You are Chosen!

Before I even formed you in your mother’s womb,
        I knew all about you.
    Before you drew your first breath, I had already chosen you
        to be My prophet to speak My word to the nations.

Jeremiah 1:5 (The Voice)

I’ve always looked at this verse as how God knew us even before we were in our mother’s womb, but God open my eyes to something new over the last year or so that made me look at this verse differently. Since becoming a mom almost 2 years ago, I have struggled with what this new season looks like for me. I decided to become a stay at home mom after a lot of failed attempts to find some type of working gig, but after I made that decision, I could not have been happier. Life seems to be going ‘right’ these days as I stay at home and focus on my daughter and growing family. But even though it all seems ‘right’, there are a lot of days that I struggle in my ‘mom abilities’ and doubt what I am doing.

The Lord ever so lovingly reminds me of this verse in Jeremiah sometimes and what he revealed to me some time ago.  Yes, this verse talks about how well God knows His children and the path that He set before us long ago, but it also touches, ever so briefly on the reality of being a mom. God chose YOU to grow and form your children. I remember it was in a mom’s group that I sat, surrounded by all these what seemed like seasoned moms, doubting my abilities,  and God whispered into my heart that He chose ME to be Olive’s mom and He chose Olive to be mine. Now how cool is that? How cool is that intentionality? The reason why I find it so comforting is that God knew well in advance how I was going to be as a mom and how Olive (and our future children) will be. He wasn’t surprised at the struggles that I faced, or the personality that Olive grew into. No, He knew all of that and still chose us for each other. He chose my womb for the place that Olive grew and became herself. What an honor to know that we were meant for each other.

 I love that this wonderful revelation that God revealed to me shows me that I have every ability and skill needed to raise my children and if I don’t have them right now, God is going to teach me those things. My daughter is just a couple months shy of 2, but I always think of what it will be like when she is a teenager and I get overwhelmed. And then God, in his ever so graceful way, reminds me that I don’t in fact have a teenager so why would I think I would know how to handle one? My job as a mom is to be the best mom I can be, my kids are going to make their own choices in life, but if I am doing my job right then I will be able to rest assured that my kids are in the hands of their heavenly father. And let’s be honest, that is the best place they can be.

So welcome to Mama Mondays. These posts aren’t about telling you how to parent or the best ways to do this or that, this is a place to remind you who you are and what you were created to be. It is a place to find encouragement from the One who created you. The One who created you to be a mom, even if you think you aren’t good enough, smart enough, and creative enough…all those things are a lie from the enemy, who is trying to get you to doubt your purpose. God created you to be a mom to your little ones and the thing about God is that He sees the things that He created as good and perfect. You are the perfect mom for your kids and my heart is to remind you of that. I want to tell you how great of a job you are doing in the midst of the struggles and to point you to the one who has your kids in His hands, holding them tight. Reminding you that when you feel weak, God is made perfect in our weaknesses. God has you in this whole motherhood thing. I pray that my experiences, if you chose to read them, will help reveal the purpose and light that He is shining on you as a mom too.