Friends: God's Gift to Moms

True confession:  If I was spending the day working at home and you showed up at my front door unexpectedly, you might not even recognize me!  To those who spend time with me outside my home, I try to make my appearance presentable.  My hair is done.  My make-up is on and my clothes are flattering.

But, tucked inside my home, away from friends, I don't fuss with make up.  My unwashed hair is still holding it's position from being mashed on my pillow all night.  And the baggy sweats and oversized sweatshirt I slept in is the chosen outfit for the day.

While I think it's ok and appropriate to polish up my appearance (to a modest degree) in public, I found as a new mom, I would also polish up my "perfect mom" appearance as well.  I didn't want my new friends to think I was ever impatient with my child, or that sometimes I didn't even want to be around him!  I didn't want them to think I was too tired to discipline properly, or too overwhelmed to even see his poor behavior.  Don't get me wrong, I loved him with all my heart and wanted to be a great mom, but sometimes, I was just too tired and overwhelmed to do things right.

However, my perfect mom performance around my friends masked that reality and put walls around my heart and around my friendships.  It didn't take long for God to close the curtain on my performance and teach me the importance of being real.  Moms, if we're going to enjoy our journey, we need to break down those protective walls, choose to be real and understand that friendships are one of God's greatest gifts to us as moms.  Friends get you through the tough times.  My friends are my cheerleaders, reminding me that I can do it, and that despite my mistakes, I'm still a great mom!  They add strength to my life by praying for the ever-changing circumstances that come with raising kids.  They are my sanity-savers, as they listen to me vent out my frustrations.  Then, they tell me again that I can do this mom thing with excellence because the power of God is at work inside me.

Philippians 1:6 says, "Be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Not only is God doing a good work in me, but He is also doing a good work through me by helping me every day to guide my kids towards their God-given destiny.  My dear moms, you and I are on a long journey in our mothering and we need to take it one little day (or minute!) at a time.  Trust God.  Be patient with yourself and know that He is working and growing you a little more each day into an extraordinary, beautiful, Godly, positive mom.  What you struggle with today will one day come easily...or your kids will grow out of this phase, which ever comes first!  Be encouraged!  You can do this!

And remember too, when you're real and vulnerable with your mom friends, that allows them to be real with you.  What a blessing to be your friend's cheerleader, prayer warrior and sanity-saver!  Let's not do this mothering thing alone! 

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, (her) friend can help (her) up.  But pity the (woman) who falls and has no one to help (her) up!"  Ecclesiastes 5:9,10

Thank you, God, for friendships!  Help us moms to be real with each other so that we can support one another along this journey of motherhood. I pray for each mom out there today who is feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, stressed, lonely.  God, give her strength, peace, wisdom, patience and a good friend who can be her cheerleader today.  Above all else, my she find comfort in knowing she is loved and cared for by You, Almighty God.  In Jesus Name, I pray.  Amen!