“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14

“Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” – Luke 1:28b

Sometimes I wonder if Mary experienced the same struggles that I do as a mom. Did Mary wrestle with self-doubt and “mommy guilt”? Did she ever feel overwhelmed? Did she feel tired and weary somedays (or most days)? Did she battle with worry about the future or for her children’s health and wellness? 

Although Mary raised her children in a much different era than we live in now, I imagine that she faced many of the same trials that we do today as moms. After all, she was fully human. And considering one of her children was the long awaited Messiah, I imagine that she wrestled even more with whether she was doing the best job that she could, to raise the Son of God. I wonder if time and time again, she had to return to the words that the angel, Gabriel, said to her when He told her she would bear the Son of the Most High (see Luke 1). One of the first things he said was that the Lord was with her!

Mama, you may not be raising the Christ but you are raising future generations of Christ-followers. What Gabriel said to Mary, the Lord also says to me and you: He is WITH you! 

You are not alone in the many hardships of motherhood. The Lord promises to walk with you each step of the way. You have the Spirit of the living God inside of you to empower you to fulfill the calling placed on your life as a mother. In the moments of your deepest struggle, remember that the Holy Spirit is always with you and promises to help you.