Parenting: The Struggle is Real

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. – Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Written by: Leia Marie

If anything in life has taught me humility, perseverance, patience, unconditional love, and how to become a prayer warrior, it is parenting.

Never in my life have I done something as challenging as raising my children. And never have I felt as unprepared for anything as I sometimes feel in motherhood. Over the last sixteen years, I’ve learned one thing for certain: I do not have all the answers. Honestly, there are moments when I have no clue what to do or how to handle a situation. More times than I can count, I’ve whispered, “God, You’ve got to help me. I’m at a complete loss.”

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mother. It is one of the greatest joys of my life. But in full honesty, parenting is both the best and the hardest thing I have ever done. Just the other day, in the middle of a parenting battle, frustration rising, I had a realization: this must be just a tiny glimpse of what it’s like for God.

I love my children fiercely and unconditionally. I would give my life for them. Everything I do, every correction, every boundary, every sacrifice, is because I want what is best and right for them. But sometimes, as wonderful as they are, they don’t see that. They still choose their own way, their own plans, their own desires…even when I know it is not what’s best. And sometimes they “hate” me for trying to guide, discipline, and shepherd them.

Nothing cuts deeper than loving someone with your whole being, giving your all, your very best, and still watching them turn away, get angry, or choose the wrong path. It hurts and it’s so hard. And yet that is precisely what God goes through for each and every single one of us. Wow! Talk about a moment that brings you to your knees in humility and gratitude!

Here’s the thing, when it comes down to it, I can only do so much. I am human and I have failings. So I am trying to learn to turn to the One who never fails. The One who is always good, always righteous, always strong, always wise, always loving. And placing my children and my parenting in His ever-capable hands. And that is the very best that I can do.

Companion Scripture Readings:

Isaiah 40:11
James 1:5

Closing Prayer:

Father God,

You love my children more than I ever could.
When I feel unprepared, overwhelmed, or unsure, remind me that You are not.
Give me wisdom when I lack it, patience when I’m weary, and grace when I fail.
Help me reflect Your heart in the way I guide, correct, and love them.
Teach me to trust You with what I cannot control.

In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.