God Made You For This—And Them

As a mother, I often wonder if I’m the best parent for my kids.

I doubt my abilities to give them what they truly need and deserve. Could someone else do a better job than what I’m doing? Could someone else mend their broken hearts quicker, calm their fears faster, handle the meltdowns more calmly, answer their questions better, be there for them more, or actually satisfy their never-ending wants? Could I be better? I just want them to have the best.

But then I am reminded that God chose my children for me for a reason.

He knew no one could raise them quite like me. That no one could raise them better than me. He chose them especially for me. They were made for me and I was made for them.

He knew everything that was in me was more than enough to raise the children He gave me. That I had everything required and needed to be the perfect mother for them.

He knows what all their future troubles will be. Their broken hearts, their fights, their rebellions, their questions, their bad choices, their good choices, their sicknesses, their fears, all of it. No one else is fit enough for the tasks for my children. In His eyes, I’m it. No one else. He sees me as the answer to it all even when I don’t.

He knew . . . 

My daughters need me when they get hurt because Mommy is the only one who can fix it.

My newborn needed me for those 30-45 minute sleep intervals we experienced for months because Mommy is the only one who could bear it.

My daughters need me when they’re sick because only Mommy’s cuddles help them feel better.

My strong-willed daughter needs me to soften her heart because she needs Mommy’s perseverance and ever-developing patience.

My daughters need me when they are upset because Mommy’s hugs are the only thing to calm them down.

My anxious daughter needs me to calm her fears because Mommy gets anxious, too, and can relate to her.

My daughters need me to lead them back to Him because Mommy knows the way to speak to their hearts.

And He knew I needed my children to change things inside of me. He needed them to make me into a better daughter, a better wife, a better mom, a better Christian, a better person.

He knows I will have my days of failure and my days of triumph. That I will have days of doubt and days of certainty. That I will have days of wanting to give up, and days of wanting to do more.

But He knows I am made for this.

And you know what? God chose your children just for you for a reason, too. No one can raise them the same way you can.

You were made for this . . . you were made for them.

This post originally appeared on the author’s blog

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