How God Gives Strength to the Tired Mom

God wired you a unique way as a mom. Read on to find out what it is and how God provides strength for the tired mom in every area.

I couldn’t believe how the day went. I spent my entire day on family needs, one project taking many more hours than I had anticipated. Dejected, I sat in my rocker with sore feet a half hour before bedtime and grabbed a few tissues to erase the evidence of wet lashes in case anyone would see.

There were a couple more time-sensitive tasks that needed to be finished before I went to sleep. I guess I could be grateful; I still had time to finish all my mom responsibilities.

Yet the bitter fact remained: there would be no time to do what I wanted to do. What I looked forward to all day long needed to be planned for another day.

Do they realize what I go through for them? How much I sacrifice?

The full weight of my disappointment added to my guilt. I shouldn’t feel this way—the door of resentment needs to stay tightly shut.

Help, Lord! Provide strength for this tired mom!

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26 (ESV)

There are sometimes days like this when momma duties have left me exhausted physically, emotionally, and spiritually by the end of it, but I know I’ll get up tomorrow and keep going. Because I’m a mom.

See I made a prior commitment to God that I would train and disciple my kids. That takes forethought. So my plans—even those of writing in this online space—get pushed aside sometimes. It happens despite taking time to determine our schedules and following them.

Recently I realized the word prior is the first part of the word priority. Those prior responsibilities take precedence over what I’d rather do at times. They must be taken care of despite feeling spent.

Strength-Sapped or Sassy Mom?

Several years ago my son received a remote controlled robot as a gift. It was probably a foot or more tall and it would spout off a few pre-recorded messages here and there. The one I remember the most was when it bumped into an object it would say something like, “You need to vacuum the floor!” As if I needed nagging toys. I do not miss that robot!

A mom’s list of responsibilities seems to never end. It’s easy to get tired.

But you know what really saps my strength? It’s when I don’t:

• take a Daily Time with God
• plan ahead
• rest or relax
• get enough sleep  
• take creative time
• trust God with my kids
• laugh much
• eat right

Speaking of not eating right, dairy makes me fatigued. Why do you need to know this? It’s useful to know for when you get me that gift you were going to get me. I like dark chocolate without dairy. Are you taking notes? You need to write that down.

Oh, and also schedule when you’re sending it to me. The sugar kick will give strength to this tired mom. And I’ve heard that dark chocolate has health benefits. Bonus.

Just like that nagging robot, the devil comes with lies of “not good enough.” That robot would make me fed up, and I’d turn off its power source while sassily telling it to shut it.

That’s just how you must treat the enemy. Tell him to shut it and turn off his lies with the truth of God’s Word. God says this about you:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

So dear moms out there, don’t give up. You’re doing a fabulous job.

Moms are Like a Pronghorn Antelope

And you know what else? God wired us moms with stamina. I learned a fascinating fact the other day. The cheetah may be the fastest animal, but it fades after about 700 yards at its top speed of 70 mph. However, the pronghorn antelope, while being the second fastest animal, outranks the cheetah with its stamina. It can keep at 60 mph for miles at a time.

Moms are like a pronghorn antelope because God equipped us to keep going. As a matter of fact, this post should have been called “Moms Have the Stamina of a Pronghorn Antelope.”

Yes? Wouldn’t that be great? Another thing you should know about me is I overuse the word great. It’s like my favorite adjective. Why am I telling you this? So you know it’s genuine when I write you that thank you note for the great dark chocolate you’re going to send me.

The pronghorn antelope is wired for stamina, but that doesn’t mean it never sleeps or skips meals. Those basic necessities fuel the animal to run healthy.

Strength for the Tired Mom in Every Area

As moms, besides those same basic necessities, we are fueled with God’s strength in every area. Strength is a gift from God. His promises of strength are ours for the taking.

He provides strength for our spirit: “That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” Ephesians 3:16 ESV

For our soul: On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. Psalm 138:3 NASB

And for our body: “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” Isaiah 40:29 ESV

Our tireless God that never sleeps is our source of strength (Isaiah 40:28). At any moment we can declare one or more of the above promises. Thank You, Lord, for providing strength to us tired moms!

What other verses encourage you to keep going?

I created a great PDF for you to print and keep as an inspirational reminder of the strength God gives. You can find it in Insider Resources. If you’re not yet signed up, click here to receive access.

[Running antelopes photo for Facebook and Twitter share by USFWS Mountain-Prairie via Creative Commons]

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