To the single mom...

Confession: Sometimes I feel like a single mom.

It was the spring of 2010 when Dave and I made the decision that it would be in the best interest of our family for me to stay home.  Isabella was 10 months old and Abigail was also on the way.  With a happy heart, I put my career as an elementary teacher on the back burner and excitingly embraced this next chapter of life.  

It went without saying that, if I was going to be home, I would take care of all the household responsibilities.  Things like; grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, laundry, and taking care of the kids needs.  I also try and help Dave (when the kids allow me to) by mowing the lawn and doing snow removal.  It brings me joy to serve my family in this capacity even if it makes for exhausting days.  However, as I have cherished being home, I've been surprised by the loneliness that often comes with it.

My husband works hard to provide for our family.  He has a great job that he loves, but it takes a lot of his time and attention.  There are days the kids never see him as he's out of the house before they wake up, and doesn't get home until long after they're asleep.  There are many evenings I sit alone, just me and my thoughts, as he participates in work related events, dinners, fundraisers or travel.

Often, in these moments, my heart pours out to God on behalf of all the single moms I know!  Because, the truth is, I am NOT a single mom.  I have a faithful husband who loves me, who is an incredible provider, and who is an involved father.  While I may feel lonely at times, it doesn't change the fact that, at the end of the day, my best friend will be coming back home.  When I'm exhausted after a day of running around like a crazy woman, I remind myself to maintain a spirit of thankfulness that I'm not also working 1 or more jobs just to put food in my children's bellies and a roof over their heads.

No, I am not a single mom, but for those of you who are... let me encourage you by saying, you're doing a great job!  Maybe you're a single mom because your husband left for unjustified reasons, or perhaps it's because you're a military wife with a deployed spouse.  Maybe you had your baby before you were married and their daddy just wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility, or it could be that you made the decision to leave your abusive partner. 

The job of "mom" is not easy.  It's draining.  It pushes the limits of patience.  It takes every last ounce of energy.  It can be isolating when the only conversations you've had all day are with little people.  But, the job of "mom" also has it's eternal rewards.

If I could go back in history and talk to anyone about motherhood, I would want to sit around the family table of Timothy and share a cup of coffee with his mother and grandmother.  Timothy was a trusted companion to the Apostle Paul.  Lois was Timothy's grandmother and Eunice was his mother.  Together, these women passed on a legacy of faith to Timothy and raised up an incredible man of God.  

I am reminded of your sincere faith, 

which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice 

and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

2 Timothy 1:5

This is the same legacy that has been passed down to me from my own grandmothers and mother, and it's the legacy I want to pass on to my children.

If there's been one thing that's surprised me most about being a mom it's how much my children want to be just like me!  They mimic my every more.  The impact we have on our children is so impressive.  We have the ability to shape our littles into something beautiful by training them in God's Word.

So, my dear friend, when you're too exhausted to think clearly.  When you're lonely and feel like no one cares.  When you're saddened by the reality you're living a life different than the one you wanted.  Look up!  There's a God who sees you.  A God who hurts with you.  A God who loves you.  He will give you grace for the moments and cloth you with strength and dignity.  Don't feel discouraged, you're doing wonderfully!