Mom Guilt At It’s Finest

“Let the love of Jesus refill you in those moments so that you can in turn pour into your family.”

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 (NLT)

I’m 99% confident that if you looked up the term “mom guilt” to find out its meaning, you’d find my picture right next to it as an example. Then at the section at the bottom where you find its synonyms, there you would also find my picture next to the term “wife guilt.” I’ve always struggled with feelings of guilt and that I am not doing enough. 

My mom guilt adventures actually happened at an event related to our Motherhood Meets Faith ministry of all things! It was the night of the launch party and I was so excited. I got there and was having fun. Then all of a sudden I got this crashing wave of mom/wife guilt coming overtop of me. In my head I was saying things like “I’m later than I expected to be. Oh no…it’s dinner time what are they going to eat? Are the kids being good or bad for my husband? I should be there to help him so he doesn’t lose his mind.” 

So then I left…I let the mom guilt win. 

Do you know what I found as I hurriedly walked into the house expecting mass chaos and a family on the brink of starvation? I found them all snuggled up watching a movie after they found something for dinner and were completely content. At that moment I felt foolish that I had let the mom guilt win. 

 Why? Why do we feel so guilty for doing things that ultimately will make us better overall? Why do we feel guilty for doing things that will allow us to pour into others more? Our verse today says that the thief (in our context today the thief is mom guilt) comes to steal, kill and destroy. That is what mom guilt does. It takes away from us good things. It lies to us and tells us that we aren’t a good mom or wife if we do things for ourselves…if we take a break. The thief is a liar. 

The verse continues though and says “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” God wants us to have a satisfying life. If we are going to be able to pour into our kids and our family, we need breaks. We need friends and a community we can go to when that thief tries to sneak in. 

Friends, do not let the mom guilt sneak in and take away your joy. Enjoy the breaks! Even if it is as simple as going to your bedroom and reading a book. Let the love of Jesus refill you in those moments so that you can in turn pour into your family. Let Jesus simply wrap His arms around you and give you rest - even if it's only for a moment. Allow yourself to enjoy that moment and come back ready to be the best version of yourself and to pour out the love you’ve received into your family. 

Action Steps: 

• Find ways that you can take breaks. If that is a lot for you, start small. 

• Reflect on why you feel the mom guilt and try to find practical ways that you can work through them when those emotions come up. 

Written by Kara, queen of mom guilt