When someone hears I have 12 children their first response is usually, “Oh, I can’t imagine”, followed by, “I could never handle that many”.  To be honest, there are days that I think the same thing.

Those thoughts didn’t start though when I had 12, I remember all too well feeling overwhelmed when I had 2 children.  There were days that felt like such a struggle to keep up with the children, the house and the laundry.

There have been lots of nights over the years that I would go to bed thinking, “I have no energy to get up and do this all over again tomorrow, let alone the desire to.”  But in all those times, God has never failed me, every morning when I wake up, just as His Word says, “His mercies are new…”.

No matter how exhausted and defeated I feel when I go to bed, the Lord always gives me renewed strength and joy and love the next morning, everything I need for that day to care for my family.

This isn’t because I am a morning person and naturally wake up cheery, nothing could be further from the truth.  You won’t catch me bouncing out of bed with a big smile on my face, normally I am dragging myself out of bed fighting my selfish flesh that wants to sleep till 9am.

But, being filled with love, joy and strength from God doesn’t necessarily mean you always have a smile on your face and everything is rosy.  It does mean your joy comes from Christ and serving Him.

If I didn’t know my job had an eternal purpose, if I didn’t know I had a Shepherd who will lead me and guide me, if I didn’t know my loving Creator would renew my strength so that I can run and not be weary and walk and not faint, then I would become defeated in my weariness.

Knowing those truths, keeping my eyes set on a faithful, mighty God is the only way I am able to face each day.  Being a mother of 2, 5 or 12 is a tremendous joy, one that I wouldn’t trade for anything.  At the same time, I think all mothers know, it is exhausting, hard work.  In order to keep our joy and strength in our ministry as mothers, we have to stay on guard and be diligent to “fight the good fight”, looking to the Lord to provide everything we need to serve Him effectually and joyfully.

Us moms tend to think we need a more “practical” answer to how to deal with feelings of weariness.  But more mom time and more books won’t give us the help we really need.  When we are overwhelmed and feel like we can barely keep our head above water, the only thing that will help is God, His precious Word speaking to us, His presence in prayer.  It may sound like a simple, pat answer, but it is the only way this, sometimes weary mom, can have “joy in the morning”.