The Partnership of Motherhood

The month of May always leaves my heart overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible women I am blessed to know - the women who walk alongside me, encourage me, and challenge me to be a better mom to my own children and a better woman on earth! Sitting in that gratitude, I found myself pausing to ask a fundamental question: What does it truly mean to be a mother?

I wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember. Like so many young girls, my childhood was a continuous rehearsal of "playing house" and endless make-believe. I was the fierce protector of a small bunch of stuffed animals who, to this day, hold secrets and childhood dreams that no one else will ever know. Back then, I was starry-eyed. I built scenarios in my mind about the kind of mother I would be: patient and loving, yet wild and fun… a super-mom that my kids would look up to! But when I encountered the gravity of real life, the scenarios I’d planned for began to fade. Instead of the super-mom I dreamt of, I started seeing traits in myself that I desperately did not want to pass down to my children.

Now, having been a mom for 24 years, I have come to realize something beautiful: motherhood is a lifelong journey, and the title is not reserved exclusively for those women who carry a baby in their womb. Every woman who speaks life, offers encouragement, stands boldly defending a child, or steps up to mentor the next generation is participating in motherhood.

I have been profoundly blessed to experience this calling in multiple ways. I carried three precious babies in my womb (two here on earth and one in Heaven), I have had the blessing of raising a child who grew in someone else’s womb through the beautiful process of adoption, and I’ve had the opportunity to speak into and mentor other young women.

All of these journeys not only bless me but also encourage my growth as a woman and mother. When I look at my children, I see how perfectly God created each of them for His own purpose. All four of them have a powerful, distinct mission in God's kingdom.

The journey of motherhood is marked by many stops, and each one holds a new opportunity for growth. Some stops are wild and represent the best experiences of our lives, while others bring us to painful places we never want to visit again.

For a long time, I gave to others entirely out of my own strength. I tried to be everything to everybody, but I didn’t have the capacity to keep giving without ensuring my own spirit was being renewed. I was trying to pour into my children from a completely dry well because I didn't yet understand the importance of resting in His goodness in order to be refilled. I was trying to lead, but feeling entirely inadequate, and very much aware that little human people were following behind me anyway.

That approach led to a specific kind of exhaustion: a weariness in my soul that came from trying to be the ultimate source of wisdom and emotional stability for other human beings.

Every perceived mistake felt like a permanent stain on my child’s future. Every decision my children made felt like a personal indictment against me, and the guilt of falling short became suffocating. I felt completely alone even in a house full of noise, convinced that the weight of my children’s souls rested on my shoulders.

Everything changed for me when I invited the Holy Spirit into my daily walk of parenting. It

wasn't the easiest transition. But when I invited Him to take the lead, a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders, a burden that was never mine to carry in the first place. It was only in surrendering the "lead" that I could finally see the bigger picture. That motherhood in partnership with the Spirit brings a level of peace and wisdom that isn’t my own, and that I sometimes can’t even fully comprehend. There is a beautiful freedom in that kind of partnership. Learning to appreciate and see the beauty and the lessons in every single stage of my children’s growth became the ultimate secret to peace.

I didn’t get there quickly, or by chance. It required a daily, intentional invitation to God. And

honestly? Sometimes that invitation still has to happen minute by minute.

Today, motherhood for me looks very different. It’s no longer about survival; it’s about finding a deeper purpose in every stage of the journey, trusting that the One who called me to motherhood is the same One who provides all I need.

Partnering with the Creator of everything takes the pressure off of us to know exactly what to do at every moment. It allows us to rest in the joy of knowing that God knows exactly what He is doing. He chose me to walk this journey with three of the most amazing humans on earth, and what a treasure that is.

~Kim LeMasters, Worthy Content Creator

Reflection:

Whether you are mothering toddlers, teenagers, adult children, or spiritual sons and daughters, take a moment to reflect on your own journey:

• Looking back at your "dreams" of motherhood, what is one expectation you’ve had to let go of to embrace your current reality?

• In which areas of parenting or mentoring do you find yourself most often trying to operate out of your own "dry well"?

• What would it look like for you to "surrender the lead" to the Holy Spirit in a specific challenge you are facing with the children in your life this week?