The Sweetest Mother's Day Gift!

Dear Mama, Believe You Have What it Takes to be Their Mother

In: Motherhood

4 Minute Read

By Victoria Riollano

Dear Mama, Believe You Have What it Takes to be Their Mother www.herviewfromhome.com

Dear mom,

I see you.

Exhausted from the crying little one.

Overwhelmed by life.

Stretched thin from expectations of work, family, and beyond . . .

Let’s not forget the never-ending pile of dishes and laundry loads and the wise people who tell you, “It will be over before you know it.”

Unfortunately, the days when your children will accept their high school diplomas could be over a decade away.

No matter how hard you try, you may find yourself barely holding it together, and utterly tired.

As a mother of six with two part-time jobs and a full plate, I get it. Sometimes you want to run, but you never really want to run. In fact, those cute drawings for mommy, sweet goodnight kisses, and excitement when they see you keep you plugged into the joy of motherhood. No matter how crazy the day before is, you find yourself checking on them as they sleep. You find yourself anticipating chances to create unforgettable “moments” with your children.

You find you can’t get away from the “m” word.

You are undeniably a “mommy”. Could you really have it any other way?

Years ago, I was once a part of a group that called the journey of motherhood a beautiful mess.

STOP! How many of you just thought, Oh it’s a mess, alright!

Let’s be honest—motherhood is sticky, poopy, slimy, and many other adjectives. It can get crazy! BUT in it all, through it all, it’s beautiful. It is beautiful! (If you are having a hard mommy day, you may need to say that line a few times, I understand.)

Motherhood is a beautiful gift. Many pray for years to experience the joy of birth and parenting. And these little ones, a reflection of us, are each a blessing. Each one created intricately on purpose and given the mother of their dreams, YOU!

It was no accident that you ended up with your children. The Lord knew you were made of the right stuff to guide these little ones to where they needed to be. And in the process, this beautiful messy process, you learn more about you. I find, I learn many lessons about me in the context of “we”.

For example, have you ever noticed the more irritated you are, the more irritated your children are? The more joyful you are, the more joyful your children are. These little ones reflect us so well.

Dear tired mom, in the midst of your frustration, I encourage you to embrace every moment. Recognize you have what it takes. Take moments to pause when you get overwhelmed and ask, Where’s the beauty in this messy moment? I can assure you if you ask the Lord, He will answer.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)

Perhaps your child’s stubbornness reminds you of how you are with others?

Perhaps your children’s arguing is your reminder that you and your significant other should communicate better? (OUCH!)

Maybe your child’s refusal to get in their car seat is your reminder of how God protects you even when you fight it?

Each moment is an opportunity for the Lord to teach you how to be the best version of you! It gets no more beautiful than THIS!

Dear tired mom, will you choose to see the beauty in the mess?

Will you choose to see opportunities of victories in your motherhood versus defeat?

Will you embrace that your call to motherhood is a gift even when you feel like it’s a curse?

My friend, when you can answer yes to these questions, your entire motherhood journey will turn upside down. I pray you will seek God’s voice when it’s not so easy and that you will embrace these motherhood moments from now until high school graduation day and beyond!

Psalm 127:3-Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Originally published on the author’s blog

You may also like:

A Mother’s Mind Never Rests, Because We Carry The Mental Load

Dear Mama, This Part of Motherhood is Your Beautiful Mess

A Mother is Made in the Mess

Want more stories of love, family, and faith from the heart of every home, delivered straight to you? Sign up here!

So God Made a Grandmother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Order Now!

Victoria Riollano

Victoria Riollano is a mother of 8, military spouse and professor of Psychology, and author of Warrior Mother: Equipping Your Heart to Fight For Your Family’s Faith.

Your Worth Is Not Someone Else’s To Measure

In: Faith, Living

Insecurity is something we all carry in one form or another. For me, it has probably always looked confident and outgoing from the outside. But internally, it can feel heavy, complicated, and exhausting at times. And when someone comes along whose behavior reinforces those insecurities, it amplifies what was already there. There was someone I had hoped to genuinely connect with, but it was clear from the start that the feeling wasn’t mutual. From the beginning, their wall was up. No matter how kind I tried to be or how carefully I showed up, it never came down. Their distance...

Keep Reading

Lord, Give Me Faith Like Hannah

In: Faith

Woman walking in field with hand in wheat

Hannah knew what it was like to feel forgotten. She often clutched her empty womb and thought Surely the Lord has forgotten me. She knew the bitter sting of feeling isolated and alone. She knew the anguish of praying day after day after day and seeing no fruit, not even a bud, from her faithfulness. Hannah knew what it was like to feel like the weight of the world was on her, and her hope may have dwindled. Even those around her did not offer encouragement. Quite the opposite—they did their best to sow seeds of discouragement. Yet Hannah pressed...

Keep Reading

God Carries Me Through the Deep Waters of Change

In: Faith, Living, Motherhood

“Ahhh!” My underwater scream garbled in my snorkel tube as the manta ray’s cavernous mouth swept a hand’s distance from my face. My fingers tightened around the surfboard until my knuckles ached. My arms trembled. I jerked my head side to side, searching for my daughters, Mia and Megan. Recent college graduates, they had joined me on one last mother-daughter vacation before launching their adult lives. They floated easily on the vibrant Hawaiian water, relaxed, trusting. I wanted to borrow their calm. Earlier, our guide had explained that the LED lights built into the surfboard attracted plankton the way college...

Keep Reading

Faith After a Rare Disease Diagnosis

In: Faith, Motherhood

My pastor frequently speaks of “kid pain” and acknowledges there’s nothing like it. I can testify to that. After nine months of uncertainty and unexplained issues following the birth of our now 4-year-old daughter, Harlow, we finally received her diagnosis of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Deficiency (PDCD), a life-limiting mitochondrial disease with no cure and no FDA-approved treatments. It was heartbreaking. In moments like these, a parent can fall into complete desperation. You go through a range of emotions almost too fast to name: fear for your child’s life; anxiousness about how much time you’ll get with them; overwhelming grief. And...

Keep Reading

What If I Don’t Hear God’s Voice?

In: Faith

There have been many times over the years when I’ve heard others share stories of how the Lord spoke to them or gave them a sign. Seashells scattered along a sandy beach, numbered to represent how many children they would have. A quiet walk in the park, followed by a clear sense that another little one was coming. What a blessing, I think, when I hear and read their stories. I often wonder how much more faith they must have than I do—to know with such certainty that what they heard was truly God speaking. I listen, I smile, and...

Keep Reading

God Holds You As You Hold Everyone Else

In: Faith, Motherhood

Mother holding toddler daughter on her hip, standing outside

She stands in the kitchen, hands trembling over the sink, tears she cannot let fall pressing behind her eyes. The world outside her window is quiet, but inside her heart there is a storm she cannot name. She is hurting, not because she does not love her life, but because somewhere along the way she forgot how to breathe inside it. Yet even in her pain, little voices call her name. Tiny hands tug at her shirt. Lunchboxes need packing, homework needs checking, hearts need holding. And so she wipes her face, forces a smile, and whispers a quiet prayer:...

Keep Reading

Yes, I Know Fear—but I Also Know Faith

In: Faith, Motherhood

Mother holding child's hands in hospital bed

The night my daughter woke up screaming at 3 a.m., I knew something was wrong. Her cry wasn’t the half-asleep whimper of a bad dream. Instead, it was pain—raw and sharp. Within an hour, we were rushing to the emergency room, the world outside our headlights still wrapped in darkness. Tests, scans, questions, and then the words no parent ever wants to hear: “We’re transferring her to another hospital by ambulance. She needs surgery right away.” They said “torsion.” They said “tumor.” They said “appendix.” I nodded, because that’s what mothers do. We stay steady, even when our hearts are...

Keep Reading

10 Years after My Mother’s Death, Her Faith Still Guides Me

In: Faith, Grief

Growing up, I was a reluctant Catholic. My mother would drag us to church, and I’d go through the motions—fingers moving across rosary beads without really feeling the prayers. But she never stopped. Sunday Mass, daily prayers, devotions to the Blessed Mother. She was relentless in her faith, not because she was trying to force it on us, but because she genuinely believed we would need it someday. She was right. My mother died of stage 4 colon cancer in 2012. My brother and I watched her suffer, saw how her body betrayed her, watched as treatments failed. And here’s...

Keep Reading

Finding God in the Middle of Disbelief: A Mom’s Journey through Faith and Fear

In: Faith

Mother holding hand of young child, silhouette

“But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not triumph over me.” – Jeremiah 20:11 God, thank You for making sure my son is okay. Thank You for this just being paranoia. I believe in You. I believe in Your control. I believe. I believe. I believe. These words streamed through my head as my husband drove us downtown to visit our first specialist with our 4-month-old son, Maximus. Our pediatrician had written me off, but I could not ignore the feeling in my bones that something was wrong. Tiny, hard bumps...

Keep Reading

In Praise of Indebtedness: How Threads of Reciprocity Weave Us Together

In: Faith, Living

It all started with tomatoes. After we moved, a neighbor invited us to pick from the abundance in her and her husband’s gardens. In return for a pile of tomatoes gathered from their raised beds, I left a plastic bag of homegrown pumpkins on their porch. Later that summer, our neighbor stopped by with a recycled container full of still more fruits. By the fall, we were sharing chili and cookies over dinner at our place. Threads of indebtedness were weaving us together. For most of my life, the idea of indebtedness has tasted rather repulsive on my tongue. The...

Keep Reading

Mommy Always Comes Back

Child

Mommy Always Comes Back

A Positive is Not a Promise

Baby

Dear Mama, Believe You Have What it Takes to be Their Mother

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Victoria Riollano

Your Worth Is Not Someone Else’s To Measure

Lord, Give Me Faith Like Hannah

God Carries Me Through the Deep Waters of Change

Faith After a Rare Disease Diagnosis

What If I Don’t Hear God’s Voice?

God Holds You As You Hold Everyone Else

Yes, I Know Fear—but I Also Know Faith

10 Years after My Mother’s Death, Her Faith Still Guides Me

Finding God in the Middle of Disbelief: A Mom’s Journey through Faith and Fear

In Praise of Indebtedness: How Threads of Reciprocity Weave Us Together

Get It Now

So God Made a Mother

Dear Mama, Believe You Have What it Takes to be Their Mother

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Your Worth Is Not Someone Else’s To Measure

Lord, Give Me Faith Like Hannah

God Carries Me Through the Deep Waters of Change

Faith After a Rare Disease Diagnosis

What If I Don’t Hear God’s Voice?

God Holds You As You Hold Everyone Else

Yes, I Know Fear—but I Also Know Faith

10 Years after My Mother’s Death, Her Faith Still Guides Me

Finding God in the Middle of Disbelief: A Mom’s Journey through Faith and Fear

In Praise of Indebtedness: How Threads of Reciprocity Weave Us Together

Previous Post

Next Post

You May Also Like