No More Supermom!

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At the MOPS convention (which I realize I still have not blogged about), I heard an amazing message from Elisa Morgan, the former President/CEO of MOPS International. She just wrote a book entitled "She Did What She Could." Elisa takes the story of Mary Magdalene, who poured perfume on Jesus' feet. She was criticized for pouring expensive perfume, over a year's wages, over her Lord's feet. "The money from this perfume could have been given to the poor!" they cried. But Jesus replied, "she did what she could." (Read the passage here) Elisa encouraged us, as we look at the world around us and feel burdened for all the needs that are out there, to just do what we can, one thing at a time. Nothing is too small.

After this convention, I went to MOPS last week, where our speaker (who had not been to the convention) spoke about how our relationship with God changes when we become moms. She talked about how many of us are used to the "prescription" of daily devotions that has been indoctrinated in us since we were young: we must spend 30 minutes to an hour a day with the Lord, praying and reading the Bible (and it helps if you use the ACTS method and journal, too). Then when we become moms, we beat ourselves up for not being able to do it anymore. And then Suzie said it again: "You do what you can." You take moments throughout the day to pray, to read Scripture (she said she'd keep her Bible open on her counter to a Psalm and read one verse every time she walked by it). You do what you can. There is a fine line to be walked here, as some of us (me included) can easily start to excuse laziness with God's grace. But the point is, we may have to do things differently after we become moms, but we find what works for us, and we do what we can.

That brings me to this (possibly unrelated to the paragraph above) question: since when did we start thinking that multi-tasking is a virtue? When did we, as Christian moms, start buying the lie that we need to be Supermom? That to be a good mom, we have to have it all together and do so many things at once, and do them all well? I WISH, how I wish, that someone would have told me as a new, young mother: "You don't have to have it all together. You can't do it all. You don't have to be Supermom." Because oh, how freeing that would have been. Instead, I bought into the lie too. And then I beat myself up daily for not being able to live up to the world's expectations.

All God expects of me? To do what I can. In His strength. Some moms have more on their plate than others. And He gives them the strength to do it. But I should not desire that, but be content with the lot in life God has called me to. You don't have to be Supermom to be a good mom. Let's all just "do what we can do" and be content with that. As I become a more "seasoned" mother, I realize that multi-tasking and doing 100 things at once does not make me a good mother!! What will make me a good mother is doing just what God has put in front of me really well.

Here are more thoughts on the book and an excellent interview with Elisa about this very subject. And if you have time to watch this, take a few minutes and be so encouraged by this short message!!