Little bit of Grace goes a long way.

This last month has been a good reevaluating month for me.  It's the first time in two years I haven't been in college, having a new baby, or have a house full of other people's kids.  Now, yes, I do love and enjoy doing ALL of those things, but it makes for a very busy season of life that is constantly changing.  This summer I have been needing a HUGE break.  Break from friends, break from homeschooling, and overall break from life.   As many know, I struggle from depression (especially post pardum), and lots of other things.  Most days I manage it well, but this past year it has been helped that I have had an amazing group of moms that encourage and are there for each other.

This last month, so much of that changed.  Most of my moms I had been bonding with had other life changes as well, so it quickly stopped.  This makes for feeling isolated, alone, depressed, and other hurt emotions.  The problem with all of this is, as moms, we NEED encouragement and love and grace.  I read a quote earlier that hit me hard:

"Most of the time, moms who are on the verge of burnout are afraid to say so because they live in fear of being judged by others.  Oh that we would be known for our grace toward one another!" ~Heidi St. John

Moms spend so much time judging, opinionated, and making it hard to be gracious towards each other.  When we feel attacked and judged, we isolate, which often ends up to the detriment of our relationships, our health, and sometimes our sanity.

Realize that we all do things differently, we all react to things differently, and we all are going through struggles differently.  Instead of comparing, attacking, and judging, let's all be gracious and loving and lift each other up!

Dig into your Bibles, and pray for your friends.  When a mom is struggling alone, it is so much easier to fall into temptation, drift from church, and lose accountability in our life.

Lean on the Lord for strength and comfort, and as a mom, also pray and support your friends who are struggling and hurting!

2 Corinthians 12:9King James Version (KJV) And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Matthew 7:7King James Version (KJV) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Psalm 18:1King James Version (KJV)  I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

Galatians 6:2King James Version (KJV) Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

I am so thankful for the moms that stick with me and are there for me during my hard days.  I'm also thankful for the moms that let me be there for them as well.  Even when we go through different griefs, losses, and struggles, it's important that we show love and grace to each other.

I am taking a much needed break from most of our "crazy" life, but learning to slow down and enjoy my family and pray and love on those around me more is much needed.  I didn't realize just how long I had been running non stop!  Thankful for the opportunity to do this as we pray and reflect on our past year as a family, and start making changes to make this year even better with our homeschooling and our family relationship!