As a single woman and a newlywed, I had grand ideas of what motherhood would look like. My children were never going to watch television during the day. I was going to be cool, calm and collected in the midst of trying times. The house would stay clean. I would serve nutritious meals every night. And my children would never throw fits, especially in public. I was a perfect parent before becoming a mother. 
Fast forward a few years and you will find me as the mother of an infant and toddler sometimes wondering how I’m going to make it through this crazy, beautiful thing called motherhood. There are dark days caused by a lack of sleep, toddler tantrums and other stresses that bring me to the end of myself. During these difficult moments the question that all mothers wonder lurks in the back of my mind… Am I enough? I’ve been pondering this question quite a bit lately. What I’ve decided is that the answer is NO. Despite what you’ve heard or read, it’s the truth–the gospel truth. This answer may seem wildly discouraging at first, but I found found it to be quite freeing. While I strongly believe the Lord has called us be the mother of the children He has gifted each one of us with, I am also quite certain that we cannot do this mothering thing on our own. We are not enough. We need Jesus–desperately.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” -John 15:5
It is only through the grace of God and the working of the Holy Spirit that we can do anything right. The Lord did not call us to be perfect mothers–He called us to be moms covered by His grace, relying on His Spirit to guide us through the mundane (and not so mundane) moments of motherhood. 
Did you get that, dear friend? God has called you to be a grace-covered mama, not a perfect one. It is only when we choose to accept the gift of grace and allow the gospel to permeate every area of our life that we will thrive in our role as a mother. What freedom and joy there is in realizing this and taking it to heart! May we seek to bring glory to God by living out the gospel as we embrace the wonderful gift of grace that the blood of Jesus Christ bought for us. In what area of your motherhood do you need God’s grace today?
About the Author: Jenni Mullinix is happily married to her husband and enjoys being a stay-at-home mama. She is fascinated with all things domestic which inspired her to write her first eBook, Clean Enough: Simple Solutions for the Overwhelmed Homemaker. In her free time, she enjoys deep conversations, drinking lattes, and diving into a good book. As a writer, Jenni is passionate about encouraging and equipping women to live called for the glory of God in every season of life. She would love to connect with you! Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter.
Great post and I too was this perfect mama in my head before I was a Mother, funny. Thanks for sharing!
I did allow my children to watch certain cartoons as it was an excellent Baby Sitter for a short time. In other ways I was very strict, and harsh at times. I could have benefited from more than “Parent’s Magazine,” which actually was helpful. Imperfect yes but I love my children and they love me in return. All out of the nest now, but they all returned at certain times of stress in their lives – – then out again to face the world. Thank you for sharing your wonderful post with us here at “Tell Me a Story.” At: http://letmetelluastory.blogspot.com/
A good friend of mine once said to me, “Be the parent you can be.” I have returned to her words often when NOT ENOUGH gets a choke-hold on my mama-heart. I can trust that God made me/is making me to be just the parent he wants for these children. That none of them are mine by accident.
(And then I sigh with great relief.)
Thanks for linking up at Unforced Rhythms this week.
Thank you for sharing over at The Weekend Brew. I am so thankful for the grace He pours out on this imperfect mama. Blessings!
Feeling very encouraged after reading 🙂 Thankyou
Love this, Jenni! God has been teaching me this heavily in my first year of being a mother and being pregnant again. You’re right – it can seem depressing at first that we can’t be perfect, but actually, it is so freeing…I am allowed to make mistakes, have a really bad day, have dusty shelves and a disorganised linen cupboard. It’s not my works that please the Lord, but my heart that calls out to Him for succour and strength and the will to follow His ways.
This is great, Jenni! My kids are grown, but I still realize that the only way to parent is with God leading the way. I know I couldn’t have dealt with many things our family encountered with out God’s presence in our lives. His grace and love keep me going!
Thanks for this encouraging post!
Blessings, Joan
Reblogged this on Bare Bones Gospel.