There are seasons of motherhood when it feels like life is measured by what comes next.
What time do we need to leave? Where are the shoes? Did anyone eat breakfast? What’s happening after school? Is there something tonight? Did I remember the form, the appointment, the practice, the thing I promised I absolutely would not forget?
And somewhere in the middle of keeping everyone else moving, we can forget that we were never meant to live our entire lives at full speed.
I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.
This season of motherhood is full. There are school days and activities, work and church, meals and laundry, calendars and commitments. There are good things—so many good things—but even good things can leave us tired.
Sometimes we convince ourselves that slowing down means we aren’t doing enough. That if there is an open space on the calendar, we should fill it. That saying “no” means disappointing someone. That resting is something we earn after everything else is finished.
The problem is, everything is never finished.
Maybe that is why I keep coming back to Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus doesn’t say, “Come to me when you finally get everything done.”
He says come when you are weary.
Come when you are carrying too much.
Come now.
There is something deeply faithful about recognizing that we have limits. We don't have to attend everything, volunteer for everything, make every moment magical, or keep up with what everyone else seems to be doing.
Our kids don't need a perfectly scheduled childhood. They need us.
Sometimes the holy moment is the big family adventure. But sometimes it’s sitting together on the couch. It’s eating cereal for supper because nobody has the energy to cook. It’s an unhurried conversation in the car. It’s letting the laundry sit another day because your child wants you to stay beside them a little longer.
God is there, too.
Maybe slowing down isn't stepping away from the important things. Maybe slowing down helps us notice what was important all along.
Motherhood will always have busy seasons. There will be weeks when the calendar is packed and we simply have to keep moving. But we don't have to wear exhaustion like a badge of honor. We are allowed to leave some space. We are allowed to say no. We are allowed to rest.
And maybe our children need to see us do that.
Because one of the things we are teaching them—whether we realize it or not—is what a good life looks like. I want them to know that their worth isn't measured by how productive they are or how full their calendar is. I want them to know that rest isn't laziness. That quiet isn't wasted time. That they don't have to do everything to be enough.
And perhaps the best way to teach them that is to believe it for ourselves.
So, mama, if life feels especially full right now, maybe you don't need to try harder to keep up.
Maybe you just need permission to slow down.
Take the walk. Sit on the porch. Leave an evening open. Put the phone down. Let something wait until tomorrow.
God will still be there.
And the to-do list will be, too.
Word in Faith is a collaboration of Wayne Association of Congregations and Ministers (WACAM), an organization partially funded by the Wayne Community Chest.
