Rock away the tears or let them cry it out?

Do those tears mean they are hurt or defiant or scared or just tired?

Is it just a cold or something more serious?

The day we bring our babies home we usher in a new stage of demands. Demands on our time and our energy, our resources and our patience, but even more, demands on our heart.

And as these babies grow and change, so do the demands.

Do they have enough friends? Are they responsible enough? Are we teaching them enough? Will they turn out weird?

We wrap our hearts around another human being, a little person that can exasperate us and exhaust us while at the same time fill our hearts to overflowing joy and I don’t know about you but sometimes I have this lingering fear that I’m messing it all up.

Our kids are unique and complicated and come with their own will, their own bent, their own desires and talents and weaknesses and we, as their mamas, are somehow supposed to manage that, and hone that, and shape that for the greater good. No pressure, right?

How, exactly, does one do this well?

This, at-times, all-consuming mama job tares our heart in all directions as we balance our own lives, fight to reign in our own wandering hearts, struggle to bolster our own waning self-discipline. And we are tasked with fostering growth and discipline, patience and virtue in the hearts of little people. Really?

You know, sometimes, more times than I care to admit, I feel inept in this mama job. I feel unfit and under-qualified, unprepared and uncertain, unequipped, undone and any other un words you want to add to the list.

But in His word to me, He has replaced every lie of defeat, every ounce of falsehood, with the truth of who He is.

His knowledge is unfathomable. (Romans 11:33)

His love is unfailing. (John 15:13)

His foundation is unshakable (Isaiah: 28:16)

And He has called me to fix my eyes unfalteringly (1Peter 1:13) upon Him.

One by one, when I begin to replace every defeating lie, with the truth of who He is, who I am in Him, there is hope for this job of motherhood. There is peace for parenting well.

Let me warn you, this is a battle we need to fight more than once. Lies sneak in from the most unlikely places. We compare ourselves with other moms, our kids with other kids. Our confidence shakes when trials come and fears begin to seep in once again.

Can I ask you, mamas, to bravely see those lies for what they are? Can I implore you to stop them out before they devour? Can I empower you to not let them smolder or fester, to burn scars in your confidence, in your ability to do this job?

You have been called to this job of mothering. You have been chosen as the mama for the very kids you were given. Keep your eyes fixed on Him. Replace every lie with Truth. And bravely keep stepping because your kids, our world, needs mothers who are willing to do their job courageously.

Katie Westenberg is a wife, mother and blogger at I Choose Brave. Mostly she is a girl in the trenches striving to do this life well and honor Christ with every day she’s been given. More often than not that takes courage. Courage to be a brave mom, a brave wife, a brave friend and a brave believer. You can find her writing about just that at I Choose Brave, where she encourages other women to choose a brave life as well.