I’ve been changing diapers for twenty-four years. My oldest son is twenty-four, and the youngest of my kids is two years old. That’s many years of tantrums and defiant “nos,” of not getting enough sleep and picking up toys, lots of toys. That’s many years of feeling run down and tired. It’s enough to make me weary.

Yet there is a reason my husband and I decided to adopt three little ones because along with the hard stuff, there is joy, too. And that’s the important thing . . . to focus on the joy. And sometime that means hunting it down.

Yes there are tantrums, but there are also tickles. There are smiles that (can) beat out the tears. And even on weary days it’s important to focus on the bright spots, and often this starts with my thoughts.

1. I tell myself that today is the youngest my child will ever be again. I tell myself to enjoy the moment. My grandma always tells me, “These are the best days of your life,” and I choose to believe her.
2. I tell myself that the to-do list will still be there tomorrow, but today is the day to make memories. I won’t regret putting the mail pile or the dishes to the side. Yet I someday may regret that I didn’t slow down and enjoy my kids.
3. I tell myself that it’s OK to take a nap. Yes, there are things I need to get done, but a rested mama is a happy mama.
4. I tell myself to smile. It’s amazing how a smile can change my attitude. It’s also amazing how much my kids’ attitudes change when they see my smile.
5. I tell myself to find joy in the situation. The joy can be found looking into my little one’s eyes. The joy can be found with a cuddle. The joy can be found after a whispered prayer.
6. I tell myself to draw close to God, even if that means just two minutes of focusing on Him, meditating on Him. “It is His joy that remains in us that makes our joy full,” says A. B. Simpson.

Weary days will come. I’ve know that. I’ve experienced that again and again and again. But I also know that joy can be found. Joy can be found in God, and joy can be found in the simple things when we look for it.

Tricia Goyer

 

And now it’s that time again…every Thursday we meet here to share our hearts and be encouraged. We’d love for you to join us and link-up your Dear Weary Mom letters!

Mamas in the trenches of motherhood, slugging it out every day for the hearts of their children…they need hope. So we’ve created a fun way for our writers, and other moms out there called to give hope through their words, to encourage each other to press on and press in to deeper relationship with Jesus.

Each Thursday, one of our writers from Team Hope will write a letter to a weary mom—an encouragement—and post it here on the blog. At the end of the post, we’ll invite you to join us by writing your own “Dear Weary Mom,” post and linking it up. If you choose to participate, please consider the following things:

1. This is a family-friendly site. Please only submit a post that builds up and encourages moms. It can be funny, but it can not be crude or contain profanity. We reserve the right to delete offensive posts, BUT we also plan to pin our favorite to our growing Pinterest board!

2. Please include a link back to this post from yours so we can all encourage each other.

3. Please use the graphic above in your post.

That’s it! We’re excited to see what God does through Dear Weary Mom, and can’t wait to see how He leads YOU to participate.

 

Because the best way to remind ourselves of the hope we have in Jesus, is to share it with someone else.

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