When the super cape doesn't fit...

I'm starting to realize Mommyhood is very complex.

Some days, I feel on top of the world, able to take on giant loads of laundry and dirty dishes in a single bound. I am SUPER MOM, here to save the day, save shirts from spit up stains, save pacifiers from the dirty floors, save bottles from the sink, save dinner from the burners, save lost blankies and rattles, save my hair from slobbery fingers...I am woman, I am Mom, hear me roar. (or atleast whisper quietly during nap time).



There there are the other days I feel completely incompetent. Exhausted. Dumb. Incapable. Lost. Forget SuperMom, her cape is in the wash and I just need a super nap and some super-sized fries. But then that would just add to the super-complex I have of feeling like I still have super-sized thighs. Add a full time job to the mix, and OY. I'm still woman, and I'm still Mom, but I have no voice, no energy, and no time to announce it to the world or even to my baby.

Then I realize that while SuperMom has much better hair and muscle tone than Frazzled Mom pictured above....I'd rather be somewhat Frazzled and relying on my Jesus anyday. Sometimes if I'm doing it all myself and feeling pretty confident, I lose the reality of my need. I lose the desparation that keeps me at the feet of Jesus and shows me that I can't do it all alone and better yet - I'm not expected to.

Moms need back-up. Not just in the form of a husband or family member to help with physical tasks like cleaning or diapers or laundry or errands, but spiritually, we need reinforcements! We need that time out with Jesus to soothe our nerves, calm our fears, and replenish our empty cups. A clean house and ironed laundry and washed dishes are good things, but they're just going to get dirty again. The laundry will be worn and wrinkled. The dishes will be once again slathered in ketchup and crumbs. The floors will be messy and the tables dusty.

But what Jesus puts in us won't drain away. The trick is not letting your cup go completely dry, but in meeting Him every day for a refill.

I'm reading through a devotional book now for "busy moms" by Lisa T. Bergren. What encouragement! Its focused on finding God in the everyday duties of mommyhood and having quality time with our Lord when we can't have a mass quantity of time.

I'm a Mom. I'm a Wife. I'm an Author. I'm a Sister, Daughter, Granddaughter, Co-worker, Friend, Church member, Cousin, and Niece. Those are all very important roles that take up my time, energy and resources during the day - roles that I am indeed honored to play.

But I'm also a daughter of the King, a princess, a woman in need of my Father God, the King. And on the days my Super Cape is crumpled in a useless ball on the floor underneath the piles of dishes and bottles and laundry and rattles and crumbs and blankets...on the days my nerves are shot, my hair is kinked, my eyes are red-rimmed and teary, and my emotions flopping like a live wire...I'm clothed with His mercy and grace.

And that's one outfit that will never shrink, never reveal stretch marks, never go out of style and never get too small after too many super-sized orders. =)