Mom. While such a commonplace title, the true implications of assuming this role are often overlooked. Choosing to bring a tiny human into the world and to become his or her mom is life altering, world changing, and confidence shaking. The second you hear that first tiny cry, everything changes and life as you know it will never be the same. You will never be the same.
I’ve always been the type of person that hates to be bad at something. I won’t try something new until I am certain I will be able to succeed, whatever it may be. You could call it perfectionism, or arrogance. Either label fits. I’m extremely competitive, which further lends to my unwillingness to be “bad” at anything.
Becoming a mom completely changed me. I wasn’t able to study, practice, and become the best mom possible before Liam came charging into our world. There is no one-size-fits-all manual that informs future moms how to do it all flawlessly and perfectly. When people say leaving the hospital with your newborn baby is terrifying, they’re right in some ways. You’re handed a tiny human being and they trust you enough to take him or her home with no previous experience and keep this baby alive. All on your own.
Assuming the role of mom humbled and changed me in ways I never knew possible. This new title exposed weaknesses, negative tendencies, and a selfishness I never knew existed within me. And I think that’s the way God intended parenthood to be in its truest rawest form. God uses our insecurity and complete inability to do it on our own to show us how richly he blesses us as parents when we lean on Him.
Until I became a parent, I didn’t realize how much potential I had for love, or how much potential I had for patience. I didn’t realize the lesson it would be on God’s love for us. Becoming a parent truly opened my eyes to how deeply God loves us. It opened my eyes to how heartbreaking the cross is and how wondrous a thing God did for us through Jesus.
Being a mom to Liam has curved my sharp edges, softened my heart towards others, and reshaped my entire future for the better. What a blessing this title has been!
