Dealing with Worries as a Mother

Disclosure

Fevers and illness, daring activities that lead to injuries, potential kidnappings, government interference… there are so many things that we worry about as mothers. It’s so easy to spiral down into those worries and start to panic.

Dealing with most worries of a mother can be as simple as making a worst case plan and then releasing it to God.

Deal With Worries of a Mother by Making a Plan

I am an INTJ, according to Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator. One of the nicknames for this type is “Visionary” or “Mastermind”. This means that I spend a lot of time looking toward and planning for the future. I have done this I was very young and, as a kid, never knew it was unusual to have a fully laid out life plan, complete with a variety of options and contingencies.

I’m talking about an 8 year old knowing what she wanted to be doing 40 years down the road and mapping out a plan to get there.

Keeping this “future oriented” personality quirk in mind, it may come as no surprise that my typical response to worries is that I make a plan to deal with a variety of possible issues.

I like to plan out the alternative paths the particular concern could take and my potential responses to it. Usually that helps bring me some peace about the situation and puts things into perspective to remind myself that it isn’t the end of the world and that, no matter what, we’ll make it through to the other side (even if the interim is unpleasant, to say the least).

Having a plan to deal with the potential worst case scenarios helps me to imagine myself coming through the other end of the situation. It shows me that something may knock me down right now but I am capable of overcoming it.

As much as we love our children, God loves them more.

Conquor Worries as a Mother by Giving Your Children to God

After plotting out all my potential conclusions, I remind myself that my kids are not my own. They belong body and soul to God the Creator. And as much as I love my children, God loves them more. I give them, and all of my worries surrounding them, back to Him and to His master plan for them.

It is not easy, I’m certainly not going to say that. I have seens friends go through heartbreaking times and have had a few heartbreaking moments myself. But moments like that are a good reminder that we aren’t in control.

Which can be scary because we are often taught that controlling all the outcomes is the ultimate measure of success. But, if you really analyze it, giving up the unrealistic need for control is actually a good thing.

You and I don’t know everything that is happening or how everything in this world intertwines to affect each other. It’s a good thing that God does. All knowing and all powerful. It doesn’t mean that things will always make sense to us. It just means that we can trust that He really does know best and have our ultimate best interests at heart.
Worrying is a sin. It shows that we lack trust in God’s power and love.

I read a great quote a while back: “We just think we are in the land of the living and that we are going to die, but when we believe in God the opposite is true. We’re in the land of the dying and because of Jesus we’re going to the land of the living. The land where there is no more pain, no more tears, and where we’ll be with Christ for eternity.” (The Kissing Bridge

by Tricia Goyer)

As Christians, we can find comfort in the fact that this isn’t our world. It’s easier said than done, especially when our worries seem very big and legitimate, but it’s the plain and simple truth.

Don’t Let Worry for Your Children Consume You

We act like worrying is a natural part of mothering but worrying is a sin. It shows a lack of trust in God’s love for us and His ultimate power over this world.

I need to give my kids back to God every morning and every evening.

I had been daily giving my pregnancy and my birth plans to God. A few weeks ago I had a scary incident that resulted in an ambulance ride (for myself, at 35 weeks pregnant) and a couple nights in the hospital. With no answers as to what happened, that’s one I give to God anytime it crosses my mind. I have some chronic health problems that made me worried I wouldn’t be able to hold my baby properly to nurse and cuddle when he arrived (which was 4 days ago, St Patrick’s Day, by the way. Stay tuned as I plan to share his birth story in the next month). So many things I could dwell on!

So today, and every day, give your worries to God and trust that He’s got this. I know it’s easier said than done and this is a sin that many of us struggle with on a regular basis.’m learning to trust Him more every day and I truly believe you can as well.