Being a mother is crazy hard I know.

Day after day hard and relentless. Yet motherhood is as lofty a calling as can be because mothers change the world one child at a time in fact,

Mothers shape the destinies of those who make history.

Mama, you are the one who’ll see the spark in your child. You know it’s there and you’ll fan the tiny spark into a flame. And the flame will erupt into a roaring fire but only if you resolve to be this one thing:

Relentless.

Have you ever wondered about the young women who become Olympic level gymnasts and what it takes to get them there? There isn’t a child on planet earth who willingly wakes up at 4 in the morning to go to practice 5 days a week. But, a relentless mom will wake her, feed her, drive her/get on the bus with her, wait for her, and bring her home again. Then repeat it tomorrow and the day after that, day after day, week after week, year after year, through the disappointments and failures, the triumphs and victories.

I know that for every 14 year old on the balance beam, there’s a mom who fought to get her there, who was with her through the years, the tears, the injuries, the triumphs and the setbacks. When her daughter didn’t want to practice, she insisted. When well meaning friends said why don’t you give her a rest or, you’re pushing her too hard, mom persevered. When money was tight because lessons, equipment/uniforms are expensive, she got creative and got a part-time or second job.

Because she saw the spark.

She knew greatness was in her kid and she knew there would be a cost because anything worth having costs. She also knew greatness doesn’t appear out of nowhere. There’s a price to pay which is why we don’t pursue it for ourselves OR our children.

It’ll cost ya, mama. They’ll say you’re crazy, they’ll talk behind your back, they’ll wonder what makes you think YOUR kid is so great, they’ll be jealous. I know because I’ve experienced it all, the jealousy, the questioning of my motives, the criticism.

In spite of what others may say, it’s worth it to raise your child to pursue her dreams with passion. It’s worth the blood, the sweat and the tears. And there will be all three, I promise.

Just imagine if we all had a relentless belief in our children’s future. Imagine if we were willing to enter the life of relentless routine? If we had relentless love to see what nobody else sees and to relentlessly believe? Imagine if we, moms, moved out of the land of ‘good enough’ and entered the world of ‘what if’? What if we believed our kid had greatness living inside. Because they all do you know. Somewhere, if you look hard enough, pray and believe, you’ll see it. Maybe your child isn’t an Olympian but maybe, just maybe, she is.

Look for that spark, fan that flame and maybe, just maybe, your child will set the world on fire. But only if you resolve to be one thing:

Relentless.

How can I pray for you?