A Tribute to Young Moms

I know it’s not Mother’s Day week, but this has been on my heart recently, so why wait?

Young mothers are amazing. Whether they give birth to an innocent child or become a mother through the glory of adoption, the connection with that precious little one is remarkable. God has truly given ladies the innate gift of love, protection, and the ability to care for an infant.

From that moment on, though, her life is not really her own. While still doing all the work (and it is work) of being a wife, she now adds the responsibilities of being a mom. Those do not slow down for a long, long time. Just ask moms whose children are graduating high school in the coming weeks if things have gotten any easier!

Young mothers, your work ethic is tremendous. As Christian young mothers, you feel the spiritual weight of teaching God’s Word to your child in addition to all the other “normal” steps you take to help that child grow and develop.

Some of you must hold down a job on top of all these things. For you I say a special prayer, because I have no idea how you do it all. Others of you homeschool your child or children. Again, you have a special place in my heart, because you are, in effect, holding down a full-time job, as well. A few others are single moms, and have to be both “mom and dad” in many areas of life. You also need special prayers, because you are shouldering more of a burden than the rest of us can imagine.

Young moms go throughout the week taking twice as long to do anything as it used to. Trips to the grocery store are nightmarish, as others wonder who that crying child is. Getting a haircut used to be pleasant. Going to the doctor or dentist wasn’t that big of a deal, but now it takes days of prayer and preparation. And eating at a restaurant? You and your husband used to sit for an hour after the meal and just talk and stare into each other’s eyes. Now? As soon as the final bite is done, you hurry out of the place, hoping no one will throw things at you, since your child’s chicken fingers ended up, somehow, on their plate.

And then you bring that special child to worship, and you wonder if it is worth it. That baby cries and every head turns to see who it is (as if they don’t know). They get in trouble, squirm, pull at your clothes, squirm, play with toys…did I mention squirm? And they do it from the opening announcements until the final “amen.” And you are there throughout the entire process, hearing a few verses from the sermon, trying to say “amen” to a prayer you only hear half of, and trying to get your child to put down AquaBatSuperUltraHulkMan so he can read “Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors for Beginners.” Good luck.

And you are tired. All the time. Your husband tries to help, but he just cannot do things the way they should be done. Be thankful for what he is able to do, but your days just don’t end. When he comes home at  5 or 6, he plays with the kids for a couple of hours and then pronounced himself exhausted. Somehow, you still have energy to do one more load of laundry or to get ready for the next day of work or school. Honestly, we do not know how you do it.

My encouragement to you is simple. KEEP IT UP. You may, even in tears, sometimes wonder if your work is making any difference. You have to discipline that one child for the same thing over and over and over and……. You hear that your child isn’t quite up to “standards” academically, or that they are disrupting a class, despite all your efforts to help them grow and learn. You can’t figure out why your glorious meals end up with more food on the floor than in the tummy.

But it is worth it. You are laying a foundation that is not only good for this life, it has eternal significance. Though you are tired, your effort, truly, “is not in vain” because it is “in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

I firmly believe that God has a special place in His heart for young mothers who strive to teach their children God’s Word. The church should have that same heart, because you are truly worthy of our admiration. Thank you for all you do.