Why did I yell so much?
Why can’t I be more patient?
Why am I always so angry?!
I wish I could be a better mother.
I can tell you this. There’s no joy in regret, there’s no rewind button, and a guilt trip is a tough place to climb out of and return home from.
I believe the joy of motherhood is like a hose straight from Heaven. We don’t mean to, but in our striving to create joy we actually kink off the flow that’s already there. We create hurried, harried schedules, we overextend and exhaust ourselves, and then we beat ourselves up about it. Motherhood is a blessing anyway, but imagine what it could be if we let it be.
This morning the lyrics of a United Pursuit song spoke to my heart. I already knew I was writing this post. The words to the song hammered it home.
You’re full of life now
And full of passion
That’s how He made you
Just let it happen
Perhaps we can find our joy by just being still. Perhaps the key to taking back motherhood is to stop trying so hard and just enjoy the ride. Just let it happen. Just soak in the beauty of what’s already there. Being a parent is hard enough as it is without believing the lie that we must do it a certain way. We don’t have to dress the part, act the part, or whatever else.
Carryout is cool, taking a timeout for a quiet night home is pristine. We don’t need ideas from Pinterest or to emulate Karen down the street. We just need to be. We just need to let the joy of motherhood happen. We need to move the mess that’s kinking our hose and take back the joy we’ve been missing. It’s there. We’ve just been too distracted and busy to see it.
