We All Need a "Mom's Night Out"

If not in the form of an actual outing with girl friends...we need the realization of our purpose, like the movie so importantly highlights.

In watching the movie "Mom's Night Out" today with my husband, I began to come to tears as I saw the character face her stresses of the day, because that is so me right now. I can so relate. There are many things in my life that are kind of upside down, and I am not really sure when, if ever, they'll level out. A big thing has been my relationships. While my family unit with my husband is there, some of my surrounding extended family and friendships have shifted, some of which have me perplexed. I knew becoming a Mom would bring on many changes in my life, but there were some securities I never thought in a million years would ever change. There are people who I never would have thought would not be active in my life or my child's life. And I am not even talking about my parents who moved across the country, they're not even physically here and they are one the biggest supporters for me, they invest in my son almost every day. It's cool when you can truly rely on your parents for that, even from across the country. I know I am very blessed by that. But I find that because of other relationships changing, I have had to find who I am again.

The other day, I realized, I hadn't really looked at my son...I hadn't given myself the opportunity to really watch him, and let my brain accept the fact that he really is my son. I hadn't given myself time to reason that in my mind. My brain has been so busy since becoming a Mom (really since becoming pregnant because that is when my research exploded!). I have not slowed down to really think about it. And over the past few days, the more I thought, the more I realized I feel like I have lost who I am. And I needed to find myself again, not in any particular way...just inwardly.

When we experience many life changes on top of one another without fully processing them, we can tend to go into survival mode. We turn off emotions, we don't think beyond action, and we become numb. The longer we leave those big changes unaddressed, the more opportunity we leave for bitterness to grow. And that can be one of the hardest things to uproot once it grows.

I don't think I have been facing complete survival mode, maybe more like Mommy mode 24/7 with no lunch break and no vacations! Ha! Because let's face it, we don't get breaks...if we aren't physically with our kids...we are mentally with our kids. Right?? We talk about needing a break...but we can't stand to be away from our kids! And then we feel crazy! (I guess this helps us understand God's crazy love for us!)

It's hard. Being a Mom is hard. Loving is hard. But we are doing it. And yeah, we need to remember who we are, tap into Jesus for our slight identity crisis and maybe actually look at ourselves in the mirror. Because we are people. No one can be a Mom to our kids better than us. They need us. And we are qualified for the job. They love us. They appreciate us. Even though they don't know how to say it. Our arms are their comfort. They know we love them.

So...with that being said. We can put on our oxygen mask, while still adequate putting on theirs too. We can read that book during nap time, even though the guest room is a mess. We can fall asleep holding them in our arms, while the dishes sit in the sink. And we can remember who we are while still being a great Mom.

We can do it, because God does it for us all day, every day. And His strength will get us through. His Spirit will guide us. His wisdom will not fail us. And His love will keep holding us up.

We can do all things, by seeking God's truth even when things feel upside down.

(Every time I sit to write my blogs, I come in with a heavy heart from a lesson God is currently teaching me. And through typing, God speaks to me and convicts me. I need lots of help from Him. I'm just an average every day person trying to do good in this life like everyone else. I'm only sharing my lessons. I don't have all the answers. I don't know everything. So thanks for joining me on my journey.)