New Mercies For Motherhood
New Mercies
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:21-24 ESV
A tale of new mercies and motherhood
I woke up dizzy and nauseous- the same ailments I had been dealing with for the past three days. My husband had started his 24-hour work shift that morning so I was solo parenting our two littles. Both of them were also sick with colds and, because both of them have asthma, it makes having a normal cold more complicated.
The five-year-old was doing moderately well (runny nose, slight fever, moderate level of sass- so doable); while the two-year-old was going on day two of high-dose steroids (high energy, low tolerance for anything- literally anything). He was receiving breathing treatments about every four hours. So the vibes weren’t good from the jump. I was locked and loaded in survival mode from the moment I opened my eyes. Not a great way to start your day.
We made it through the morning to nap time with a blessed Moana and Narnia, back-to-back feature. The kids were glued to me the entire double feature and my two-year-old was either physically assaulting me or crying between singing numbers in Moana. I had lost my temper more times than I could count and I was trying to escape the chaos through social media more than I would like to admit, but we made it.
Cue the nap strikes
When I turned the TV off to signal the commencement of the nap-time standard procedure, the five-year-old proceeded to kick the dog. This resulted in a consequence and, in turn, a very upset girl. She was quickly escorted to her sleeping quarters and then the two-year-old was carried to his.
The two-year-old, who is normally a semi-professional sleeper, decided he did not want to nap and that he wanted his daddy, who was at work. So, I reminded him that it was, in fact, nap time and that his dad was at work. I sang songs and prayed and talked with and bounced and rubbed to no avail. He wanted his dad and he did not want to sleep.
Growing frustrated I placed him in his crib, walked out of his room, and shut the door. I walked to our bedroom down the hall and plopped my tired body into my bed. I was nauseated and dizzy, angry and sad, with two very upset children crying down every hallway. I proceeded to place my fingers in my ears and rock back and forth. Tears were pouring down my cheeks and I began crying out to the Lord. I was at my end, survival mode had failed, and I wanted to abort this motherhood mission.
But God
But great is thy faithfulness of our God. The phrase, “His mercies are new every morning,” popped into my head at that moment (thank you, Holy Spirit). I started playing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” on my phone and just unapologetically wept. The lyrics rolled over my heart like waves of hope and security.
This hymn was inspired by Lamentations chapter 3:22-23.
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:21-24 ESV
My God had reminded me that I am limited, that I am in need, and that the hope of this day, this very moment, comes from the Lord God. His mercy never runs out (unlike my mercy towards my kids); His steadfast love is eternal and enduring (I can’t even make it past nap time); and His faithfulness is great (my faithfulness is not). That when my eyes first opened that morning the mercy of my God, the love of my God, the faithfulness of my God was all I ever needed to sustain me, to give me hope for today. New mercies every day.
My heart of hopelessness turned to a heart of worship and strength by those words. Mom was back!
I wish I could tell you the rest of the day was smooth sailing…
I wish I could tell you that my son was soothed to sleep, my daughter repented of her missteps, I got to rest and the rest of my evening was smooth sailing and Insta-worthy. It was not. My son did not nap, my daughter continued to disobey, our house fell into disarray, I ordered DoorDash for dinner and I put on another show (and if you were wondering, yes, of course it was Bluey). It was not pretty, but it was hopeful, it was enduring, it was peaceful, it was enough. The portion I need every day of my life, regardless of whether I’m crushing it or rocking back and forth in my bed, comes from the Lord. My goodness, how merciful that is. How beautiful that he gives us new mercies each day.
I was struck by the final verse in “Great is Thy Faithfulness”:
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with 10,000 beside
I don’t deserve this. God does not weigh my personal wins and losses to determine what amount of mercy He grants me on a particular day. He doesn’t say, “Oh well Rachel talked nicely to her children, fed them an organic well-balanced meal, kept her house in order, read her Bible, had limited to no screen time, and brushed her teeth this morning. Therefore I will grant her peace and mercy and blessings.” No. That is not our Heavenly Father.
Our Heavenly Father freely gives. I bring nothing but mess and sin to the table and God says “You are forgiven.” But not only am I forgiven; I receive gifts of mercy, grace, peace, forgiveness, and love. My God cheers me on as I place one wobbly step in front of the other, holding my hand and never, EVER let me go. He gives me the strength to take that step and the hope that I will not fall from his grasp. Praise be! What a good and faithful father he is to us. The best parent that anyone could ever hope to be.
So let’s place our hope and strength in Him and sing together:
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me
Lord, when I forget and lose hope, help me to recall your portion that will never run out. Help me to remember your steadfast love, your faithfulness, and your mercy. That I will place my strength, regardless of its position, in your hands. That my only hope would be in you, Lord. I’m thankful that there are new mercies available to me each day.
Amen.
About The Author
Rachel is a part-time RN and a full-time messy wife and mom. She has been married to the one and only, firefighting, God-worshiping, Hobbit-loving, seriously fun, seriously serious, most handsome Ryan Hausch for nearly 9 years. They have two amazing kiddos- Nora (5) and Chandler (2). Rachel and her family attend a church in Stow, Ohio called Redemption Chapel which God has used to bring us healing, community, and growth. She has the privilege of helping to lead a table at her church’s Woman’s Bible studies and loves seeing women grow in their understanding and love for God.
Rachel is passionate about pursuing the Lord, laughing at all the stupid things, showing people just how loved they are despite their mess, cultivating a peaceful and life-giving home, and drinking lots and lots of coffee. Her goals in this life are to laugh a lot, love her family faithfully, and serve God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength.
You can follow more of her writing on her IG @thehaushold. She has also written other articles for SIE, including one about the ministry of showing up for the people in our lives.
