Have you ever stood at the edge of the ocean and marveled at how vast it is? Maybe it was on a mountainside, or looking out of an airplane window and seeing the expansion of the terrain below you. It is in moments like this that it is easy to remember how big our God is.
It is humbling to know that the Creator of such magnificent things is also the Creator of you. That you – one single soul, one tiny drop in the bucket of all eternity – are so incredibly loved by Him.
I always knew that I was loved by God, I was taught this since I was a child. But I never fully grasped this idea until the moment that I became a mother. My whole interpretation of the concept of love was entirely changed.
In those early days of motherhood, endlessly staring into the face of my newborn son, I was absolutely consumed by him. I had never felt a love that was so intense. I distinctly remember a moment like this when I was watching him, and I was immediately overcome. As I sat there I thought, “If I could be so consumed by love for my child, how much MORE must God love me?”
This moment completely changed the trajectory of my life.
It was after having my own children that I started to grasp what it meant to be loved by God. I had no real idea before this. My prior knowledge went as far as the children’s song, “Jesus loves me this I know..” But to actually sit with the idea that the Creator of the entire universe knows every hair on your head, every thought, every sin and still loves you – is just incredible.
It became even more clear when my children began to grow. When one of them would get hurt and I would comfort them, it would help me to see how God longs to bring me comfort when I need it most.
In all, becoming a mother allowed me to see myself as a child of God. Learning how to love my own children caused a massive shift in my perspective and I was able to see myself through the eyes of our loving Father.
Seeing myself as His child made me think about how I allowed the world inside of my mind and heart to shape me. My interior life was not one to be proud of. I would speak to myself in ways I would never speak to another person. I was the most harsh and mean critic, and I would spend most of my days carrying a deep and dark sadness fueled by anxiety.
It would break my heart to know that one of my children felt that.
When I thought of how I must be breaking God’s heart, it helped me to find the drive to become the wife and mother He called me to be.
This realization caused me to deepen the rapidly growing relationship I had with God. The verse from Philippians 4:6 became an anchor for me. “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation with prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
I became fixated on finding the peace that surpasses understanding.
The journey has been abundantly fruitful. I have grown closer to God than I have ever been before. He tenderly guides me in those difficult seasons of growth and celebrates with me each victory.
Motherhood continues to be a process of sanctification for me. The opportunities for holiness are abundant.
I am now at a point in my life where God has placed the call on my heart to help those women who are drowning in motherhood, who struggle being a wife and who have forgotten who they are. My mission is to help moms find joy and peace by growing in their faith, confidence and relationships.
I run a group on Facebook called The Pursuit of Peace for Women where I share encouragement and tips to deepen and grow in that peace. I also created a coaching program called Peace Over Perfection where I work one on one coaching women to live out Phillipians 4:6.
As parents, we all want to raise our children to be good human beings. To be kind, loving, considerate, courageous, and joyful people. We work hard to instill virtues in them that will honor God.
The quickest way to get there is to work hand in hand with our Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary to grow in virtue and conquer our own minds so that we can change the world through our Children.