You Are Enough

Crazy is something I understand very well. Just ask my husband. Having three children in 18 months will educate you really fast. On my son Ryder's first birthday we found out we were pregnant again. We were so excited, yet, what we didn't know was that in a few short weeks we would find out we were pregnant with twins. TWINS ya'll. If ever I thought I would see my husband faint it was in that moment. Flashes of diaper prices, and college, and the fact that we REALLY may never sleep again soared through B's mind like a freaked out tornado. Me? I can honestly say I was more excited than scared, but I have a tendency to lean on the dreamy side of things. Then reality hit. Our twins Lincoln and Ruby Jane were born pre-mature a few short months later at 33 weeks. (That's another dose of crazy we will save for another time.)

Thankfully, we have three amazing, wonderful, healthy, crazy kids who are now 8 & 6 (and we do get to sleep finally). What a ride it has been. This motherhood gig is beautiful, tough, emotional, wild, fulfilling, lacking….everything. As Moms, we know that it is all worth it. I know for me an unexpected "sorry" from my 8 year old, or a sneak attack that spills into laughs or a drawing can fix pretty much any day. But its just nice to be able to be REAL about the ALL OF IT. And ALL OF IT is a combination of every emotion under the sun which can assault your brain if you let it.

"You sure do spend a lot of time beating yourself up. You must be exhausted." This quote is from a character named Bones in the new movie Mom's Night Out. I have to admit, I felt like Bones was talking to me in that moment. The five years ago me specifically, that tired, crazy chick who still tries to sneak into my thoughts from time to time. Who am I trying to be "enough" for? Am I stressed because I'm living to please man - you know, "man," i.e. the Mom in the pick up line who is perfectly dressed, or the really crafty one who all the teachers love, the idea of the kind of mother my MIL was/is, or some other unrealistic expectation or comparison set by…..me. When I feel that crazy chick start to creep in, she gets the boot. Most of the time I recognize the creeping in, but sometimes it takes a good friend to point it out.

Having a group of friends who encourage me, who I can encourage and reach out to is a serious life line for me. My confidence as a Mother is owed directly to them continually pointing me to God's word and me finding my identity only in Him. Do I have everything figured out? Nope. Do I do everything right? Nope. But I do know this:

"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

The fact is my friends, you simply must remain in Him. You can't do it all alone - you need Him, your family, your friends. You need to see yourself the way He does. Jesus calls you by name, the enemy calls you by your sin, or your lack, or your fault. You must rely on the truth of Jesus' words. You don't have to be a version of anyone else except the best version of you. God doesn't make duplicates, He makes originals. Not one of us is exactly the same. He chose YOU to raise your little ones, to influence them, to encourage them, to train them up in a way that only YOU can. The incredibly, ORIGINAL, YOU. So Mama, let me encourage you today. You are enough. Just as you are. You are made for this, you are His masterpiece.

So, gather up your friends on MAY 9th, wrangle the Dads or sitters or both and go see Mom's Night Out. We left with tear streaked faces because we were laughing so hard (and maybe a little happy/weepy tears too but mostly from the laughing). It is the best movie we have seen in a long time and the only one we've seen that truly reflects all of the beautifully messy aspects of motherhood. A bonus? We left feeling really encouraged.

Win a fun night out in LA by entering the MNO contest!