Whatever you are going through, know this, at some point, every mother has been there. They have been exactly where you are or may even be in that very same place as you right now.
Life can be going so smoothly, and then all of a sudden it hits! A sickness of some sort or the husband loses his job, or perhaps an unforeseen family misfortune.
As a mum, when life throws you these struggles, how do you cope?
Many of us survive. Sometimes, only just. We manage through the day. Then the next day. The following day. We just keep going. We just keep holding it together.
Even though it can be overwhelming, here is a treasure not to forget.
Don’t lose sight of the big picture. When you get caught up in those irritations, those sleepless nights, the long days, cast your eyes to heaven.
God is always by our side. He is present in our every action, decision and conversation. He is right there, when we are exhausted and overwhelmed. When we are resettling the baby for the fifth time. He is there again when we are sweeping those crumbs off the floor. He is always there. He never leaves our side, it is us who may forget Him.
Each moment of our lives can be sanctified and glorified. To stop when you have a big load on your shoulders and realise that God has entrusted you with these problems for a reason. Perhaps he wants to strengthen you. Perhaps He sees this or that difficulty to be good for you. Whatever it may be, He has shared his cross out of love that we grow closer to Him.
Mother Theresa said, “pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus – a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.”
So let us take refuge in our Lord, remembering that He is our most loving Father. In this lies all our security and we will not lose serenity regardless of what is happening.
At times, we may be afraid of the cross. We may be afraid of what it brings and how we will cope. Saint Josemaria writes in his book ‘The Way of the Cross’; “Is it not true that as soon as you cease to be afraid of the Cross, of what people call the cross, when you set your will to accept the Will of God, then you find happiness, and all your worries, all your sufferings, physical or mental, pass away? Truly the Cross of Jesus is gentle and lovable. There, sorrows cease to count; there is only the joy of knowing that we are co-redeemers with Him”.
So when we get tired of serving others, or staying patient with family, we ask for our Lord’s help to struggle once again cheerfully. It does not matter if we fail. What matters is that we keep up the struggle of beginning and beginning again.
If we continue this way, there will always be joy, strength and optimism in our lives!
Originally posted 2015-07-16 12:00:35.