Life as a single mom can feel overwhelming, scary, and exhausting. There are bills to pay, children to raise, meals to cook, tears to wipe (sometimes even your own), and little time to breathe. You love your children deeply, but some days you feel like the weight of it all is pressing down, relentlessly, on your shoulders. You want to be everything they need, but you are running on empty (and it’s not even 9 am).
Who You Are as a Single Mom
From the outside, people may see a strong, capable woman. You might even have been praised for the way you manage the home, carpool, and the chaos of life with grace. But inside, you might feel like you’re barely hanging on.
Sleepless nights are filled with worry, questions with no apparent answers, and the ache of loneliness for a partner who will step up and help you manage life. You have a desire to share the weight of decision-making, as well as the quiet moments after the kids have gone to sleep.
Or maybe you’ve been criticized. Maybe your faults have been scrutinized under a microscope, blasted on social media, and fingers have been wagged in your direction. You might have heard that you are at fault for the problems in your life and the challenges your children face.
You may have been told that you deserve to be alone or that you aren’t capable of handling single parenting. You might echo these sentiments when you lie in bed at night, tears streaming down your face for the apparent deficits in your children’s lives and the decisions that you have made.
Who He Is
And yet, in the middle of this exhaustion and heartache, God is present.
Scripture reminds us that God is “a father to the fatherless and a defender of the widows” (Psalm 68:5). That promise doesn’t only apply to those who are widowed by death. God draws near to the brokenhearted and overwhelmed (even when we are the ones who may have caused the brokenness).
He sees you. He doesn’t flinch at your mess or shake His head at your questions. He hears your whispered prayers, the ones you say while folding laundry or sitting in the car, holding back tears.
Build a village
Sometimes God loves you through your village. You weren’t meant to do this life alone. Even Jesus had His circle. If the idea of asking for help feels uncomfortable or impossible, start small. Say yes when a friend offers to babysit. Accept the casserole from your neighbor. Let someone fold the laundry while you rest for a moment.
Don’t have a built-in village? Look for godly women who can speak life into your weary soul and maybe even give you some practical help along the way. Join a Bible study or a moms’ group at your church. Go even if it means showing up with messy hair and a little spit up on your shoulder.
You might feel like you don’t have anything to offer, but your presence matters, and in time, you’ll see that you aren’t the only one who feels overwhelmed and underqualified. And you will be reminded that joy and struggle can exist in the same season.
Additional Help for the Single Mom
Still, knowing that God loves you and having a support system doesn’t always make the burdens disappear. That’s why Christian counseling can be a lifeline. Reaching out for help can allow you to see that you’re not alone and are not as faulty as you have convinced yourself you are.
Talking to a Christian counselor gives you a safe place, free of little ears and eyes, to process your life, to cry about the past and future, and to untangle suppressed thoughts that you’ve pushed aside for far too long. Therapy lets you know that you don’t have to carry all of these burdens alone, just because you aren’t in a committed romantic relationship.
You’ve got this, and He’s got you
The days may feel long (and the nights even longer), but with the help of your Heavenly Father, you’ve got this! And if you need additional help, call a Christian counselor in Carlsbad, CA. You don’t have to stay stuck in survival mode or weep over what you are not and cannot do. You were made for more than just getting by. You were made to live an abundant life.
God has not forgotten you. He is still writing your story. You are not alone, mama. You are deeply loved. And you can do this! Contact us today at Carlsbad Christian Counseling in California to learn more.
“Trees and Meadow”, Courtesy of Annie Spratt, Unsplash.com, Unsplash+ License
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Stephanie Kramer: Author
Stephanie Kramer is the Editor-in-Chief of a leading faith-based publication. She holds a BA in Art History and Visual Anthropology from Western Washington University and brings extensive experience from her previous role as Editor of a prominent fai...
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