“Being a mommy is hard work,” Becca told me as she nursed one baby while bottle feeding another (picture on left). I laughed. Yes, being a mommy is hard work. Mommy-hood comes with tons of joys – loads of laughter, craziness, playing, singing, dancing, learning – moments of pure joy. But it’s hard work. I have lots of “loser-mommy” days; days when I feel like I should have “Loser Mommy” tattooed on my forehead. (I don’t post pictures from those days . . . yes, our cute kids cry, but taking pictures on those days is one of the farthest things from my mind.)

I’m finding the hardest thing about being a mommy is myself. I am a sinner – an impatient, prideful, selfish sinner. I’m a sinner saved by grace trying to teach a little sinner how to love and obey God when I’m struggling to do those things for myself. I told Josh the other night. “I have enough [sin] problems to deal without having to deal with Becca’s.”

Being a mommy of a 3-year-old means I’m always putting the Bible into simple terms. We talk about loving and obeying Jesus. Sounds simple, but have you ever consciously tried to love and obey Jesus all day long in word, thought, and deed? The more I talk to Becca about her need to have Jesus rescue her from her sin the more I am aware of my need for Christ’s forgiveness on a daily basis. Now at breakfast I pray that Mommy will love and obey Jesus.

Yes, Becca . . . being a mommy is hard work because I am a sinner struggling against my old nature while trying to serve my family. I’m far from being a super-mom. I am a mommy who desperately needs Jesus every day to fulfill the role He’s called me to. Lord willing we’ll both learn to obey Jesus and love Him more than anything.