 "I'm just a mom." "I just stay at home with the kids." These phrases seem to be programmed into the heart of every mom. Or, if you're a working mom, you may identify yourself with your chosen profession first, and let the kids tag in after introductions are made. We have let motherhood become side-lined. It's become a hobby of sorts. We amuse ourselves by dressing them in cute clothes and displaying their creative play on Instagram. But we don't attach very much importance to the title of "mom." And why should we? They're only going to be with us for 18 years and then we'll be free to pursue our life purpose, right? Right? Oh we love our kids. We'd give our lives up for them. We make sacrifices to drive them to soccer practice and ballet, and help them with homework in the evenings. But life is busy and full, and we soon start to run on auto-pilot. A quick kiss on the cheek before they run up to tuck themselves in. Absent minded answers as we navigate through traffic and calculate how much time we have to get our grocery shopping done after we drop them off at ballet. Parenting, motherhood, has become the thing we do because it needs to be done.  And you know, motherhood is hard. Sometimes being a mom is overwhelming. When they say "a mother's work is never done," they're not making up some kind of joke. We talk a lot about how hard and exhausting motherhood is, and there's so much truth to it. Moms are tired, because they are super-vigilant. Moms don't hear very many (unprompted) "Thank you's." Stay-at-home Moms don't get very much credit from the world. Some Moms get very little support from friends, family, or even their husbands. A Mom house is often cluttered with toys, laundry and dishes. Freezer meal boxes might lay out on the counter all day. Some days it feels like if we don't tune out the chaos and run on auto-pilot, we may have a mental break down. I get it.  We believe we have a right to be tired. A right for a break. A right to scream for our own space. A reason to elevate temporal things above our children. But mama friend, hear this: When we put more importance on the work of the world than on the holy calling of motherhood, we have been deceived. Motherhood is not a job we have been given to gratify ourselves or impress others. We are not moms so we can be our children's personal slaves. We haven't even been called to motherhood solely to point our children to Jesus. We've been called to motherhood because it is the best place we can glorify Jesus. He choose this place of motherhood for you before the foundations of the earth were laid. He has known you and your children by name since the beginning of time. He tells us, "If you give a cup of cold water in My name, you are doing it for Me." (Matthew 10:42) How many sippies do you fill a day? How many water jugs do you lug to the soccer field? Each one is a gift to Jesus. We are serving Jesus every minute we care for our children. You can't get a more important job than that! And suddenly we feel our perspective shifting. I would dare to say that even as we wash little toddler hands or rub lotion on soft baby skin, we are committing an act as holy as Mary, when she anointed our Savior's feet with oil and washed them with her tears. This is our sacred job. Raising our kids is not a job, but a holy calling. A special privilege to wash the feet of Jesus every day. I read a blog once (I can't remember where) about a woman who, when frustrated with her children, would fill the sink up and wash their feet, to remind herself Who she was serving and what posture her heart should be. Let us spend our life seeking to serve Jesus, not escape from the exhaustion of motherhood. You are so much more than "just a mom." You are a woman with an anointing on your life. You are a mama with a holy calling. Walk it with strength, courage, and love. 
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