When You Need Grace Enough: for the Most Exhausted of Mothers

I first met Anna E. Rendell years ago when she was a young mom and fellow writer for (in)courage, DaySpring’s online community. She is now a seasoned mother of four, runs on grace and caffeine, and works full-time for DaySpring, where she helps run the (in)courage community and other marketing initiatives. The DaySpring Daily Devotional Bible for Moms was created for moms just like you―realmoms with real life joys and challenges. Be encouraged with daily reminders that God sees you, God loves you, delights in you, and is with you―always! You are not alone! It’s joy to welcome Anna to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Anna E. Rendell

After a long wait, two losses, and much heartache, I had three kids in four years.

“Meeting with God clears the clutter in my soul.“

Then we lived through “unprecedented times,” and right in the middle of it all, I had a fourth child. We call him our caboose baby, and he’s the joy we all needed during dark days.

Our house is never quiet and rarely clean. The calendar is full, and so is the dining room table. From art supplies to last night’s water pitcher, the mess can feel palpable in both my hands and my heart.

Meeting with God clears the clutter in my soul.

But as a mother, covered in babies and crumbs and toys and schedules, how exactly do you carve out time to do just that?

For a long time, the embarrassing honest answer was that I just didn’t.

Everywhere I looked for inspiration on how to meet with the Lord—when I didn’t have a moment left in my day—I was told I needed an hour before the kids awoke, in the quiet calm, with a lit candle. Soft worship music needed to be playing. It would be most helpful if the kitchen counter was clean, or even better if I had a dedicated cozy chair with a table beside it that held inspirational books and Bibles with covers worn thin from use, a fresh notebook, and a sturdy pen. I could have a cup of hot tea and spend time gazing out the window and voicing my prayers to God.

“God truly can meet us anywhere. That is deeply and thankfully true. He promises new mercy and grace enough to cover all, and that includes when you’re so deep in the throes of mothering that there is simply not enough of you to stretch anywhere else.“

Oh, how I wished I could have this scene! But the moments my very real life held were nowhere close to that. They were stickier, shorter, more in motion. Lots of time slinging diaper bags and snacks, scrubbing hands and plates, fitting work into the cracks of the day between naps and bathtime. It was a miracle if the kids slept through the night, and waking up before they did was a lofty goal.

So if that’s what my actual life looked like, when and where exactly was I supposed to meet with God for a restorative quiet time?

And this, friends, is why I just didn’t. For a long time, I didn’t make the time to crack open my Bible. I whisper-screamed prayers for my baby to sleep, ached in silent prayer for my children’s safety and my peace at daycare drop-off, and snuck in just enough worship music so little voices in the back seat of the minivan could sing along.

For a while, it held. God truly can meet us anywhere. That is deeply and thankfully true. He promises new mercy and grace enough to cover all, and that includes when you’re so deep in the throes of mothering that there is simply not enough of you to stretch anywhere else.

But God also doesn’t leave us alone. He doesn’t stay silent.

God nudges our hearts and creates space and opportunities to meet Him, gently sharing reminders of His love with even the most frazzled of mom hearts.

And eventually, the three kids under four years old of mine grew up, even a little bit. Independence grew right along with them, as did chances to pick up my Bible more often—and read with and to those kids. Sunday school lessons turned into questions asked in the minivan ride home, and some days they were picking up their own Bibles without being told to do so.

By the time we added that fourth and final child to our home, there was more of a rhythm, more of an ebb and flow to our days that made parts of it all more manageable. While the dishes never let up and sometimes the mess swallowed us whole, I began to claw my way out of survival mode and back to time in the Word.

“God has grace enough for even the most exhausted of mothers.“

The sharp slices of time I’d had to carve out for so long were now softer, more moldable.

And even though I’d put our meetings on the back burner, God had time and space and words waiting for me. Making space is a little easier when you’re sleeping all night, and God has grace enough for even the most exhausted of mothers.

They’re still little, these four children of mine. There are still constant interruptions and to-dos to accomplish. I have still never achieved being in a cozy corner before dawn to meet with God. The kitchen counter is still crumb covered, the calendar is still teeming, and my heart still stretches near too thin from time to time. But these days, I do meet with Him, bit by bit, sometimes on my own and sometimes with my kids in tow.

I can show up on my own and I can come to Him together with my kids, and what a gift it is that He will meet us in either place.

Anna E. Rendell is a writer for (in)courage, DaySpring’s online community. She is a seasoned mother of four, runs on grace and caffeine, and works full-time for DaySpring, where she helps run the (in)courage community and other marketing initiatives.

For solo moments of bite-sized, consistent, truthful encouragement, the new DaySpring Daily Devotional Bible for Moms is just what moms are looking for. This clear and accurate NLT Bible includes 365 encouraging devotions created specifically for moms, 31 profiles of biblical women to encourage you, daily prayer prompts to remind you of God’s presence, wide margins for journaling and reflection, and a full-color interior design to enjoy as you read the Bible. The DaySpring Daily Devotional Bible for Moms was created with busy moms like you in mind―real moms with real-life joys and challenges. You’ll be encouraged with daily reminders that God sees you, loves you, delights in you, and is with you always. Learn more at BibleforMoms.com.

{Our humble thanks to DaySpring and Tyndale Bibles for their partnership in today’s devotional.}