Motherhood: Heavy and Holy
- Tabitha Deller
- Mar 30
- 3 min read
“Heaviness leads to holiness when we allow God to carry us.”
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.” (Matthew 27:45-46, 50 ESV)
As we sit in the heaviness of Holy Week, there are so many echoes of encouragement we can take into our motherhood as well.
Whether you’re the mom of littles, bigs, or somewhere in the middle, take heart. The heavy, holy work of motherhood is not measured in one individual moment, but rather lived out in the in-between.
The weight of the wait is both heavy and holy.
We may ask God to take the cup of motherhood from us on a particularly hard day, but God loved us too much to quit on us. Let’s model that kind of love in our motherhood.
The ups and downs of motherhood remind me so much of Jesus’ final week on this earth. He knew His humanness would give way to the culmination of the Gospel as He literally made a way for the salvation of humanity. The Via Dolorosa, translated “Way of Sorrows” would be the road our Savior would walk while literally bearing the weight of the cross.
I’m sure in your motherhood, as I can testify in mine, we’ve walked some pretty hard roads. We can span the gamut of emotions in such a short period of time, bearing the weight of heartache, holding onto hope as we cope, and celebrating victories of staying the course when we were tempted to quit.
Those who cried of “Hosanna,” which literally means “save us,” on Palm Sunday, shouted “Crucify Him” days later. As moms, we’ve likely received accolades from our children on any given day, only to be followed by the cruel words of a disgruntled teen the next.
But, heaviness leads to holiness when we allow God to carry us. Yes, this week is heavy, but it is also holy. And the weight of the wait is worth it as we watch God work behind the scenes.
He was working then on His master plan of redemption in the midst of Holy Week, and He is working now on His plan for your family in the midst of the all the hard and holy things a typical week can bring.
Mama, stay the course in the in between. Find hope again in the heaviness of this holy week as you remember the in between Jesus walked through for you (and your kids, too)…
Between the palm branches that honored Him and the whip lashes that flogged Him…
Between the triumphal entry parade and the betrayal deal Judas made…
Between the intimate last supper and the intense prayers and suffering…
Between Gethsemane and Golgotha…
Between the crown of thorns and the old rugged cross…
Beauty would arise even as those hosanna cries became cries to crucify because eventually Jesus would cry “Tetelestai”
It is finished, but He is not.
So, hold on to hope in every heavy and holy moment of motherhood.
Faith Follow-Through:
This week, take some time to grow in motherhood and faith:
Tuesday:
Ask God to show you areas of your motherhood you need to surrender to Him. Give Him all that is hard and heavy today. Ask Him to speak to your heart this week as you worship Him and reflect on the account of Holy week in the Gospel of Matthew. Jot down in a journal any questions you want to ask God about the sacred work of motherhood in light of the Father‘s great love for you.
Wednesday:
Since it is Worship Wednesday, take time to listen to a couple songs that have been on repeat for me in my Lenten playlist:
It is Finished — Jimmy Needham
So Be It — Elevation Worship
Thursday:
Read Matthew 21-24.
Friday:
Read Matthew 25-28.
Written by Tabitha, mom of 4 boys
