Fulfillment

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there.  I believe that motherhood is the most difficult and demanding job, and does not get the credit it so richly deserves.  It can also be the most rewarding.

 

Because of the challenges and ignorance we face when thrown into this job called motherhood, it can very often overwhelm us, affecting our confidence and causing us to doubt our abilities.  It can raise our self-esteem one day, yet cut it to the core the next.

We women have mastered the art of covering our insecurities, especially at first impressions.  Once you get past this initial stage, there’s usually a guarded heart that has been hurt too often.   We all tend to doubt our abilities based on failures from the past.  Most women I know don’t feel as though they are good enough. 

We all know that we are more than worthy to God, yet we sometimes struggle to believe it in our human walk.

 

Maybe we grew up with a father who wasn’t there or a mother who was critical.  Our parents can deeply affect our portrayal of ourselves.  Maybe a physical or emotional problem caused other children to act cruelly and say unkind words, or siblings degraded at every turn.  Whatever the reason, it is difficult to overcome thoughts of not being good enough.

A recent quote on Facebook said, “Make sure your enemy is not living between your own two ears.”  We have to work at taking our thoughts captive.  Negative thoughts lead to a negative attitude which will affect every area of life.  We tend to look for outside stimulus to give us happiness when we should seek to heal the inside first.

Unfortunately, many women regard marriage (before they enter into it) as a chance to start over, a lifestyle that will bring them joy.  It’s their escape from a broken home or abusive situation.  They expect their knight in shining armor to save them from the past hurts and ride off into the wild blue yonder to live happily-ever-after.  I was guilty of that notion myself.

We put an enormous amount of pressure on our spouse to satisfy us, complete us, and make us happy.  God did not give us marriage for fulfillment; He gave it to us for companionship.  Genesis 2:18 “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.””  If we want to be fulfilled, we need to seek the face of God, not our spouse.

No wonder the divorce rate is so high.  Counting on your spouse for fulfillment and not relying on God will only bring disaster. 

I believe that our confidence lies in pursuing our purpose on Earth - God’s plan for our life.  Until you discover what that is, you may flounder and doubt yourself, seeking fulfillment in any shape or form.

After many years of seeking my purpose, I finally have the privilege of watching it unfold.  It’s been a long journey but very worthwhile.  It gives me great confidence!  Although I’m not quite sure exactly where it will take me, there’s a certain amount of adventure that comes with trusting in God to plan the very best. 

The more I trust Him for my future, the healthier my self-esteem becomes.  I can’t make a mistake when I’m listening to God.  (It may sometimes seem like a mistake, but only God knows the reasoning and final outcome.)

The bottom line, as always, is to look to God to fill you.  We are all put on Earth for a purpose.  Find out what it is, and you’ll find a new zest for life!  That’s what God intended for us.