of your daily routine.
Because, in the end, you can never be a super-mom. But, you can serve a super-God. He will make you all that you need to be for your family. He can see you through when you are ready to give up.
4. God told Elijah that He wasn’t finished with him.
After Elijah has been restored physically and spiritually, God gave Elijah his next assignments.
I am so thankful for a God Who doesn’t give up on us! When you feel like you are done, be assured that God isn’t done with you. He will continue to use you for His good purposes until the day that He is ready to welcome you home into His eternal rest.
5. God gave Elijah a friend.
Have you ever felt the intense loneliness of motherhood?
Elijah complained several times to God that he was alone. God’s response? God assured Elijah that, in fact, 7,000 people in Israel had stayed faithful to God. And then, God gave Elijah Elisha, a young man whom Elijah was to train. I am sure that Elisha was a huge help and comfort to Elijah.
Are you surrounding yourself with Christian friends who can walk this parenting journey with you? You won’t survive on your own.
Be humble enough to let your super-mom cape slip a bit and admit to close friends where you struggle. You just might discover that they are struggling in the same areas! It is so helpful to know that we are not alone.
I love how God lifted Elijah back up when he was exhausted, depressed, resentful, and completely overwhelmed! God let Elijah sleep, gave him food, reminded Elijah of Who He is, gave Elijah his next assignment, and provided Elijah with a friend and companion.
I know that God can do the same for you. Will you make this a matter of prayer?
By the way, you can find this whole story in 1 Kings 17-19. It is definitely worth the read!
Do you struggle in any of these areas? Do you find it comforting that even a great prophet of God faced similar feelings? I would love to hear from you. Please scroll down to comment.
What if our husbands take our reaction of depletion as disrespect instead of understanding? My marriage has been rocky and it’s mainly because of my execution ( as I have admitted and have asked forgiveness for) not being the best and my husband not being understanding or empathetic. I’ve been turning to alcohol too. In turn the fight gets dragged on for days and he says terrible and mean things to me. I’ve asked for counseling but he has refused. I’ve also asked him to educate himself with the things I’ve been dealing with. Not only am I a SAHM but our youngest is autistic which makes for x2 more the stress at least I feel. He has said mean things about my character as a whole, my mother hood: my wife hood, me as a person having and dealing with the mental issues that come with the SAHM. He won’t speak to a professional for his own issues. I don’t know what to do aside from pray. And to continue choosing the right decisions because at the end od the day I can only control my own behaviors.
I’m a mom of 3, ages 2,5 & 9 and this was written so well and is just the nudge I needed. God Bless you for writing this and also including the Bible chapters and verses!
I do not fear death… I long to see my baby girl in heaven… it's for the tired and poor, the hungry who have had childhoods like mine, but gave it there all and still feel short. I know the feeling of what heaven will be… for I have lived in its light my whole life. One moment of holding my family tight was worth all the heartache I could of lived in a thousand lives. For I am blessed.. but not by being a profet…but a puppet.
A vessel to be used…. to shine a little light on whatever room I walk into. Never thinking that there is no hope…I'm never out of the fight…fir the fight in in me. I ask you please know that I forgive all… just pray that you forgive me.. a man is only as good as his word… well my word is this "LOVE"!!! My passions…love, passion and growth.. I will love thee passionately without me having a set, but pray that GOD sees that the light in which is me… is ever so brighter in my little B,C,D…n my sweet girl Makayla. Who got all of her mother's and my cons smotherd and in her a light so bright that mother fucking comet does not stand a chance. Thank you for everything. Amen
Thankyou for this. This really resonated with me as a sleep deprived exhausted mum of a toddler and preschooler, especially as I read the Elijah story in the Bible recently.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’m sobbing right now while reading this. It’s as if you were talking straight out of my mouth, my mind, my emotions, my heart. You literally hit the nail on the head. I am a full time mom of 3 young kids, all of whom are up at different hours of the night needing me. I cry all day sometimes. I try so hard to read my bible but all I see is words on a page because my brain feels like oatmeal all day. Thank you for this article. I am literally going to dig into the scripture you posted. My son is finally asleep!! ?
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’m sobbing right now while reading this. It’s as if you were talking straight out of my mouth, my mind, my emotions, my heart. You literally hit the nail on the head. I am a full time mom of 3 and (ages 1 and 5 year old twins) and i am EXHAUSTED daily- just like you explained and clearly understand!) I can’t remember the last time I slept for 3 or 4 hours straight (I feel like my body needs 8-9 but i would be THRILLED with at least 3!) The twins have nightmares every night (like clockwork- at 11pm for my girl and 1am for my boy). It breaks my heart and I go in and try my best to comfort them, and it takes a while to get them back to sleep). My daughter also wakes up at midnight every other night with leg pains. Doc said it’s growing pains and it’ll pass ….”in a few years”…. ???. Takes me almost an hour to get them back to sleep. Then my 1 year old wakes up an hour later, and by the time i finally get back to sleep it’s 5:15 and my husband needs to get up to get ready for work and I’m drifting through the house like a zombie all day. I cry all day sometimes. I try so hard to read my bible but all I see is words on a page because my brain feels like oatmeal and I’m not able to really “take in” God’s words. I have no joy anymore, it is so hard. I pray sometimes HOURLY that God will give me strength to get through the day but before i can even say “in Jesus name amen” i hear screaming kids, and I’m in [what feels like] a constant panic mode of “who needs what next”.
I KNOW Jesus is the only answer. I KNOW the gospel is the only way, and the fruits of the spirit are what help conform us to Christ-likeness. But how the heck (pardon my exclamation) am I supposed to soak in the Word and really take in the sufficient promises of Scripture when I’m running on fumes all day, every day?! My husband is so supportive but I don’t think men can fully understand the trials of raising 3 kids, keeping house, cooking, etc.
I’m tired. I am SO tired.
Thank you for this article. I am literally going to dig into the scripture you posted. My son is finally asleep!! ???
Leslie, oh my goodness. That sounds like a lot. I have a few thoughts and I speak from having really difficult sleepers:
1. If you haven't already, take your kids to the doctor about their sleep issues. My son needed a "reset" so we did melatonin for 2 weeks.
2. Follow a STRICT bedtime routine, 30 minutes tops. (brush teeth, PJs, read 1-2 books, hugs and kisses goodnight).
Whatever you do, DO NOT TALK TO YOUR TWINS. Visit them for 5 seconds to make sure they are safe, then leave. THEY WILL CRY A LOT. But you have to ween them off of this habit. Please trust me. They are 5 years old, not 5 weeks old anymore.
You are a loving mother but what would you do if your friend's 5 year old was sleeping at your house, waking up every night saying they had a nightmare? You'd probably tell that kindergarten kid with love that they need to cut it out and go to sleep right???
I was guilty of not giving enough attention because I was exhausted. But if you spend 1-on-1 time with each kid, they won't be so crazy at night for your attention.
3. Have you honestly spoken to your husband to delegate this very tough job? Sometimes men are good at keeping emotions low, so the kids can't whine as much with them when daddy says "Ok Daddy loves you – goodnight kids." He might handle this like a pro and be the hottest man ever for it LOL.
I pray for you to have peace and quiet and for God to send you all the help you need.
Needed to hear these words. As a full time mother, nurse, and graduate student I am feeling beyond overwhelmed right now. With minimal to no help from my significant other or mother. I feel like everything is closing down on me and I am constantly swimming trying to stay afloat, ready to give up. I am going back to school for my daughter but I feel like it’s unfair to her since school takes away so much of my time. Need balance. Need prayer. Thank You.
God bless you…
Am a first time mother of a handsome handful boy.
Since I gave birth till today his 11 months now I haven’t found rest, he was a crying newborn and now his escaleted to being a mommies boy… He can nearly sit down and play alone, he always wants my attention which is so much hard for me to give him at all times because I have house chores, which end up straining me and keeping me awake, exhausted and overwhelmed.
Thank you so much needed this kind of words and upliftment.
I feel similarly to you. I wish I could hug you.
I’m reading so many comments from other Mums talking about their struggles with 2-3 children, work, etc…
I’m struggling with forever piling house chores, study, part time work, and a very clingy 15 month old… I can’t even imagine dealing with house, study, and work, while trying to look after 2-3 children!
Most of the time, I feel like a failure, because I can’t keep the house neat and tidy like other instagram and pinterest Mums seem to manage. And I resent my husband for enjoying so many periods in his day whereby he can go to the toilet freely, shower freely, drive freely, whereby he’s not in hyper vigilance mode all the time…
I love my son, and I love my husband, but I just feel like a single Mum most of the time. My son seems to have a father who occasionally visits, and provides child support funds. That’s what it feels like most of the time.
I feel so frustrated, alone, bitter, resentful, messy, and overwhelmed.
And my sinful thoughts and feelings cause me to doubt whether God has saved me and made me His own.
Many of my friends are elderly women, grandmothers, aged women who have seen it all.
Sometimes I secretly yearn to live as they do, to ‘fast forward’ to my grandma years (God willing), and just bake cookies, maintain perfectly clean and pristine homes, cook everything from scratch, volunteer to help the poor and needy…
But I remind myself that this messy, tantrum-filled, clingy, oats on the floor, stuff in the hallway season … is just that, a season. And one day I might even miss all the chaos.
Thank you for this… It really did help me think of my life in a different perspective. My cape had gotten so heavy, trying to be super mom. I accept and receive this reminder with tear filled eyes. Thanks.
Thank U! ?
Great read! I am a new mom of a beautiful baby girl and a wife to a business owner. I regularly feel alone, depressed and exhausted. But you reminded me to seek God & he’ll get me through!
Your words and related scriptures saved me from the ” nervous breakdown I don’t have time for” today. THANK YOU, for this posting. I searched this morning for anything that would speak to my feelings and yet, not expose me as a “failure”. Often, when moms share their struggles, they are documented and used could be used against them. It is sad but true. You don’t know how much your message saved me from a crying fit in front of my kids today. I am a wife and mother of 3 [one child has Autism and AD/HD, one has ODD and AD/HD, and the other has Dyslexia). My husband is traveling and everything hits the fan and I am left with the clean up. “Overwhelmed” is the perfect word and you shared the perfect message of encouragement. God bless you and thank you.
K
K, I’m feeling for you so much my heart broke feeling the weight of the realness. Though this was a long time ago you posted with three young children with difficulties I’m sure many a day a week feels like this one. I found this post today in the same way you did in a hope to speak truth into me where I had one of the worst days with my 1,2 and 3 year old. I did run away into my bedroom and wail, which is nothing I would ever dream of doing in front of them but it came bursting out my seams.
Please don’t feel upset or offended at me sharing what I am about to – spiritually I am just learning and beginning to walk in the scripture:
‘And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
And it lead me to teachings from Becky Dvorak. In my heart I just want to share her with you because through many years of Fasting and prayer the Lord has given her great wisdom opening up the scriptures and how we apply our words of prophecy to our lives for healing ourselves and others. She also receives prayer requests and posts back online mostly within the same day so if you did want to do that for your beautiful children.
Anyway this is totally just a heart leading as I’ve been touched by her. I hope you will be too.
Huge blessings to you, Toya xx
This was amazing. Thank yoU! I wish we can start a discussion board and talk regularly to support each other and help each other out
Tired, exhausted & depressed mother of 4
I really enjoyed reading this. It really helped
I really needed this today. Thank you
Very great pick me up!!!!
Thank you for this inspiration. I shared it right away, because I am certain I’m not the only one feeling this way and needing a pick-me-up. The bible has so many answers.
Thank you for posting this. This is how I have been feeling for months and just holding hold by a thread.
This was beautiful! I’m one tired and exhausted momma and was finding myself getting irritable with God. This softened my heart and allowed God to pour out His oh so amazing grace over me. Thank you for this!
What a beautiful article. I relate to every single bit. We mothers have to share our stories to know that we are not alone. Motherhood can be a lonely place. Thank you for sharing. Yes, I am comforted that a prophet of God faced similar feelings.
Thank you so much for this post!! Its always comforting to find another mother that struggles but still has the faith to pray and not give up. I have 8 kids ages 15 to 18 mos and lately I’ve had enough and dont know how I will have the strength to do this every day. This post really gave me comfort today thank you and many blessings.
THANK YOU!! I’m a mom to one son, the guardian to a great niece and a kinship foster to two toddler great nieces and I care for my elderly mom – I also work full time. At 56…I am TIRED!! The Bible says good news is like cool water in the desert – YES! This read was that for me. I find myself saying I’m exhausted – a lot – and I forget to find goodness in so many of our days and dwell on the failures. I liked the reminder to set my to do aside and ME and focus on God – none of this was a shock to him! THANK YOU!
It’s amazing how God reminds us that since the beginning of time we are all very different but still so similar!! Thank you for sharing these points from Elijah’s journey it is still so very real!
This word was just for me thank you to encourage me. God Bless
ONE OFTHE BEST ARTICLE FULL OF LIFE . I EVER READ . RHANKS FIR WISDOM OF PEARL
Wow. This is soo precise!
Thank you so much for your encouragement. God definitely led me to read your post. As I sit nursing my baby, I am fighting exhaustion. 3 kids in 5 years is tough. Some days I feel like I’m the worst mom in the world. And I’m so ready to sleep through the night consistantly. I know being a mom isn’t easy. And I know this is for just a short time & my kids won’t be little for long. But right now, I’m just a bit overwhelmed & feel like I’m being pulled in a thousand different directions.
I can relate!! I am a mother of 3 kids in 5 years as well..two 5 year old twins and a 15 month old. Sometimes I struggle with just keeping my head afloat. It can be so emotionally taxing. But at the same time good to know we are not alone.
Thank you, this lifted me!
Thank you so much for this post. It was so encouraging. I started crying when I was reminded that we have a God that doesn’t give up on us and wont stop using us until he welcomes us into his eternal kingdom!
I felt like such a failure today for losing my temper and speaking to my family in my flesh. And it became so evident, after reading in the comments, that I AM in my flesh. Staying centered on God’s word as often as you can or need to be so that you can try your best to obey Him and walk with Him, that is our true super power ladies! One that is so rare in this world and one that our kids see us doing! Our best gift to our families is our relationship with our Father in Heaven.
Thank you again for this encouragement. God bless you guys!
I feel exactly the way you do. Exactly!
Thank you, Anna, for this article! I am a “senior” Mom of three, with 3 grandchildren, a new grandchild on his way who is at high risk due to a congenital heart defect, a 90 year old Mom and a loving husband who works way too many hours. And so do I!Thank you for helping to bring my focus back to the Lord and not what I have or have not done!!
This wasn’t helpful at all
I think it was.
Thank you for the encouragement. I am the mother of four under four. Full time stay at home Mom and full-time online student with demanding children and academic life. My husband is great, works long hours and tries to help at home when he can. However, where we live I am isolated from family (not that they were involved before we relocated) have no real friends to speak of and have let myself go and most importantly I have shrank away from God. I do not feel that my needs matter in the grand scheme of daily life. I feel invisible pressure constantly, mostly from unrealistic expectations. This is leaving me angry, bitter and resentful. I love my children and my husband so much, however, I find that I do not enjoy them, this makes me feel guilty. It is truly an ugly cycle.
Ditto!!
This is EXACTLY how I feel!!!
I only take solace in knowing I’m not alone.
Viiceous cycle!!! ❤️
I loved it ??
Married mom not happy overwhelmed miss church work overnights miss my kids miss my 13 year old ready for her to come home worried about looking for home to provide for me and kids I’m on the verge of leaving husband and raising kids alone no support don’t know where to go or turn to with kids need help desperately
Oh, Melinda, I am so sorry to hear about this. May God be with you and bless you. May He draw you closer to Himself during this difficult time and lead you every step of the way. May He show Himself real to you and meet your needs.
Your writing absolutely articulated everything I am experiencing. Lately I feel like life has become a battle ground and I am the only one who seems to be fighting. I am overwhelmed & angry by all the different directions I am being pulled. 3 kids age 15,8 & foster son age 2. Family support is literally none of I need help with kids. My husband works very long hours at a very physical job. He is also exhausted. Every time someone from church or a friend asks how I am doing, I suddenly word vomit for 15 minutes about how my life seems to be in crumbling. Going for months without getting a re – charge on my battery. BUT what I know for certain is The enemy has been distracting me from my time with God. When I put him first in my day, I seem to get the strength I need & simplicity I desire. Great post! I am now making the time to read the scripture and story of Elijah.
I needed this encouragement. I have 2 teenage girls one is epileptic and having trouble with everything. I work part time but need full time for benefits and finances. Having marriage issues for the last several months. I know God is with me and has a plan for my life and family.
What a great post. Thank you. I’m saddened by all the comments I’ve been reading, though. So many moms with such heavy burdens… I have 10 children so I totally understand being overwhelmed, (I’ve done my time hiding out in a closet!), but I see I have an unbelievably blessed life compared to so many other women. I’m blessed to have an amazing mother as my role model: she always had a clean home, nutritious meals on the table and still had time for me and my six siblings (all while suffering from IBS). Even now she comes 1 or 2 times a month and helps me with the laundry and a quick fridge clean or floors scrubbed or ‘good’ clean of a room. What a help she is to me and to so many others! How sad not to have a great sister who as soon as she hears I have a breast infection or anything immediately offers to take 3 or 4 children for the day or make a meal; or a dear husband who takes the children for a bike ride or a hike so I can have a rest; or a sister(s)-in-law who brings baking or offers babysitting or whatever needs to be done; or a friend you can call for a little ‘venting’. I can’t imagine not having a big family (and church family) to help out when it’s needed (I do the same for them -it truly is more blessed to give than receive!). It seems you could become friends with your neighbors and have support that way, but reading all the comments I see that’s naïve (I’ve never lived in a city nor have I ever needed to support my family financially) and not doable for so many. I pray for all mothers in the world, but I’m adding special prayers for all you moms without husbands and moms and sisters and friends to support you! I truly wish I could help you!
I do t feel like referencing Elija relates at all to single moms, at least for me. The Bible, being the living word, transcribes differently to all.
I loved the read and the message but ima single Working mom of a 3 year old, fiscally successful in the past and have now lost everything. I can sleep for days with out rest….like when you’re thirst goes unquinched despite havei g unlimited water. I did enjoy your thoughts and relation to passage.
I have
How do you find time to read your Bible when you have three kids and a baby? I do a daily devotion so that I at least get some time with God. But it is not the same as doing a Bible Journal or taking even 10 minutes to read the Bible. Sometimes 10 minutes is a lot to ask for animation mark Mark. And I am exactly the woman that you described above. I feel like I’m always shouting at my kids because they don’t listen when I say it nicely 5 freaking times. I can feel myself tearing up just as I say this. Imagine 10 years ago I swore I was going to have five boys and we were going to have fun all the time! Oh man. I can’t tell you how my heart breaks that I’m not that person anymore. I have 4 beautiful children and the best husband. I have a 16 year old girl 6 year old boy and a four-year-old boy and a three-month-old girl. I know I need to give myself Grease but I also need to be trying to do better all the time. You know what I mean trying to keep the house tidy and how do you ever keep up with two boys! I am going to make it a point to read your story about Elijah in the Bible. And I think you so much for writing this! If nothing else it is just so comforting to know that there are other moms out there dealing with the same exact thing. You often go wondering if it’s just you. Maybe I need to call the doctor and get that pill for depression. Or maybe I just need to make time for a walk by myself. I can hardly get this out without crying! I know that God has blessed me so much but my goodness sometimes it is so much! I miss spending time with my husband and I miss myself! God bless and thank you again.
Jill, I just want to encourage you to let you know that I understand, I’m in tears reading your frustration because I feel the same way most times, and it hurts so bad that I have one five year old daughter and I almost lost my life giving birth to her and most days I’m irritated by her, I’m always tired and frustrated, again I too have a great husband, but I don’t think he understands how overwhelmed I am, on top of caring for his aging mother with dementia and working a full time job. I guess we can just find times to love on our children, and share the word of God together, perhaps having quiet time for everyone and sitting down and reading a verse together. I believe for myself keeping God in the center of even the chaos can be our anchor.
Oh wow ? I’m in awe of how a great prophet could be like me. I’m in the same place in my life and I need god to restore me. Thankful for this.
My soul needed this today. Thank you!!!
This all seems like a load of rubbish. I believe in God, and I know that he is in control of the outcomes in my life, but your advice seems very naive and idealistic. Some people don’thave the luxury of having close friends or family members nearby to help out because they have just moved to a new town or city. Trusting strangers or new friends in parishes or churches is extremely dangerous with all the child abuse going around. You really have to get to know people now a days. Most mothers OVER eat not under, unless you are a caucasian woman who likes to starve all the time. Finally to ask God to help you re-focus the attention to him? When you have a husband who does little to help around the house, very young children to take care of, aside from ALL the house work, your attention is NOT on yourself at all. It is on the individuals in your family. My parent were church goers who focused their attention completely on God, to the point of neglecting the family unit. Very irresponsible to ask someone to only think of God, when others depend on you for care. You can’t ignore your family for what you are defining as a selfish God. God created family for a reason.
Wendy, I appreciate your concerns here. Thank you for bringing them up! I would not AT ALL advocate leaving kids with strangers. However, on the flip side, I do believe that we have a responsibility to plug into a local church and start cultivating friendships and community. There is that temptation for moms (and I know because I’ve been there!) to hunker down in their own homes and not develop any friendships because they are too busy, too tired, etc. They don’t have a support group. They don’t help each other out. This is not a good place to be in at all. Also, I am not advocating that we neglect family responsibilities to focus on God. God absolutely did create family for a reason, and He commands us to care for our families. However, if we are not looking to God for the daily strength to do that, we will never do it well. And, as we focus on God, He will convict us to care for our families even better (exercising the fruit of the Spirit – love, patience, gentleness, self-control). When people neglect their family for “God”, they are following a religion, not living in obedience to God’s Word. None of this is easy, but it is important. Thank you for your comments. May God be with you!
I agree with you. The reality is that you can’t rest. I’m a co.lege graduate from an amazing university. Made 6 figure
S all through my twenties and then I had my son. He is everything I prayed for but the stress of having to work vs loving to irk, sleeping but never really sleeping, resorting to wine so you can be playful after work when you just want quiet/alone time. Driving in the car after a rough work day hearing “ I want I want, I don’t like, I need, fake crying, ahhh”. So I resorted to depressants, that did t work. Moved near family, that was a horrible idea because now I hate them. All leads to resent,ent toward my sweet angel, alcohol dependency, no regards to health beacause literally you can’t quit. That’s called auicide and that is only to the bold wanting to test the coverage of the Lords insurance policy. I’m tired, I’m angry, I smile, I laugh, I can’t cry anymore, I’m just here. I’ll never get married, I don’t have time and the idea of having to attract another and make them desire me….it’s more likely I’d put on 40lbs so they go away. I have enough to take care of, I never even get a chance to read books I’m interest3d I ,Take long walks with my dogs. Ugh, if I had to do it over again I would. I’m not sure why, I must be a closet masicist;or. My soul is not alive or dead. I
Can’t lie and say the post helped me feel better but it has showed me I’m not alone…..was never married just with someone for 11 years I’m a single mom of 3 even though I daily fight with my ex he is very verbally abusive and has my two oldest hating me and not wanting to spend time with me and then my two year old is the most overwhelming of the three always fighting and screaming me for EVERYTHING….no support except from my mother but she works and isn’t in the best health so I try not to ask her for help I work full time and take care of cancer patients and then come home and care for the kids or 2 year old of the other two decide to be around me or not can’t go for custody because I can’t afford it have been working for 11 year and they say I make to much for legal support for a lawyer….. I’m lucky if I get one meal and if I do it just runs right through me….I have a migraine and chest pain 85% of the day so I say all this to say I know God is Great and God is Real it’s just hard going through it everyday when your exhausted and your foundation is broken
Kinsley, my heart breaks for you. May God be with you and strengthen you, lead you and guide you as you navigate this impossible situation. May God show Himself strong in your life as you trust Him, protecting you and watching over you and giving you the support and grace that you need.
I agree 100
Hello Kinsley,
It has been awhile since your post so I’m not sure if you will see this:
My heart goes out to you in your struggles. Without going into a lot of details…I understand your pain. I have had 10 children, some never made it home from hospital, some have special needs, some older children don’t talk with me, some blame me for everything, some think the world of me. My first marriage broke up with the added stress of a death of a child and having some with special needs at home. I became sole parent without support for over 13 years. The heartache, exhaustion, tears, loneliness are real. So is God. I am afraid to think where my life and that of my children would have ended up if it wasn’t for God. I didn’t have it all together. Most of the time I was a mess(still am) but God keeps picking me up and dusting me off, putting me back on the right path. Hope in God’s faithfulness kept me going when I believed there was no other reason.
The reason I am writing is that I suffered migraines for years, exhaustion, chest pains…doctors always telling me I’m depressed needing this pill or that one and all will be well with the world once more. After years of this I started thinking maybe they are right, maybe I do have depression, maybe I do need this medication…my doctor retires and a new young doctor comes in. My very FIRST visit he asks for a brief history so I lay it on him including the chronic exhaustion, NOT DEPRESSED but certainly overwhelmed. After a few minutes of question answer period he sends me for a sleep study. I’m stunned. More-so when I find out I have severe Sleep Apnea(stop breathing in sleep)You don’t need to be a snorer for this to a reality. Sleep Apnea can cause chronic headaches every morning due to rise and fall of blood pressure from lack of oxygen, chronic exhaustion throughout the day,(Previously I had been diagnosed with sleep deprivation TWICE), chest pains, heart disease, and more. The reason I’m saying this is that God does care, He wants only the best for us. But if we are not willing to take care of ourselves what are we really teaching our children? That we should give until we have nothing left? That we are not important enough to value ourselves? That I can go until I drop? I’ve done all that. It doesn’t work. All it has done is teach others to treat me less than God sees me. I’ve taught myself that I don’t matter as much as everyone else around me. I’m trying to change little by little. It all begins with one small choice, one small step. For me it was a physical check up with a sleep study. Now its planning out proper sleep for me, healthier food choices for me, getting up 30 min earlier for alone time with God(since getting better sleep this becomes possible). You don’t need to change the world in one day…just make one good healthy choice for you today and go from there and remember there are those of us out here that do understand and do care. You are not alone in your pain…NEVER ALONE!!
Love and Prayers
Thank you for this! Feeling down, overwhelmed, frustrated and so forth. I have 3 girls and 2 stepkids living here. My husband hasn’t surrendered so it’s hard talking to him. 22 year old twins, one with special needs who’s claiming she’s pagan. 18 year old stepdaughter who pregnant. Appointments, full time job, and now my husband thinks we need a bigger house for the baby. We don’t make that much money. He makes a little over minimum wage. He’s not making her responsible for anything. Frustrating as heck. I feel everything is falling on me. I’m tired. I just want peace and stability after being a drug addict for years. 5 sober this year and faithfully serving God. It’s so hard when your husband doesn’t share in the faith. Different parenting ideas and so forth. It’s been a roller coaster since step kids moved in. Another stepson had to leave a year ago due to him stealing, using drugs etc. Please keep me in prayer. I need direction, wisdom and peace.
Dear Anna,
I am so grateful to read your post, I also like you I wanted to be super mom. I am 32 yo and I have 2 kids boy (6) and girl (4) they like to tease and fight each other. And like to shouting ..and recently my boy like to shout and so emotional to me. I felt so exhausted and sometimes I just felt wanna give them to my mother in law. I am crying in my pray and just suddenly when ur blog pop up. It so amazing how God can talk to us in His way.. I am so thankful for your story. I really need a rest and just focus on a Him. Pls pray for me for the strength to do that.
Thanks so much Anna..
Dianella, I am praying for you! May God give you grace and wisdom as you lovingly care for your kids, even when they are being difficult. May God give you rest and help you to focus on Him. Hang in there, sister!
Thank you so much for this post! I am married with a 15 month old. I work as a full time pre-kinder teacher and I just started an online Master program. Just like you I try to be super woman and I am starting to feel overwhelmed. My husband is helpful when he is home, which I am grateful for. He works 8-10 hours days, 7 days a week and I feel guilty for expecting more than what he already does. We can only count on each other for help. I don’t have anytime for myself. When I do get a chance to go to the hair salon or nail salon I feel that I have to rush home. Reading this article really put things into perpective. Thank you very much.
It put things in place for me too. I have been having some health issues but I’m seeing that I need to slow down and focus too. I gave god my last after work 8 hours got four teens and married. I would come home cook clean little eat then rush pray go to bed give hubby time and checking on kids needs. I am exhausted not much rest at night. I’m home now since being ill and I still fail to realize the attention God is trying to get me to see. He wants me to focus pray and I try to rush and make myself do things when he says rest. Been a mother since age 20 I’m now 39. Eventthough they are teens I still feel the need to do for them more than I should. I’m giving them more responsibility but yet I still got to micromanage that smh. I’m just asking the lord to help me.
I am single mom of 2 very young children (ages 1 and 2). Husband got into drugs and left. Very alone in life. No family or friends. Giving up
Cynthia, I am praying for you! How I wish I could reach out to you in a practical way. Is there a local church that you can contact? Please, please make a phone call to one. You and your children are precious in God’s sight. I am praying right now that God will send you exactly the help and the hope that you need. May God be with you and sustain you, show you His mercy and grace and love in a very real way today.
I have no friends and my family is no help since my kids are all adopted. I’m so overwhelmed and honestly just don’t know how much longer I can hold on. I’ve given up everything for my kids. My husband works all the time and doesn’t understand at all. With 5 kids under 6 I can totally relate to your post. Thank you for letting me know I’m not alone. Prayers please….
I am praying for you Hope. May God give you hope during this difficult time. May you run to God’s arms and discover His love and care in a very real way. You are not alone. God knows exactly what you are going through.
Same boat Cynthia, I’m the woman I never thought I’d be. 42, 3 kids (2 that are 12 months apart too!) , same issues..and also feel ready to give up. I’ve tried so hard, I’m so tired.,my very soul is tired. I’ve aged 25 years in 10. Maybe we can start a support group. We can call it “moms screwed over by life anonymous”. Email me if you want, maybe we can help each other survive. I have no friends left, I’m lonely and my life is a shell of its former self. It’s awful I know. But we will somehow survive , for our kids. They need us. And we need them. The only ppl who truly love me are my kids. I just wish I could get out of this toxic house and have a fresh start.
Jodie, I am praying for you! May God bring the people into your life that you need, may He give you grace and a sense of His love. May He help you to find joy again.
Hi I’m in the same situation as you.. It’s so hard..if you wanna friend to talk to let me know.. I know I need one. I totally agree we should start a support group.
Hi I’m in the same situation as you.. It’s so hard..if you wanna friend to talk to let me know.. I know I need one.
Cynthia, start a bible study in your home, if your not up for that start a Moms group. Think outside the box, don’t give up! Dig down deep, it is hard, but you ARE tougher than you think. You are in my prayers!
Totally exhausted and overwhelmed. fibromyalgia. Single mom, went through years if exhaustion as a single mom and got sick. Auto immune and fibro, 51… and new empty nester. Every man who pursues has financial struggles or is not ambitious. I make more than them. I’m beginning to think they only pursue me due to money. I’m not rich, just stable but every day exhausts me, chronic fatigue. I’m lonely and Godly men are offended when I point out their financial issues or ask for confirmation of their heart yo be a provider. I’m stupid to think they really liked me? My married friends are stay at home wives and are rested. Is it bad for me to want a Godly husband who will be a provider who demonstrates this and actually pays for most of our dates? Someone who is a protector? Im tired, alone and work full time with hardly any energy. I can’t see how God is using me as I’m barely pulling my weight at work. I have a nurturing heart, just exhausted. I’m scared to file medical leave, I have hope God will restore my health so I can enjoy life outside of work with out depending in a man.
I am praying for you, Kim. May God be with you and give you strength and wisdom as you rely on Him. May He give you the rest you need.
Yes I am overwhelmed as a mother to a little 1 year girl and being a good wife to my husband. Sometimes I am tired and trying to fit everything in one day. I am fasting to get closer to god but their is so many distractions like cleaning cooking washing paying bills my husband can’t find anything (lol) just stressed.
Thank you for this post! I am a first time mom at 41 yrs old with a 5 week old baby girl. She is the sweetest baby and I have been an emotional wreck since she has been at home. My husband has been so wonderful in helping with the baby. Every little thing that I feel goes wrong (baby crying in sleep, baby jumping in sleep, nose sounding congested) I Google it. I don’t feel like doing important paperwork or doing school work (one class left till Masters degree) because I feel like I have to constantly watch over her 24/7 even though I know that I have help. I am dreading going back to work in 3 weeks because I am already feeling anxious about leaving her. This little girl completely melts my heart and makes me proud to be her mother. I would have to admit that I feel a bit overwhelmed, exhausted at times and confused. I am also dealing with the fact that my mom has not been able to help me because she is going through chemo for breast cancer. She has seen the baby twice and calls daily to check on me and the baby. My faith in God is what has been keeping me sane these days and I completely and fully trust him. I know that I am a wonderful mother and I wouldn’t trade this beautiful experience for anything else in the world. Although I still feel somewhat overwhelmed, I have learned to fully put my faith in God to see me through. Thank you once again for your encouragement!
I am praying for you! May God be with you and your precious daughter.
But what happens when you’re exhausted and you have no help? I have no one to help during these sleepless nights. Now I have insomnia so when I could be sleeping I can’t. My husband cheated been gone since baby was 6 weeks old she’s almost 7 months now. I got 5&1/2 hours sleep…once. I’m facing divorce and so tired I can’t think straight. Trying to piece life together on 3 hours sleep broken up is awful. I’m so sick of reading articles that says ask so and so for help. NOT EVERYONE HAS AN EARTHLY SUPPORT SYSTEM!!
Hi Tracy You are not alone am going threw something similar. No family help.email me quesha8906@gmail.com we can support each other. Am a mother of 3 11,6,3 there father left its scary and no one helps me. I know i have the Lord but sometimes its alot
Amen to that. I get so frustrated when I see people say oh just ask _____ for help. I have no one, literally no one. I’m 42 but being worn down, suffering from chronic pain/depression and the fact my life is become my worst nightmare come true, I’m not sure I’ll make it to 50. My kids are young so I have to hope I do but I feel like the best years are long gone and it’s all been suffering and more suffering for years now. I just want peace. I just want to feel alive again.
Am 28 with 3 boys 11,6,3 me and there father just split after 14 yrs. I feel scared overwhelmed stress nervous all at one. Dont have family help just started basically my first job in December. I got to learn to trust in the Lord better. Please pray for me and my 3!
I am praying for you, Laquesha. May God be with you and help you through this scary time. May He give you peace and hope and trust. May He heal your broken heart and be with your children in a special way.
Knowing that God wants me to rest was just I needed to hear after a car ride with my screaming and exhausted little boy. My house is a wreck and all I wanna do is avoid it and sleep. I typed into google “overwhelmed Mom” I needed this encouragement especially from a Godly perspective. This will be my reminder. HE is my strength!
I just read your comment and my jaw dropped. I literally just did the exact thing – googled ….. the same phrase. God’s work is real…truly blessed.
Thank you sooo much ive been feeling so overwhelmed exhausted and depressed and guilty for feeling those things so i came searching for some kind of guidance and God led me to this article.
God addressed everything I was feeling and needed to hear.
God bless you for these words of
encouragement and guidance
Exactly what i need to hear.. Im a young working mom with 2 and a 3 months, it is soooooo exhausting. Pray for us. Thank you. God bless us.
This is just what I needed today! Thank you, I’ve been so depressed and overwhelmed by the daily “have-to’s” and this morning I found myself wanting to quit it all! I feel terrible guilt, my children are healthy, happy and BUSY and so mom is BUSY too! Too busy to restore my tank and this has given me a boost! I will remember the basics, rest, food, friends and most importantly God. As I read all the other messages, I feel for the other mothers too, the exhaustion and the no time to take care of ourselves and I find myself grateful for the comradery of others. God does love us and knows we are trying, he brought us to it, he’ll bring us through it!!
This is amazing as a mother I sometimes feel guilty to relax to sleep or lay down and watch a movie and now I’m pregnant with another one and realizing that taking care of a baby and being pregnant makes me really not be able to be super woman! God’s been speaking to me this whole time about resting and I’ve felt guilty and I’m thankful he used you, this article to really bring this to life for me, I love the way you used Elijah’s story thank you! Glory to God!
I was blown away by your post , so relateable in a biblical sense and a mother hood sense . I’m a newly wed and a mom of 7 month old all in the same year . I have a beautiful baby boy who sleeps 2 hours at best and a pretty demanding job in NYC . One day after battling a two week period of my child being in the ER for pneumonia , and my husband being in the ER for a severely fracturing his ankle , I now had two “babies ” to take care of and zero time for myself . My manager tried to discuss my recent late arrivals to work because I was literally running from the daycare to the subway to work ,and while she was talking I cracked ….. and just cried right in my bosses office . I was looking for an article , a blog , some kind of commentary where I could feel some type of hope for a week where everything went wrong , AND THIS WAS IT! I cried , I learned , I grew reading this message … thank you it was a blessing 🙂
I googled “bible study stressed out mom”, and found this. It was exactly what I needed to hear, and I’m using it as a jumpstart to deeper study. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for this post. I have 4 little ones 6yrs and under and recently found out I am pregnant. I also dealt with a stressful situation with a parent that I got too wrapped up in. The stress pushed me overboard, and I have never felt so down, lonely, emotional, tired, and anxious in my life. I try not to tell my husband how I feel all of the time, because I don’t want him to feel discouraged or look at me differently. I am a stay at home mom and everyday for the past 2 months, my mind stays busy with worry. Worried about my future and what I will do with myself when the kids are grown and don’t depend on me anymore. Worried about my parents and their happiness. Worried about how I am going to handle another little one when it’s hard right now for me to homeschool and keep things up at home as it is. Worried about not being able to snap out of how I feel so I can feel joy and happiness again. I stay active in my church and I know God is in control, but I get mad at myself because I have a hard time “letting go”. Thank you for this encouragement. I’m so tired of people trying to push medication as a go to first cure all. I have searched online trying to find comfort and usually end up getting discouraged because most of what I read tells me I probably need medication. I’ve decided though that the Lord has given me this child and I am going to do my best to push through what I’m dealing with and let the Lord have his way. Please pray for me.
I am praying for you! May God be with you and help you find the answers and the strength that you need.
I hear you momma!! I’ve got 4 boys, 6yrs and under. I am not pregnant, but I can only imagine how that must add to how you feel. Otherwise, it’s like I could have written what you said myself! I pray that God would strengthen you with His Word, give you rest, and show you hope. Moreover, I wish I was having this conversation with you face to face. I would hug you and cry with you, and enjoy the friendship. You’re not alone!
Praying for you, momma! It sounded like me typing your comment. I am constantly praying for the Joy of the Lord to be my strength and for grace. It will be my prayer for you also.
I have felt all of the above and I can’t stand this stressed out bitter mother I feel I have become. I never thought I would homeschool. I was never homeschooled and had no intentions of homeschooling, but as soon as I became pregnant. Only God could have put homeschooling in my heart. Now my oldest is 9 and my youngest is 7 and I’m exhausted. Even though I’ve been doing this for years, I feel lost. I’m always worried I’m not teaching them enough. Not to mention I work 36 hours a week as a nurse and am taking classes night classes (this is to get a higher paying job so that ultimately I can work less and be home more.) Now I’m starting to wonder if I’m even meant to homeschool anymore. Is God un-calling me from homeschooling? Or is he un-calling me from my job? Because I also feel like I was called to be a nurse, too. I know these are questions you can answer, but it’s nice just saying it “out loud”. Anyways, thanks for the encouraging read!
can’t answer*
I happened upon this site today. I just googled my feelings…”Christian mom who feels like the bad guy.” Wow, thank you for your encouragement. My problems aren’t solved but I do feel a little better knowing that Elijah had issues too.
Thank you so much, i really needed to hear partial word of god.
I am in need of your prayers though.
As a young child and as a teenager i have always been feeling depressed, and now i am a mother and sometimes find myself a bit sad. Sometimes i am told that i am not the ideal person to be a mother and its hard because i am missing a ton of attributes of god. I dislike getting impatient with my family. Its hardd being a mother. Especially when you feel like you are doing it alone. I feel alone all the time. I feel like i have an unsupportive family. Please pray for me.
I am praying for you, Rosario. May God be with you and help you to find the support and friendships that you need.
Thank you so much for pointing me back to God’s word. I’m overwhelmed, exhausted, lonely, and bitter at my family. I haven’t slept all night in 16 months and I eat what I can find when I have time to find it. With having a toddler and a 9 year old I feel like I’m all over the place all day. My friends are distant because of our different seasons. I’m a mess. I literally just stepped out of the house went to the lake just to ask God why and I came across your article! Thank you.
I recently went through a separation and I’ve felt so down because I tried to be perfect in motherhood, marriage, and my career but got overwhelmed and overcome with all my duties. I would never give up on my children but I did start to not care about other things such as chores and relationships. My house was out of control and I felt alone. I needed a reminder that I don’t need to be perfect because I’m the one defining perfection in my eyes. I’m never going to be super mom but if my kids are proud of me that’s what really matters.
Thank you! I needed comfort.
Thank you so much Anna! Just yesterday, I was feeling worn out,exhausted and full of guilt for not being able to be the mom I really want to be to my two boys, one aged 8 and the other 2 and half. That’s when I stumbled across your amazing site- it was like a cool drink of water on a scorching hot & dry day. In your writing, I was able to see a friend , a sister whose words voiced perfectly the confusion & frustration of my mind. It was so refreshing to read and brought me clarity that the real truth is all of us go through the same struggles but few really dare to share. What I read on actually gave me so much hope and helped me see things in a new light. I felt encouraged and challenged at the same time. Thank you so much for your generosity to share your creativity ( I loved the bookmarks) as well as your heart. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Im literally in tears right now…this spoke to my soul. I googled mom overwhelmed and this is the first link i clicked on. I so needed this.
Girl, me too. I needed to read this. Its the first thing I saw when I googled the same as you. I suffer with anxiety and Neva have a break for anything or help with my two yr old daughter. I can’t do anything in peace without her catching a tantrum for everything. I walk away to use the bathroom she cries. For everything and theres times where I can’t even shower . smh. Its very overwhelming. Lord guide us and fill us with patience.
So, did I! God is so faithful!
Me too!! I googled the same thing. Our loving Father is so good and always on time. ❤️
Thank you so much for posting this. I am a mom of 3 toddlers and I hardly have the help I need with them. I find myself yelling at them so much and I feel horrible! I just snap and go overboard. This was so encouraging to know I’m not alone. Please pray that I can just have strength since I don’t get the help from my husband or family… My children are 4, 2, and 1. God bless.
Krysten, I am praying for you! May God be with you and give you the strength and courage and patience you need for each day.
I too Krysten am in your shoes. 3,1,and a 5 day old.. I get overwhelmed as soon as I open my eyes. But we have to shift our focus to God. God spoke to me and said get back to my word and cling to a verse let it come alive. In the midst of discouragement say it aloud. We can do this!!
I am a mom of a 7 year old and have 2 other kids that I gave to my mom 5 years ago and I am now fighting to get them back it was only supposed to be a temporary thing so I could go to treatment. It has been 2 years since I have seen or talked to them it’s the worst feeling a mother could go through I feel discouraged hopeless lonely feel like giving up. I look at myself in my life and wonder what have I done wrong as a mother why would I do this to them and why would this happen to me the closer I get to God the worse it gets for me my youngest daughter suffers from this my husband suffers, the depression anxiety has got me to where I don’t want to get out of bed even though I do because I have to work to pay the bills. I am also a survivor of domestic violence so that runs through my head I just want to get out of this fog and to be able to trust that God will leave me I feel that this was a god-sent that I ran across this article I needed to hear and see something like this. I need to be able to trust that God will need me so I can be a better mom. Thank you so much for this.
You are welcome, Angela. May God be with you and give you the strength you need each day. May He show you His love in a special way.
Dear Anna,
I am a mother of a 4 year old boy and 2 year old twin daughters.
A friend send me your link on this particular topic: “To The Mom Who Is Exhausted, Depressed, and Completely Overwhelmed…”
Oh Boy, I can relate to this topic 110% so often.
I thought for a minute you talked about me here…
I am so thankful to hear it is not just me, I am a normal mother.
Sometimes I even wonder how on earth am I going to do this mother thing?
I once said to to a friend “God just give me enough energy for the day to rely on Him and the next morning somehow I am re-charged with just enough for the day and so the next…”, but I do know one thing, which I have learned over the years and that is, I can’t do it on my own, I need God to fill me up daily so that I can carry out the task of a mother which He called me to be.
Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful story about Elijah, this surely gives me lots of fuel!
Lise, I absolutely love this reminder, especially that God gives us strength for each day. May God be with you!
Thanks for your post it really encourages me .I am a single mom of a 3 year old daughter and a 8 month old son. I am tired and they are days when I feel exhausted and get angry .My 3year old daughter has terrible temper tantrums and I don’t know how to cope with it. I have no support they don’t see their dad often and my family lives far away. I don’t get enough sleep or anytime for my self .My 3 year old was really sick she is doing well Now I know Jesus heal her but I still have fears about her. I feel tired, depress and weak I keep crying and praying to God to help me .I want support I want to be the best mom to my children
Nicola, I am praying for you. May God be with you and encourage you, give you wisdom and strength as you raise your children. May He bring friends into your life that will help you and encourage you and give you wisdom. May God be with you.
Thank you for this post and rlating it to God’s word. I am a stay at home mother of 3 out of 4 children. I also go to school part time in the evenings for 4 days out my week so it’s never really a break for me either I am worrying about my kids or school work plus trying to be a good wife. I am so exhausted googled how to be a better mother for my children and myself. Nice to know women and mothers out there who relate. Thanks again. Kudos to all the mothers out there going through the same struggle.
So many wonderful comments that make me feel even less alone! I have a 3 month old who was colicky and is now nothing short of high maintenance. I stay at home and my husband works 2 jobs and is gone day and night. I feel so completely overwhelmed and exhausted. I love being a mom but this is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Thank you for this reminder that God is with me and there are always ways to seek His love and advice. I just have to remember to pray and read His word! Thank you thank you.
I loved this so much, thank you. I’m a stay at home mom to kids ages, 4, 2 and 6 months. I feel like I’m in the thick of it, but I also haven’t been reading my Bible, meditating or exercising like I was. Oh, this motherhood thing is hard af, but it’s so worth it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You definitely isn’t gained a new subscriber 🙂
This was ever so encouraging for me today!!! Thank you for letting God speak through you to all of us weary mommas!!!
i have a eight year old boy , i am a full time single parent since my son was born, since then its all about him never about me, i have never had me time for 8 years, always trying to be a super mom , am so exhausted and depreesed , sometimes i feel like someone can just take my son for a week or two so i can have some rest and be able to think straight, and gain some strength bacause i am realy feeling weak,
Ciara, I am praying for you, that you will get the rest and support you need. May God be with you and show you His love in a very real way today!
This is a post I needed to read. I typed into Google “mom overwhelm” and eagerly pressed your link. The tips are relatable to everyone and have a foundation based on Gods truth. I have a 17 month old and a 7 week old and have found myself feeling down and completely overwhelmed. I love my girls, but don’t care for the woman the exhaustion is making me. I have had a strong faith in God but lately have been questioning Him. The time when I’ve needed Him the most is the time I feel the most disconnected. Your words are going to help me make sure the disconnection fades. Thank you.
I feel like I can relate 100% with you. I have a 4.5 year old, 18 month old and 7 month old. Although married, I feel alone, depressed, overwhelmed and hopeless most times. I don’t sleep, I can’t keep anything clean or kept (including myself while working full time and raising young kiddos) and life is just so hard right now with the constant fighting and yelling with my husband. I am just tired and I wish I could get sleep and a break.
Elizabeth, I am praying that you will get some of this rest that you need so much today! May God be with you.
I just wanted to thank you for posting this. I have three girls ages 2, 4 and 6. My husband works a lot so most of the time I feel like I’m all alone. I am blessed that I can be home to raise my children but some days the stress of it all gets the better of me….like today. Your article was an eye opener to me. I’ve been so busy taking care of everyone that I never make time to take care of myself. I haven’t allowed myself enough sleep and my diet which consists or eating the kids leftovers are not helping me. And I just called a friend and cried my eyes out and was comforted to hear that she had the same struggles. Thanking for using the example of Elijah. It was very uplifting and has made me take a better look at my life. I know God is here with me, sometimes I just need to listen better!
Hi , Elijah .
I am married , seperated .
My husband kicked me and my 13 month old daughter out of our home .
Her and I drive over an hour for my job and her day care .
I feel like a mad black woman with only a mom and God .
Lydia, I am praying for you. May God be with you and watch over you. May He be your strength in this difficult trial and may He help you overcome your anger and find peace and rest in Him.
When things fall apart and you feel like you are all alone it’s hard to even believe that there’s God! My life is such a nightmare. I struggle financially, am in so much debt, behind with school fees and no support whatsoever. I don’t even have the tears to cry anymore. In as much as I love my kids I can’t help feeling resentful for the choices i have made by having them.
Oh, Angela, I cannot imagine how difficult this is. I am praying for you – for grace and courage and strength to face each day. I know that God is there, and I pray that He will reveal Himself to you in a special way today. May He be with you and bless you!
Thank you so much. I am a single mom of 3, unemployed, it’s raining in my car, house needs multiple repairs.. etc and with all of this going on I am zapped of strength and felt like giving up. However, this article was God sent and made me feel so much better. I thank God he gave you message. May God bless you.
May God be with you, as well, and give you strength and courage to keep going! I am praying for you.
Thank you for this. I needed it. I have been in tears, yelling, and hiding from my kids lately. The baby was teething or sick for over a month the car broke then broke again and we haven’t had the money to fix it. So we are in the stages of cabin fever. And now at 2am my toddler awoke with a fever. Its almost two hours later and I’m still up wondering and frankly scared of entertaining my 3 and 1 year old. I found this on Pinterest and it gave me some hope. I have missed 2 weekends of church due to the broken car and we had just started Elijahs story.
Katie, I am praying for you! May God give you the hope and peace and patience that you need during this difficult time. May God bless you!
2 sentences in I had tears rolling down my face. Thank you so much for this! God worked through you to help me! <3
Oh, Amanda, you are so welcome. Don’t we serve an amazing God? May God bless you!
Yes is comforting expecially when it comes from God Almighty. Bless be Lord who have bless with spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus Our Lord Amen.
Thank you for this post. It was a timely reading for me. Overwhelmed is an understatement…nevertheless, Yahweh knows my struggles and is faithful. I keep waking up every morning with the song, “HE’s not finished with me yet,” On My Mind. I Find your Post Very ENcouraging And On Time. 🙂
Psalm 42:8 Yahweh will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to Yahweh, the EL of my life.
I’m exhausted mentality and physically. I take care of my 3 year old all by myself every bath, dinner, school drop off/pick up etc. Everyday for the past 2 years since his dad and me split. On top of that I’m divorcing, was fighting a case (caused by his dad), prevented me from working, still have rent and bills. I’m one person, when I ask my mom to help she makes excuses. I feel like the world is against me im tired and it’s not fair but life’s not fair. I never have me time, or go out. All I do is sip wine n watch TV between figuring out how to pay my bills and keep a roof over our head. Glad I came across this blog to let me know I’m not alone because sometimes I do.
I just Googled I’m overwhelmed as a single mother and this post came up. It’s very difficult to go from being a stay-at-home mom with no income to having to provide immediately, so I started working 3 jobs but on the schedule that I could pick up my son from school and take him to school but it is exhausting and I’ve had to make some really hard choices that I never thought I would have to make. I am surrounded by lots of stuff for a Flea Market booth (it looks like I’m a hoarder) and constantly trying to pay bills that I don’t know how to pay because I was a housewife 10 years. I put myself in this situation and I wish I would have made better choices in my divorce but I had no money and no attorney and so now I’m just doing the best that I can, I was doing the best I could even then! But it is very hard and I have no idea how I’m going to make ends meet.
I am speechless! This is so awesome!!!!
I am a mother of 5 boys, four of which were already in existence when I met my husband! And being a parent is hard, being a step parent is even harder! Not that it’s harder to love them, it’s just harder because they are already set in their ways of doing things and then here comes a new woman in their lives! And I am most definitely exhausted, depressed, and overwhelmed! This article really helped me! Thank you!
And being newish to being a Christian, I came back to God in the end of 2014, I am ALWAYS looking for new scripture to read and put into my memory! ????
Thank you for writing everything that I’m thinking and feeling!! What a gift to hear of a biblical prophet who is relateable to myself- God bless you for your gift of encouragement to us moms. I can’t wait to go read the full story in 1 Kings.
As a first time preemie mama of a traumatic emergency c section and a 1lb 11oz baby, I got dumped into mamahood upside down and I’ve felt that I was drowning ever since (almost two years later). This is the best post I’ve ever read on this topic. Thanks for sharing it in this perspective – it touched my heart! I feel so encouraged by this. Thank you again!
Oh, Savannah, I am so glad. May God give you strength as you raise your precious little one. We serve such an amazing God!
“nine years and three kids into this parenting journey” – that’s me! Thank you for this timely piece which spoke to me. Such a great reminder.
Thank you for this message. I am currently struggeling at work and this helped me too.
Thank you for this. I am currently struggeling at work and with ethical issues. This helped me too.
Feeling completely alone, sad, and overwhelmed. I haven’t felt this lost in a while. I am raising my 15 year old daughter by myself. I don’t have a friend that I feel close enough to talk to and I don’t want to burden my mom with problems that she can’t fix. I work 50-60 hrs a week and it’s physically draining. I’m too tired to clean or cook by the time I get home which is usually btwn 6 and 7. My daughter’s relationship with her father is strained so she rarely sees him and he does not pay child support. My house is going to foreclosure any day now due to being unemployed for 4 months last year so now I owe too much to try and save it and I’m having trouble finding a rental that I can afford. Work is wearing me out and I’ve been snapping at my daughter the past couple of days. I feel like I’m neglectng her and she’d be better off without me in her life sometimes. I feel like a complete failure and life is only getting harder instead of easier. I get angry with God and doubt him at times however my faith in him lives. I need a partner in life to help carry this heavy load bc I’m at my wit’s end.
Stacy, I am praying for you. God has laid you on my heart several times during the last week. May God give you strength and grace to keep going when the outlook is bleak and when you feel you have no energy to continue. May God give you hope and love and a good friend to share your burdens with. I am praying for you!
So much yes. It’s funny actually I wasn’t sure where to start looking in my bible so in my search engine “I am exhausted and overwhelmed by life and the children I care for. What does God say to do?” More or less and this page was the first to pop up in the results. I have a 3.5yo son, I am 35 weeks along with my second son. On top of this I babysit for my husband’s boss, a 2yo girl and a 3mo boy. At first I was excited to have children around for my son to play with, it went really well for the first couple weeks too. This week things went downhill quickly. The little girl is now comfortable with me and shares in my son’s shenanigans. They bicker with each other like siblings, make some horrendous messes and refuse to do anything they are told or asked. They act as if they don’t hear me. It gets even worse when I have my hands tied feeding or changing the baby. I have tried time outs, talks about behavior and even breaking down crying in front of them because I don’t know what else to do. I am sleep deprived, and forget to eat or drink regularly but there’s always so much to do! I haven’t even begun to prepare for my new arrival. My life has been very lonely and I struggle to make friends, I’m particular about the people I surround myself with, if I wouldn’t want them around my children I don’t befriend them. I’m bitter, angry and carry a lot of pain. I find it impossible to open up to anyone because I feel I cannot trust anyone.
Charity, my heart breaks reading this. Please know that I am praying for you right now. It sounds like you are feeling trapped, and you desperately need friends, but you are afraid to make friends because of past hurt. I am praying that God will begin the process of healing in your heart. Only He can do that – take away your anger and bitterness and heal the pain of betrayal. I am also praying that God will give you strength and wisdom as you raise your own kids and babysit the others. You certainly have a house full! May God be with you and remind you of His love right now.
Thank you so much for this! What’s funny is our Sermon today was on Elijah & Elisha! I read this to my husband. As a mother of two with a full time job along with keeping up with a household and the many other tasks us mothers take on I find myself overwhelmed on a daily basis. The one area I struggle most in is finding a good friend. A few years ago I thought I found a lifetime friend but I was wrong. I was hurt badly and since then i haven’t found someone that is in this stage of life (parenting) and who has similar interests and beliefs. I pray everyday that God will put someone into my life that can fill this space. Thanks again for the post!
A good friend. I almost dont know what that is either anymore. I feel this would be a group that should exist for us moms it would be incredible. To gave someone who really understood without my family telling me im just crazy and need more meds and more counseling .
I just came across this post and wanted to say thank you. I can very much relate to you Charity. I have a 3.5 year old son and a 2.5 month old son and very few friends with children that I feel like I can talk to. This has brought me some much needed comfort. I hope things are going well for you and your new little one.
Let your husband put them to bed. Yeah right, I’m divorced or ask grandma who’s 82. But praise the Lord for my ex who takes em now and then, so I can sleep. Eat? From what? I can’t always tell em we can do nothing fun cause it’s too expensive, so I just don’t eat, money has to come from somewhere.
Rens, I can hear the pain, discouragement, and weariness in your voice. I wish that I could reach through the computer screen, give you a hug, a cup of coffee, and say “Jesus knows and Jesus loves you. Now, go take a couple of hours off – I’ll watch your kids.” I can’t do that, so I am praying for you instead (and maybe that’s what you need most, right now). May God show you His grace and love in a special way today. May He encourage you and uphold you and give you strength to get through each day. And, may He send an angel your way, just as He sent an angel Elijah’s way, to supply your needs when you are ready to give up. May God be with you!
I just wanted to say thank you so much for this post. I really needed it today. I have 6 kids, ages 1-16, and am pregnant with #7. I’ve only been getting 3-5 hours of sleep a night because my 3 and 6 year olds keep having bad dreams at night and then take forever to calm down and go back to sleep. I also homeschool and we have moved twice in the past year. I literally feel like I am drowning, and this post encouraged me so much. In fact, I’m going to take a nap right now! Thanks again!
Rebecca, I hope and pray that God will bless you in a special way with strength to keep going. May God be with you!
So needed this today. I have a 4 & 2 year old, 16 weeks pregnant with nr3, moved house for the second time in 6 month, one move included a cross-country one. In the middel of a full house reno and I’m homeschooling. I’m tired, fed-up and just want to run away. We were 100% sure this move was a God-one, but now I never see my husband. Just don’t know where to go or what to do. I’m lonely, missing my friends and the safety of my old home and garden. #rant over
Marle, my heart goes out to you. I have experienced some of those rough moves, as well. May God be with you, comfort you, give you grace, and help you rely ever more on Him. I am praying for you!
What a blessing this post has been! It was everything I needed to hear to feel encouraged and not alone in the “this isn’t how I thought motherhood would be” feeling. Thank you for your honesty and wonderful advice!!!!!!!!!
I am a mom with LUPUS, survived a stroke after giving birth and completely overwhelmed. Thank you for the encouragement.
I am praying for you. May God give you the strength, courage, and grace to face each day. May you know His presence in a special way during this difficult time. May God be with you!
I needed this! Thank you Having a 1 year old and 3 year old and a husband always gobe due to work and school has truly been exhausting!!!!
Jelisa, I am praying for you. May God give you the strength to keep going.
Just what I needed to hear! As my baby is asleep and I’m in tears of being overwhelmed. Thank you so much. What a God to lead me to this post by typing in overwhelmed mom.
Now I’m not sure if the tears of being overwhelmed or seeing how God loves us so much he works in such great ways!
We serve such an amazing God, do we not? May God continue to draw you near to Him when you feel overwhelmed, and overwhelm you with His love and grace! Thank you for sharing this, Susie.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Thank you.
You have explained to the letter how I am feeling! And I believe you’re right- sleep and diet and then getting on with whatever God has for you next is definitely the best way to move forward and not be so overwhelmed!
My husband works away for weeks at a time and sometime I feel like I’m doing a terrible job and just wishing I could do more or have more energy. Like you say though, surviving on gummy bears and a can of cola is never gonna get you through any day well.
I’ve shared your post on Facebook.
Would love to know how you started blogging.
I’ve been wondering if I should start my own blog recently but haven’t a clue where to start!
Claire, thank you for your comments! I am praying for you. I will email you about the blogging. May God bless you!
So what I needed to hear today… thank you. ?
Hi,
I enjoyed your article. My wife and I are at this point we have 8 children and we are bOth overwhelmed with our responsibilities. One great aspect is that we are strong in our faith and we have a great marriage. The problem seems to be our businesses. We started an online business 15 years ago and it has grown but my wife is constantly working with it I had to start helping regularly. We don’t want to quit it because it is doing so well. Also I am over a non profit that I basically inherited and we have several rental properties.
The problem could be this. But also my wife because of our religious convictions has trouble having close friends. Also 2 years ago we had an incident with her father whom she was close with. He is a narcissist personality. Since the break he has not much to do with us and she is only close to one sister who live miles away. The children often overwhelm her but they didn’t in the past just occasionally so this makes my businesses become neglected because I have to stay close to the house in case of an incident. Also she hardly ever drives. This is partially my fault because I would tell I would just take her when I get home.
Also I think not getting enough sleep with a nursing baby. We are Catholic and practice the true teachings of our faith. When my wife quits nursing she usually gets pregnant and we are not ready for that yet. So any suggestions?
John, this is a difficult situation and my heart goes out to you and your wife. May God be with you and direct you. I think your wife especially needs a good friend, but that can be so hard when the kids are little. Is there a way that you can help her get out of the house maybe once a week to spend some time with a friend? Maybe at a Bible study or church event? I am praying for you!
I myself am a single mom and I want to say thank you, these words felt like a huge relief for me right now. I have done alot of these things and I really do feel like just letting my cape fall off. It isn’t easy but I’m hanging there still. So I say thank you again.
You are welcome. I am praying for you! May God be with you and bless you and give you the strength, peace, and rest to keep going each day.
I am a mom of twin toddlers and a 13 year old adhd son. I am seperated and doing it all on my own ..I absolutley am going to lose my mind. Every single day with all the messes and the noise.things getting broke or messed up.i cant have anything nice. I have no time at all for myself.i am extremely exhausted.I dont sleep well I’m definitly sleep deprived. I feel like a crazy monster most days .I Yell and i scream all day. I want my kids to listen and behave. I need a purpose besides this motherhood stuff. I go days without Showering sometimes and i most definitely go without feeding myself. My entire life is , taking care of my childeren whom i love more than anything in this world. We do attend church every sunday but still i feel alone most of the time .The house cleaning has to be the most overwhelming of it all. I just want to get away sometimes?
Shyla, I have no words, only prayers. Please know that I am praying for you right now, that God would give you the strength to keep going each day, day after day. May He comfort you and bring you peace and a friend to put her arm around you and to help you through this difficult time in your life. May God be with you.
Join ministries with childcare and speak to leaders about your children benefitting from the extra support as a children of a single parent. Loving your kids includes looking after yourself. Sometimes work outside the home is the best gift you can give yourself. Be careful to not equate SAHM with “better mom”.
Thank you very much for this post. I love being a stay at home mom but sometimes I struggle to keep things together. Lately I’ve been so exhausted that I’m yelling and snapping at my children a little too much. I’ve been feeling like a horrible mom and a terrible example to my children. It’s been difficult to keep God as my focus and even my quiet times with Him seem more like a routine/check list. I am trying to learn that I don’t need to have everything together and be perfect. The only thing I can do is do my best and God will cover the rest. Thank you for the encourgement and reminder!
Thank you sooooooo much for this.. I feel like I’m falling apart but I don’t have time to fall apart… Reading this from beginning to end felt so real it was like you were literally reading my heart. I’m so thankful and grateful for everything God has given me. It’s so hard to complain but I’m so tired and I don’t have anyone to help me. So I’m going to try the things you suggested but reading this really helped me so thank you!
I am praying for you! I love how real God’s Word is, and how much the struggles of Elijah mirror our own struggles. God is so good to us! I am praying that God will give you peace and strength during this time in your life.
Encouraged by this post. Thank you for sharing.
If god would give me all these things I would be fine again too!
Have you asked Him, Jennifer? Have you brought your exhaustion, your discouragement, your pain to Him? I am praying for you. May God be with you and you bless you.
I have a three yr old and a one year old. Obviously I’m overwhelmed if I searched for this on Pinterest Lol. They are driving me nuts. I’m at SaHM, My husbands work schedule is crazy works at night and sleeps during the day. Just to wake up and get ready for work again. So he can’t help as much. Maternal grandparent work full time and paternal grandparents are busy raising their grandchildren so not much support from family members. Lately my 3 year old has had enough tantrums that I can’t stand the sight of him. It sounds horrible, I know! I love my kids, but I never thought adding a second child would be the challenge it is. When it was just my 3 year old, I had so much patience (he was also not 3 yrs old at the time lol). But the moment my 2nd child was born she flipped our world inside out not only because we were happy she was here but also because she cried 80% of the time due to colic. Little by little I felt that I was loosing myself and falling into a funk. Then because of the crying I started becoming more impatient with my older son, which the guilt at night was horrible! So here I am trying to find a way out of this “funk” because I want to go back to that happy mom and person I once used to be. I know I’m not alone in this journey and I know I’m not the only one…probably commenting on this blog because The truth is that saying this out loud or to friends sounds harsh and not many would quite understand the feeling. I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and a little lost….any comforting words???
I am praying for you! I appreciate your honesty and I wish I could talk to you over a cup of tea or coffee! There are seasons in motherhood, and you are going through a very difficult one right now. Sometimes God brings us to the place of truly understanding that we CANNOT do it ourselves and that there is NO GOOD within ourselves – so that we turn to Him and surrender our lives to Him. Do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior? Do you know how much God loves you? I am praying for you, that you would come to know God if you do not already, and that God would place people in your life who can minister to you during this difficult season. May God be with you!
Dear Unknown,
It gets better, ‘this too shall pass.’
I have 4 girls in my house from 12-18 with one about to leave the nest so I can relate. The 18 year old NEVER slept through the night until she was 6, medical issues. The 18 year old and 16 year old were 20 months apart and life was crazy then. Some tips:
Pray, even cry, yell and pitch fits to God, he gets it and He loves YOU!
Find every moment you can to spoil yourself. Ice cream helps.
Get out of the house. Walk it off, listen to some music, fresh air is good for you and cranky kids.
As hard as this is even for me now, say and know: I’m doing my very best and that’s all I can ask of myself.
Exercise with your kids to music and shake it off, the stress that is, and they love to move their bodies and dance.
Join a church, take advantage of children’s church, and some peace and quiet. Our church a couple of times a year has a date night and babysit for free for seveal hours. And you’ll fellowship with other moms that are your sisters in Christ. There are moms with older kids like me that would be glad to give you a break for a night, for free.
Don’t isolate yourself, there is safety and sanity in numbers.
What you do is the most important but hardest job on Earth and one day as I am experiencing, you’ll be wishing it wasn’t over.
God bless you!
Thank you so much for this, Melissa! I believe you are spot on.
I really needed this today, thank you, unfortunately my husband is a terrible father and not helpful, I definitely need a friend!
LOVE this article!
So practical. So God!
Thanks….
I’m sharing it with my daughters who are right in the thick of it!
^__^
Im so confused. I have a 2 year old daughter and have not woked for the last 4 years. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to stay home home with her, but about 4 months ago I started feeling empty, anxious and somewhat depressed. At first I thought that it was because I was overwhelmed with house chores, but now as I see everyone( my sister and her family are temporarly living with us) come and go from work, i feel like Im missing that. I talked to nobody during the day, I get up to the same thing everyday. I feel like I have no purpose. I have not felt like this before my daughter because I have always worked. Now Im confused. Should I go back to work? Will this pass? Or will I feel guilty of finding a job and leaving my baby? Please help. I really have nobody to share these feelings with. I hardly have any friends and my sister is too busy with her own family.
Alisa, I am praying for you! I cannot advise you on what to do. I will say, though, that you will always feel empty if you find your sole identity in being a “mom”, and you will also feel equally empty if you try to find your identity working. Ultimately, it is only through finding our identity as daughters of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins that we can find true peace and purpose. I am praying that God will bring friends into your life that will help point you to Him and encourage you. I would also strongly encourage you to seek Him through Bible reading and prayer and to look for a Bible preaching church in your area. May God bless you!
I’m laying here wide awake at 2 am, after a horrible night with my son. Running all over church, completely disrespecting me. Not listening. I was notified and embarrassed. My girls both struggling in school and one I will take to the psychiatrist tomorrow! Yes, I’m a great mom, that sarcastic voice in my head screams! I cried all the way home from church! What a failure I am! Why bother! I stink at this parenting thing! Obviously! No other kids act like mine. It must be me! I give up! Can’t I just run away from it all?! And then this passage pops up! Thank you! I know God is listening, now it’s my turn!
Niki, I know that God does hear you and me. I am so thankful that He is with us through these trials! I am praying for you. May God be with you and with your family. May He comfort you and show you the path in which He would have you to walk. May He give you the courage to keep going each day when you are tempted to give up.
This is a post I just keep coming back to! Thank you for taking the time to flesh out these thoughts and share them. I think what speaks to me most is that even when I want to give up, God never gives up on me. That is the motivation that pushes me through all those tough motherhood moments
I, too, am so thankful that God knows what we need and He never gives up on us! Thank you, Gina. May God bless you!
This is so helpful, practical and refreshingly honest! Thank you for the encouragement!
When I married the father of my children , I couldn’t wait to have children. I wanted to be the best mommy God created me to be.. Do to healthy resons I was told I couldn’t bare children.. I begged God to have mercy on us and make it possible. Five years later I was pregnant with my first child and God made it possible for me to stay home and raise my babies, six years later I had my second. God Blessed us with 3 beautiful daughters! (we lost Emily when I was seven months pregnant) We unfortunatly divorced after 16 years of marriage and I had cosidty.. My oldest later went to college and was there for 1 semester then moved back but chose to live with their dad and step mom. I was hurt and in disbelief..(she later told me her dad had told her , if she moved back with me I would have her dropping and picking up her sister from school. Which was not true. I loved taking sister to school because we would pray on the way there and talk about dinner etc… And I loved picking her up from school because she would tell me about her day and all the 7th grade drama.) My youngest later wanted to move to her dads because her sister lived there, which is 5 minutes from where I live. My 13 yr old daughter suggested we do a 6 month trial so I would continue to receive child support. Seriously … (A 13 year old would not have a clue about a trial period that includes child support, that idea came from her dad… ) I wanted to die when she mentioned living with him. The thought of her not living with me was devastating. I remember driving with my rear view mirror down looking at them while on their car seats.., I didn’t want to miss a thing.. And I still don’t… I love being a mommy to my girls, they are my babies. She’s lived with him for 1 month now and I’m depressed, lonely and I just want God to take me home… I’m still the faithfull person I was many years ago and I believe in miracle because he blessed me with 3. God Bless ❤️
Laura,
My heart is breaking for you as I read your post. It must be so hard for everyone but especially for a mama.Remember how long the father waited for the prodigal son, everyday sitting, waiting and watching? As soon as he finally saw him, he RAN to meet him. (Luke 15:11-32) I’m sure you’ll be that way for your daughters. I’m praying that this wish for moving in with her dad is just a , “grass is greener on the other side” moment that will pass. Keep your head up and keep following God.
Thank you so much for this! I am a mother of 5, and we have ball practice, dance class, cross country….just so busy all the time. I feel like I never stop. It has gotten so overwhelming lately. This brought a new perspective! Thank you!
Thank you so much! I have four kids who all have autism. This was just not the way I saw my life headed. I am so busy with them I never take any time to take care of myself. I have been neglecting my walk with God in the process. This has really helped me see what needs to be done. Thank you.
We can’t run on empty, for sure. I will be praying for you, Felicia! May God bless you and your family.
This was exactly what I needed today! I was looking for organization printables and honestly just read the first sentence and just felt like you were speaking to my soul! Thank you! I feel truly blessed for finding this today <3
Wow
I am literally trying to hold tears in. Thank you!!!!! I really really needed this!
May God bless you and uphold you, Katie. I am praying for you!
I can’t wait to start doing these things in my life. This was just what I needed and was a blessing to me. Thank you
Thank you for this! I am all of these things on an almost daily basis. I’m a single mom of two; one of whom is a special needs child. Due to his issues, I’ve homeschooled them all their lives. That means there’s never enough money. There is one family member who has offered support; the others have expressed their distaste for my choices. I am in doctors’ offices at least once a week, but sometimes up to three times. There is no personal life. I am definitely overwhelmed and exhausted; and needed to read this.
I am praying for you, and for your children. May God bless you and keep you and bring you the Christian friendships that you need – people who are willing to reach out and help. I will be praying for that, especially.
I will be praying for you. I have four kids with special needs myself. I cannot imagine doing it alone. I will pray for peace and strength for you.
Hello!
I am a mom of three. Boy (8), Boy (6), and Girl (18mo). 4 & 1/2 years ago, my husband at the age of 32 was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure due to a virus. October 2014, only a month after our daughter was born, my husband required a heart transplant and was fighting for his life in ICU. A heart didn’t come in time. He had to have a Left Ventricle Device implanted to survive without the left side of his heart functioning. April 2015, he received his new heart. When coming out of sedation, the nurses found that he had had a stroke. We learned that it was a large sized stroke that caused brain damage. My husband had to relearn to swallow, walk, talk, and use his right hand. November 2015, I received a call at work saying that my husband was convulsing, had stopped breathing, and was unresponsive for several minutes. He now deals with seizures due to a scar on his brain from the stroke.
This whole long story to say: I take care of three young children and my husband. I am now the provider for our family. I am completely overwhelmed, stressed, exhausted, but cannot drop anything because my family depends on me. We do not live near family because my hometown does not have my profession.
Thank you for this article. Greatly needed.
Anastasia, I am praying for you! May God bless you and keep you in His care. May He give you the strength to rely on Him when there is nothing else to cling to.
Wow. You are truly a super mom MVP. My prayers go out for your continued strength and endurance. Bless you all.
Is is just me, or does everyone need to highlight the words to see the entire article? This is beautiful, by the way. Thank you for sharing this sweet experience in God’s word. This Mom of seven really needed it!
This is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! I do find my days go a lot better when I start out in God’s word. It is so easy to get overwhelmed and then the whole family suffers. Moms need breaks as well to regroup and refuel. We can’t be what our family need us to be if we are not taking care of ourselves! Thank you so much for your words. So inspiring!
Thank you. This just what I needed to read, right now in this moment. Make me weep. How very timely.
U can’t imagine how much I struggle during weekends cos I work. Dr always seems too much to do & I always make d mistake of thnkn I can actually do it all. Ds article has however opened my eyes. Thank U so much.
thanks a lot for this message..very encouraging and helpful to a mom like me..hope you continue yo serve God through this..God bless..
Thank you for this message! I struggle daily with trying to be the Super-Mom and blame myself when it all falls apart. I have recently started just having a moment of sitting and talking to God with no intteruptions. It really is a great way to start or end the day! Thanks for letting me see I’m not alone with these feelings.
You are definitely not alone, Melissa! May God bless you and help you to continue drawing nearer to Him each day.
This was right on time!
This was awesome.
Extremely helpful
Thanks and God bless
Awesome read, thank you for writing this piece. I was blessed.
I so needed this. It’s so comforting to know that I’m not alone in these struggles and so amazing to see that God is the answer. Thank you so much for this post!!
that is the most encouraging thing I have read in a long time. I have 5 kids, a yours, mine and ours story. long story short we are childhood sweethearts… planned to marry and didn’t, found each other after failed marriages (each with two boys). got married and have a 1 year old daughter. I am a christian, he is not. the woman he married before me is the reason we broke up and she should never have had children – narcissist, abusive and ruining those poor boys – our life is high stress often. he works out of town half the week so I am alone alone with my 3 kids, when he comes home my boys leave and his show up. they are hard kids, disrespectful and defiant (understandably so but still hard). the situation has driven me closer to God and on my face at the altar more than ever. so the good side is that I have deeper relationship with my God than ever before in my life which I am thankful for…. but the difficulty of protecting the ones who need that along with nurturing and disciplining (the right way) those who need it is a hard balance to find…… I am a stay at home mom, full time artist and largely sleep deprived, lacking the amount of water I need in a day, not so much on the healthy meal track. the only thing I can say I am doing well is taking time to walk on our trail a couple miles and my cardio boxing class (1x a week)… needless to say I am a lonely, stress ball of not-so-super-mom-ness. this was by far the most encouraging to me in weeks and good read. I committed to read my bible through this year and although my reading time is broken up in bits throughout the day between school pick-ups, naps and cooking/reading has been well worth the commitment as I can feel the Lord working in every area of my home little by little just since I have decided to stay in his word…. so thank you for putting this out there for moms like me to see 🙂 it is nice to know that its not just me and I feel better than I normally do after being awake all night with a raging headache and crying baby… LOL
Wow. Reading your story hit on my own so closely…. #Blendedfamiliesnoteasy
What a blessing to my heart! Thank you for a great read and inspiration! God bless!
These were exactly the words I needed to hear!! Had me in tears. Thank you 🙂
I have to say .. Today has been one of the hardest days of my “mommy” life. I feel exactly the way that is described in this and am lacking all of those solutions. It is hard to convince yourself of something but I am trying hard. And this story helped me to look at things differently.
This doesn’t just happen when the kids are young. As they get older, their decisions have deeper, long-term consequences. Super-mom expectations can happen at any stage on the parenting road. After 2o years, I have to say it’s hard to deal with the parenting results when kids are adults making poor life choices and become entrapped in the habitual lies they tell themselves.
We all need to rest on God’s unchanging grace, always reminding ourselves our goal isn’t to be perfect; our goal is to follow Him. No matter where that leads, because sometimes, “the only way out is through”. Our walks through dark valleys glorify our Father, because we do not walk those roads alone… we walk in the footsteps of Jesus who glorifies the Father in us.
What a great reminder, Shannon! It reminds me of Psalm 23 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me;” May God bless you!
I needed to read this. I am a SAHM to a one year old with very high needs (thus why I stay home to make sure he’s getting what he needs) and some days are so overwhelming. I decided to work on my master’s degree while staying home (I have an education degree) and can never seem to get anything accomplished during the day, so I end up staying up late at night to do the work. It’s exhausting, especially since the little one doesn’t sleep all night. We also have an older son and I find trying to spend time with him is becoming more and more difficult. Thank you for this post. I just needed to read that.
Thank you so much . This was greatly needed in my life , especially today . I am disabled with 3 kids and a disabled husband . I also take care of my husbands great aunt , help with my grandmother with dementia and do what I can to help my mom who has recently broken her ankle in three places . It is reassuring that I can see a little glimmer of hope out there .
I read this in tears! <3 This spoke to my heart! Thank you!
Kim
I believe the Devil is always trying to steal our joy, I feel run down everyday raising four kids and this life is not how I pictured motherhood at all. I beat myself up about all the things Im doing wrong on a daily basis, and when I try to lift myself back up I remind myself of all the things I did wrong in the situations I was faced with that day and then beat myself up all over again. I am grateful for my Christian friends who lift me up and aren’t afraid to share their failures with me. We are all trying to do the best we can and need to lift each other up. I need to be stronger in my daily prayer as that is why God has given us this gift of communication with him, we are not suppose to carry this load alone and need to remember he is there when we need to fall to our knees and ask for help.
You are right, Angie, we cannot carry this load alone! I am so thankful that we serve a God Who can carry it for us, Who loves to hear our prayers, and Who never gives up on us no matter how many times we fail. May God bless you and your family.
Angie I totally agree with you, I think one of the ways Satan gets to us is by making mothers feel guilty that they can’t live up to the expectations of what they think should be the perfect mom. He gets to us through social media like FB, Pinterest, and many other sites where we see what the other moms are posting, fabulous vacations, family pictures doing activities together that we cannot afford, moms that are always volunteering at every school activity. Of course no one is going to post pictures of their messy house or laundry piles or the unhealthy Happy Meal your feeding your kids for dinner because your so exhausted you don’t have the energy to cook.The neighbors kids all play a musical instrument and a sport or dance and you are struggling to just keep your kids caught up in school. That’s when he sneaks in your head and you start telling yourself that your not as good of a mom as so and so and they always have their kids looking perfect every time you see them and they always look perfect and their house is always clean. So here comes the thoughts of “I’m failing as a mom, which means I’m failing as a wife and I’m failing as a housekeeper, I can’t make theose fabulous meals on Pinterest. So now you feel like a failure which leads to depression and low self esteem and pretty soon you’ve stopped your daily scripture study and before you know it you have lost your spark. Don’t let the Devil steal the most precious gift God has given us, the gift of Motherhood! I have learned through my struggles that we are the best mom’s for our kids and they don’t see all these distractions that make us feel inferior to another, they see us as Supermom and all they want is our love and time and to feel like they are a valued member of your family, not anyone else’s. If we keep Christ as the center of our life and family, the exhaustion, lack of sleep, tears and locking ourselves in the bathroom to catch our breath, Christ will be with us and when that all passes we will be stronger and ready to learn and grow for our next adventure that Heavenly Father has planned for us:)
Absolutely! Well said, Becki. Thank you for that encouragement.
My children are grown, but Iive been looking after my elderly mother and Mother-in-law, both in a nursing home. I have felt this way so many times. Thanks for this reminder!
Reading this was a breath of fresh air! I am a mom of two and a full-time nursing student and the feelings of “having enough” have came up on several hundred occassions in the past 1.5 years. I must remind myself that this journey God put me on is not about me, it’s not about trying to pass nursing school.. it’s about Him and that I can get thru this very trying season of my life by placing my trust in Him. We all know how important it is to get adequate sleep and proper nutrition yet we just don’t make it a priority and then complain about the consequences.. I know what I need to do and that is put God first and everything else will fall into place!
Nicole, I know how hard it is to get through nursing school (I am an RN), and I know how hard it is to be a mother to little ones. I CANNOT imagine doing them both at the same time! May God bless you and see you through this challenging time.
Thank you for this I needed it, I’ve had a rough couple of days and I was starting to slip ! These words of encouragement is exactly what God wanted me to read to re-establish my Faith in Him !!!! Thank you Jesus for being my Lord and Savoir and God bless you for blessing me with these words of wisdom !
Bless you!!!! Thank u soooo much for this, I don’t realy have the time to type much right now, im a single mom having no sleep, stressed over so much thst needs done, not enough to catch up on, and having a special child, my sweet angel has down syndrome and had severe bilateral club feet, still having issues at times and currentlt, some health issues with her that seems to be Neverending g since october, almost nearly lost her to a serious illness in December, she desperately now needs cpap when sleeping waiting on insurance and doctors offices to approve, having a baby cutting 13 teeth or more all at once while sleep well its is just not happening not yet anyways, no breaks, no rest not even time to nap, let alone eating, well let’s just say your right on the money with that one haha, lucky to eat once a day. And even tho its been 16 months since I had an emergency c section with my little man that was 5 weeks early, I stil most definitely look pregnant. However constantly on the go, you would think I was skinny as a post but I’m not. Friends???? Well safe to say that they all have dissappeared and that alone is very dissapointing. GOD HAS A PLAN THAT I KNOW BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW I WILL EVER BE WHAT HE HAS PLANNED FOR ME… STRESSED, TIRED, EXHAUSTED IS ALL QUITE JUST AN UNDERSTATEMENT CURRENTLY… I’M PHYSICALY EMOTIONALLY AND MENTALLY JUST DRAINED OUT….
I cannot imagine what you are going through, Debbie, but I know that God is strong enough to get you through. I am praying for you. May God bless you and your family. May He watch over you and protect you and keep you when you are at your wit’s end.
Amen! no matter the struggles in our life. We serve an almighty Lord. Once we surrender ourselves to him and fight the right way through prayer. The battles get easier to face. Turning myself over to the Lord has changed my life. I’m no longer walking with my own 2 feet. His feet walk alive in mine!!!! With that being said. He is a jealous God and you have to give all of yourself to him. I mean ALL!!! You can no longer live in the flesh. He wants to glorify in all things. Worship and praise him daily and always ask for forgiveness for your sins. We were born to be sinners not born to sin. Jesus was the only perfect man. Who was beaten to dead to hang on the cross to die for our sins. Past, present and future. Then he rose on the 3 day to live inside us. Saved by grace, walk by faith. Thanks for the encouraging words.
Oh, Heather, I am so thankful that we serve such an amazing God! Thank you for these reminders. May God bless you.
I was having these exact same feelings today! I just happened to scroll across this. Gods perfect timing! Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks so much for this. I’m a single mom trying to raise two kids up right and sometimes I just feel like hiding in my closet. To try and keep a household going, make money, and do all the mommy stuff is overwhelming but reading this put things into perspective a bit.
Thank you for this. I truly needed this. I’m a single mom, so rest for me definitely hasn’t been an option. I’m also an elementary art teacher. I have not stopped working, working through school, and working as a teacher since the day I found out I was pregnant. The short 3 months I was home with my baby, I spent working on papers and finishing up grad school to be a teacher. He is 4 now. My mom and I gab been caretakers for both my grandparents. We lost both of them within a year. I am tired, cranky, overwhelmed, exhausted. I’m cranky to my sweet lil boy when I don’t mean to be. I always saw myself being the fun, nurturing mom before I became a mom. I mean I thought I’d do it differently than now. I’m disappointed in myself and constantly feel like I’m letting him down. I haven’t had a full nights Rest in almost 5 years now, since I was pregnant. I truly needed this article today and reminder of how far God has brought me. Thank you so much for this.
Hi thank you so much for this, its so good to know i am not the only mom feeling like this! My husband is in a long term rehabilitation program and I am left to care for our two boys (1 & 4 years old). I am so overwhelmed most of the time I cry myself to sleep at night out of pure exhaustion! Thinking I should be handling this better like all the single mommies out there! This made me realize its okay to admit i am only human & as one person i can only do so much! Definitely going to make a effort to spend more time on myself from now on
Melissa, you are in my thoughts and prayers. May God keep you and strengthen you and get you through this difficult time.
It’s as if you have an arial view of my life. My husband is gone for a year overseas after only being home for five months from the last deployment, we have three girls (9, 2.5, 9months) and our middle girl has a slew of health problems stemming from her also having Down syndrome. We are only ten weeks into our year apart and honestly, five out of seven days a week I cry myself to sleep out of sheer exhaustion and from being so dang overwhelmed. It is officially time to retire the supermom cape, quit trying to brave-face this so much, and just let some stuff go. This blog post has hit every single nail on the head for me personally. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Ashley, you have so much on your plate! I will be praying for you. May God bless you and give you strength to hold on to Him during this difficult time. God is so good and He will see you through.
Thank you for this inspiration, God is great!!! I am a first time Mommy of a 4month old and Daddy left us almost 2months ago for another Mommy and her son. After we built on all our hopes and dreams and then decided to get married and have a child… I am still devestated that this is happening to my son and I, i cry every day from loneliness and I am already so exhausted working 40hrs a week and raising my boy alone. But! I have the utmost faith for my God that He has a better plan for us and that I will rise above our situation that caught me so unexpectedly. Thank you, this helps and inspires me like…. Wowwww.. what a journey to look forward to knowing that He is by our side!
You have an amazing testimony, Nanieve, as you praise God inspite of difficult circumstances. May God bless you and your son. May God remind you each and every day of His perfect love.
Thank you so much for this. As a mother of 5, who also works 30+ hours per week, I get overwhelmed frequently with the separate demands of each child and my job and, sometimes, just want to lock myself in my bedroom and cry. I know I must push through my frustrations for them and look to God for the strength I need to do it.
Whether we are locking ourselves in the bathroom or running to the wilderness to sit under a Juniper tree, God is right there with us, waiting for us to acknowledge our dependence on Him. May God grant you the strength you need, Kristi!
I have four children under 8. I was just thinking all of this – I am exhausted, depressed and overwhelmed. I am in grad school and attempting to sleep train a toddler. I have had it. I am so done. Thank you for the encouragement.
very power full never that of that passage in that sense
My 17 yr old daughter just sent this to me. I am a full time divorced mom of a 17 yr old girl and 15 yr old boy(raising them alone most of their lives) I work 50+ hrs a week for the last 14 yrs. My kids both suffer from PTSD. On 12/10 at 9:55 pm my daughter called me at work to tell me goodbye and say that she loved me and her brother. Not to let him or myself think that we caused her to do what she was doing. I asked her to explain. She said that every time she tried to put the bottle of pills to her mouth she heard someone tell her to stop and call me. I know God saved my daughter. He made her call me. I rushed home and held her like she was a baby for the rest of the night. The next day she was committed and put under suicide watch. That was the worst week of our small family’s life! But God guided us through it. I don’t know every word in the bible, but I know in my heart that God is watching over us! And shows his love to us with every breathe we breath. I lost my mommy cape. The house is no longer spotless. There are other things that I need to do, like watching a movie with my kids or having a family game day with my entire family. God gave us the ability to heal our petty quabbles. And I will continue to praise him with my entire being, heart and soul?
What an amazing story, Cynthia! God is so good. Thank you for sharing this. May God bless you and your family.
I have been here for a long time… my oldest is 13… I was crying out to God this morning for help and relief, feeling guilty over everything I seem to not be able to do right, and I saw the title of this article on a friend’s page and thought, “Oh gees, not another info-mercial on how to ‘rest in God’… I just can’t take this right now. I need something concrete, PLEASE.” and I didn’t bother with it. Spent time with God, received some encouragement… fast forward seven hours, and here I am reading this, and I should have read it this morning, lol. It is right-on and common sense. And fills in the gaps from this morning. 😉 Thank you for sharing, sweet sister. This was a treasure today. <3
I am so glad that it was an encouragement to you, Melanie. This story of how God dealt with Elijah has been such a huge encouragement to me. Far too often, we Christians are busy giving each other “platitudes”, but God doesn’t do that. He truly understands what is in our hearts. May God bless you!
Wow. So refreshing! I’m exhausted from hearing “You are lonely because God wants you to rely on Him.” Making God a priority is a daily goal but I hate the guilt for feeling like He isn’t enough. I know it is my weakness, I’m in prayer about my desire for a mom-friend. When well-meaning ladies tell me my loneliness is some kind of painful spiritual lesson, it’s just one more defeat. I don’t want to minimize the lesson. Even Jesus took time to be alone, but it’s nice to know it’s not a forever kinda of place to live 🙂
Oh, Lauren, my heart goes out to you! I think that God absolutely wants us to walk in community with other Christians and to have strong, true friendships. I will be praying for you that God would bring some special friends into your life. May God bless you!
Hi Lauren,
I’m in the same place–wanting to find some mom girl friends. I was recently introduced to MOPS. It’s an acronym for Mothers of Pre-Schoolers and it has been a great group to meet other moms who are also “in the trenches.” I would encourage you to look to see if there is a MOPS group in your area. There are chapters all over the country. Mine meets at a local church, but you don’t have to be a member to attend.
That’s a great idea, Ansley! Thanks for sharing.
What a beautiful and uplifting story! My daughter is going through a tough time, raising a 3 year old and being pregnant with child #2. She is always tired from working all day, sick most of the time, and I pray for her constantly! Thank God that He sent her the best husband anyone could hope for. I hope she takes the time to read this story, as I know, she will greatly benefit from it! Thank you!
So often. Not enough sleep, and eating. Also, the part of spending time with God had taken a side burned in my life the last 5years until recently. God never stopped pursuing me.
I am so, so thankful that God never stops pursuing us! May God bless you, Catharine, as you seek to make spending time with God a priority.
I have lived the Elijah story. I am the mother of six homeschooling children and seek to serve Him in ministry. What you have written is so true. Our Father God is so faithful to keep us. This article has been shared many times since I posted it yesterday. Thank you.
Such a great read! Sometimes I am just so completely overwhelmed with “mommy” responsibilities and I just snap and then everyone is upset; not my goal but it happens. Lord just give me the strength to be a good and loving mother and may the rest just fall into place.
We ALL fall into that temptation and snap. You are completely right, Gretchen, only God can us us the strength to be good and loving mothers. Thank you for that reminder and encouragement. May God bless you and your family.
Thank you so much for writing this! The last few months have been incredibly difficult ones for me as a mom. My baby girl, number 2, just turned six months old. My husband took a job that had him away from home for a month, and then here around the clock for two months, and is now gone again for at least three weeks. My daughter is not sleeping through the night, and when she does sleep more than six hours, my son (almost 3) wakes up. I have been frustrated and discouraged because I can’t seem to even keep my house clean, much less do anything else with my life. Thank you for the reminder that I don’t need to be super-mom, I just need to be who God wants me to be, where I am.
Shayna, isn’t it a relief to know that God understands our limitations and doesn’t expect us to be super-moms? May God bless you and give you the rest and peace that only He can give. My husband has also had to travel a lot for work, so I know how difficult that can be. Hang in there!
This was a great and encouraging message! I would like to read this story in the bible. Where could I find it? Thanks!
Michelle, thanks for asking! The whole story can be found in 1 Kings chapters 17-19. May God bless you!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It is wonderful to know I’m not alone. This ‘issue’ must be in the air, in seeing how many people are going through it at the moment! ?
My friend and I have talked about how hard it is being a mommy, even when you have great kids! Exhaustion is the top of the list, every day! Just figuring out when I’ll be able to rest next is exhausting! In the ‘dry times’, it’s somewhat hard to focus and remember who is in control…that no matter what comes our way, He will provide! But, that’s where friends (and perfectly timed articles!) come in to play! ?Thank you again!! God bless…..
Wonderful article, i loved it and it provided me with some much needed encouragement.
Thank you, Anna! This was encouraging to me. I am often shocked at my arrogance in thinking that I can overcome my own overwhelming circumstances on my own – and I usually fall flat on my face when I try. I desperately need to be spending time with God – and unfortunately that is the first thing to go. So thankful for His patience with me.
God is so patient with us in our weakness, reminding us over and over again of our dependence on Him. I am so thankful to be able to serve such a gracious and compassionate God! Thank you for your comments, Kris. May God bless you and your family.
Beautifully written article and analogy. I remember the feelings of being completely overwhelmed when my four children were young, living in a neighborhood where the women were less that supportive and more competitive. It was difficult. I now find myself navigating one young adult daughter, two teenage daughters and a younger son, and I feel close to the same, with the exception of their ability to drive themselves. (whew) I think the principles you mentioned apply to many situations when we feel anxious or in need of regeneration, so I’m planning on starting with number one, sleep and moving down the list. 🙂
Isn’t it comforting to know that even God’s prophet Elijah had the same feelings and needs that we have? I love how graciously God dealt with Elijah’s weakness. Thank you for your comments, Jen. May God bless you and your family!
Lovely …Stress releasing.
You have ministered to me today in ways I cannot begin to explain. My children are not babies anymore. My oldest is 25, then 23, 21, 20, 17, 13. But believe me the stresses of parenting young adults can leave you exhausted, overwhelmed and lonely. Thank you for this wisdom.
God is so good in how He deals with us with grace and patience when we are exhausted, overwhelmed and lonely. May God bless you and your family, Joanna.
Thank you, I needed to read this. I have been struggling with my faith and my role as wife and mother. I feel nothing I do is ever good enough or I’m not doing enough. I have strayed away from God and the church. I am trying but Satan has a pretty tight grip and pulling down further in the rabbit hole. I’ve have got to set aside some time for me to just be and study the word of God. Please pray for me.
Fenesha, I am praying for you. My heart goes out to you, as I often face this same struggle of feeling like I am not enough. The truth is that you and I are both NOT enough. Only God can ever be enough and He is EVERYTHING! Cling to Him and to His strength. He can get you through. May God bless you and keep you in the palm of His hand (John 10:27-30, Romans 8:37-39)
This is really encouraging to me… I am a mother of four… suddenly. Until the New Year, I was a mother of one four year old boy and working in the Navy, stationed overseas for the last few years. Since January, we have moved to the US, I have become a stay at home mom, my husband has begun working outside the house, we have a newborn, adopted two special needs toddlers, and bought a house. I am definitely overwhelmed and exhausted. I am glad you posted this.
Cassie, you have had so many stressful (and good!) life changes lately – No wonder you are overwhelmed and exhausted! I am praying that God would strengthen you for the beautiful but tiring work of motherhood that He has called you to. May God bless you and your family.
Thank you for this, I really needed it.
I really needed this today. Thank you and bless you!
Oh Anna, I’m almost crying reading this. My little daughter was always the sweetest and most easygoing child I knew. But know, as she’s growing, she started to walk and wants to explore all the not-allowed areas of the home, gets in all kind of trouble, and has her opinion on eating the lunch or going to bed…And I found myself shouting at her! This sounds probably ridiculous, but I was shocked more then she was. How could I lost my patience with this little blessing, answer to 3 years of prayer?? And yes, the reason was exhaustion. Lack of sleep, too much coffee and sugar, very little quiet time, zero exercise.
Thank you for this post. It’s wonderful how the Bible has an answer for every question in our life.
I am so thankful that the Bible has an answer for every area of our lives! May God bless you and your daughter, Ivka.
Have you been sneaking into my quiet times the last couple months?? This is just what I was struggling with and those were the things the Lord told me to make a priority 🙂 Thank you for the confirmation. I have been a little better since I have focused on these things and let some other things go–sleep is still lacking, but we had a bought of illness where the kids needed me at night.
Anyway, I know the biggest thing I’ve been learning is yes, it’s not about me, I am only “dust” and need The Holy Spirit’s power every day. I knew how his power worked when I was a youth pastor and was speaking and teaching and prophesying, but to need Him in the ordinary tasks of homemaking and motherhood?? It was foreign to me! And I need to let go of the details… A lot of them God will take care of. There are so many details to consider throughout the day with kids that it can get so overwhelming. PB&J for lunch and a simple crockpot meals are sufficient… Matching socks can wait… Even brushing my daughter’s hair is something I don’t do every day anymore. ☺️ I’m going to go rest in His presence and put aside my to-dos for a few hours now. Thank you, Anna Joy
Simpler meals and mismatching socks have become my family’s norm, lately, too! I think that sometimes God brings us through these times of exhaustion and weakness to remind us that we can do nothing without His strength. We must completely rely on Him. We truly are only “dust”. May God bless you and your family, Ashley!
How timely! I ran around all day yesterday trying to stay on top of things and was committed to an early bedtime for the kids so I could relax last night. They didn’t cooperate at bedtime and I acted selfishly. This morning, I realized I’m just flat exhausted. I’m taking a day of rest. 🙂 Thanks for the reminder that we can all get to that point.
If a super-hero of the Bible needed time of rest, so do we! I am praying that you can get some rest today, Stephanie. May God bless you and your family!