Motherhood can be heart wrenching and joyful - difficult and so rewarding - all at the same time. We spend our days as mothers serving and loving these little people in our house - but if our focus ins't in the right place - it can make it all the more painful and difficult. 

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Servant Motherhood

"The joy of the Lord is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:10

If there is one thing I've learned over and over again in my motherhood, it's that I have to daily lean on Jesus's strength. It's only in Him and through Him that I am able to take care of my family and mother well. 

Now, I still slip and fall a lot. I stumble and I fail, but all that does is lead me back to my dependence on the Lord in all things. Especially in my motherhood. 

Here's what it all boils down to: Motherhood is servant leadership. As a mother, my job and my role is to serve and in that I am imitating our Lord. 

"and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:44-45

As Mothers, this is our life. And it's really easy to get worn out and run ragged if we don't have the proper focus within our motherhood. 

When the Days are Long

A mother's life isn't easy. And from that day that you welcome that first little bundle of joy into your home, it's not long before the days can feel mundane, endless, and weary. 

I don't know how many moms I've talked to or seen posting on Facebook and they feel overwhelmed and defeated. They are tired, they are exhausted, they work from sun up to sun down without a lot of thanks (or anything thanks) and they start to feel like something is wrong. 

"Why I am so exhausted all the time?" "Is it supposed to be this hard?" "I fall into bed exhausted at night only to rise again the next day and do it all over again." 

They look at social media, they look to popular culture, and they assume their days should be easier, maybe a little happier, and certainly less exhausting. We start to feel that there must be something wrong with us if this whole motherhood thing is so hard. 

Serving within motherhood

Jesus came to earth with a very unpopular message to the jews. The jews were looking for a Messiah. They were waiting for their victor who would deliver them from the Romans. They were eagerly awaiting the Messiah who they thought would storm in as a military and political leader. 

Instead Jesus says, "even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:28

We know that Jesus taught us to be servant leaders. To put others interests before our own. To serve with all humility and joy. Jesus led by that example. 

However, this flies in the face of what the world values.  The world values power, prestige, climbing the corporate ladder to be in the highest position of power possible. We look down on those jobs that are servers. We look down on those blue collar jobs, especially those that take care of the physical needs of people: cleaning, dirty laundry, even child care workers. 

We don't value those jobs and that has a direct translation to our motherhood. What is it that we spend our day and our life doing? Those menial, blue collar jobs that we do day in and day out. My day consists of many roles: As a janitor, as a maid, as a cook, as a laundromat, a school teacher, and so much more.