We drink cold cups of coffee more often than we want. We skip girls’ night more often than we should. We miss out on that shower more often than we are willing to admit.
Who are we? We are MOMS.
The other day I was listening to my pastor talk about how the Bible instructs men to love their wives in a self-sacrificial way. Of course, I LOVED this sermon! I love being taken care of and feeling like someone is looking out for me. Don’t we all?!
As I sat there listening to my pastor tell me that my husband should sign me up for spa days (or at least that was my takeaway), it got me thinking…why only men and husbands? Why didn’t that passage of Scripture call women to love sacrificially as well? And then it dawned on me…because it is something that already comes naturally to us. It is part of our instinct. It is in our nature.
Think about it. As moms, we tend to make sure everyone around us is happy and taken care of even if it means we are not. We have no problem skipping a meal or self-care to make sure our little tribe has everything they need and more! We tend to be the glue that holds our surrounding relationships together. Whether it’s remembering birthdays, sending a thank you card, staying up late at night to make sure clothes are washed, or waking up early after a sleepless night to get the older kids started on their schooling, we are faithful and committed to the ones we belong to.
So where does that leave us? Are we doomed to constantly feel exhausted and overspent?
As a homeschooling mother of four children (including a set of twins), like you, I feel the constant need to show up for my family. But somewhere along the way (probably after too many cups of cold coffee and not enough showers), I have learned that the ONLY way that I can best take care of my tribe is to give myself not only the permission to take care of myself but also making it a priority. I decided to stop letting myself feel guilty about setting goals for personal achievements and I began pursuing dreams I had let go of. I chose to embrace the truth that showing up for me also means that I am showing up for them. How can I pour out joy to them when I ran out four loads of laundry ago? I simply can’t give them something I don’t have myself.
This shift in thinking has been a game-changer. I found I had more patience to give them and more joy to inspire them with. Not only that, but as they have watched me set boundaries to take care of myself and carve out space and time for things that are important to me, I have been setting an example for them to one day do the same.
For me, self-care, among other things, looks like prioritizing time for my relationship with God.
In fact, as I have come to see the importance of this in my own life, I have become passionate about helping other women do the same. Last year I launched an online community focused on helping other women do just that—something I never would have been able to do if I did not realize the importance of prioritizing myself amidst taking care of my tribe. This vibrant community is growing every day and I am excited to see what the future holds.
I never thought that I would be creating an actual product that I would be sharing with the world and now we are launching our first in-hand product called the Belong Journal. It is a journal geared toward helping women remember that before they belong to anyone else, they belong to God, and it is in setting time aside each day to build a history with Him that they get the strength to show up for their tribe.
What about you? What ways do you plan to show up for yourself this year?
Whether it’s getting up a few minutes before your kids wake up, taking a class you enjoy or sitting down enjoying that warm cup of coffee, give yourself permission to dream and take care of yourself in this new year, Momma.