Mom Heart Moments #112

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

DO YOU EVER HEAR VOICES IN YOUR HEAD?

• A good mom would (fill in the blank).
• I potty trained my children by twelve months, and if you were disciplined, you would do the same.
• My children never whine; what’s wrong with yours?
• If you were really committed to your home, your house would be cleaner.
• You are too lenient on your children. You need to discipline them more.
• Your children are probably rebelling because you are too harsh.

Formulas don’t always work, but they can sure make us feel like we are accomplishing something! I used to hear voices in my mind, echoing things other people said to me. Almost all of them made me feel condemned, as though I wasn’t mothering the right way or doing enough of the right things.

Then there were these four children of mine, differing in personality, heart issues, and developmental time frames. We had so many issues that I thought if I just knew the right rule or had a better day-planner or the right book or curriculum, I could get it right, and everything would be easy!

It seems to me that Scripture gives many wisdom principles, but very little advice of an exact nature. God is surprisingly, intentionally vague on so many issues. He gives us great freedom to live into our own personalities, our own puzzles, and to apply wisdom in our own creative ways.

Do you struggle with “the voices”? How do you replace them with real wisdom?