Dear Mom,
Are you weary and troubled? Can’t possibly see any light in the darkness? Well, I have great, redeeming news for you! When you look to the Savior – there’s light and a life more abundant and free.
There is life more abundant and free than social media.
There is life more abundant and free than choice of education and school.
There is life more abundant and free than KonMari.
There is life more abundant and free than your diet and workout preference.
There is life more abundant and free than the latest parenting method.
Whether you are a new mom or seasoned, trust me when I tell you that I know your circumstances make you feel exhausted. You're hoping these external choices and game plans that you have researched or read about will bring you peace. The weight of making those choices as a parent can be heavy. I know that sometimes, we have to stick to our convictions for important reasons such as health. However, I wonder if sometimes the choices that we determine are convictions are really just preferences, that we are masking and labeling to make them seem more godly or prayed over.
Colossians 2:8 states, "Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ." Beware – these are the types of things that are taking our eyes away from Jesus. Instead of our eyes being fixed on Him and our hearts being captivated by His grander, we carry this weight and burden that He never intended for us to possess or carry.
If we really believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one can come to the father except through Him, then we should trust in Him alone to cast our cares (John 14:6; Phil 4:6-8). We must ask ourselves daily - do we believe that the Bible is sufficient for all things – even parenting? If you are anything like me, you may be tempted to rush to a physical person (i.e. blog, Instagram account, author of a best-seller) for a word of reassurance, comfort, or wisdom. At times, I am prone to forget that Jesus is the only One who is the source of comfort, wisdom, or guidance I continually seek. I find myself with Simon Peter, a disciple of Jesus, saying, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69).
Mom, I beg you to take your cares and concerns to the feet of Jesus. Weigh your thoughts and opinions against His eternal, all-sufficient, living and active Word of God. Also, as you seek His face, ask a friend in your local church to pray for you. Community within the local church is important. But ask yourself, have you taken it to Jesus first?
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace"
In 1 Corinthians 10:31 Paul says, “whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” Therefore, along with Him I say: Mom, whatever you do, do it for God's glory. He is enough, so you don't have to be.
Needing Jesus always,
Fellow believer and mom
We are so excited to offer "Dear Mom" as a monthly blog series through Fellowship Church Resources. This series is written by one our pastors' wives, Jessica Yzaguirre. Jessica and her husband, Armando, live in Immokalee, FL and have three children.
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