Grace: When I'm All Mommed Out

This season in my life is where I'm learning all about grace all over again. Like I'm sure most of you moms, I find myself more often than not in a muddled mess on the floor with nothing to offer but some rambling between my tears...and a new chore chart. I'm just all mommed out. That doesn't exactly make me feel accomplished or attractive. I crawl into bed at the end of the day with that sinking feeling like I am not totally winning at this motherhood thing and then I'm not looking forward to getting up the next day because I'm not quite sure I can "win" at it tomorrow either! Lately, though, in the middle of the storm God has ushered in peace and reminded me why grace is so amazing.
God has been flooding into my life so many stories from the Bible that saturate my soul. I think too often as moms we give into the worldly view of favor. We must earn everything in this world and so we work our tails off to prove ourselves "worthy" in every aspect so that we never make a single mistake. Don't let anyone know you aren't the perfect Pinterest pinning, fashionista wearing, sports fan or they might revoke your mom card. But that's not grace. That's not even realistic. Grace is the UNMERITED favor of the Holy God (Eph. 2:8-9 through the entire Bible). God gives grace and then we obey out of gratitude. He doesn't tell us to be the perfect mom and then He will give us strength. He doesn't say "Girl, pull yourself together or I'm outta here". He tells us to COME to Him.
I remembered the story of the prostitute in Luke 7 that came to the house where Jesus was meeting with some important people and, despite their looks of indignance, she went to Jesus. She took all she had which was her bottle of perfume and her sin. She anointed Him and washed His feet right there in front of everyone. She did not care about what it cost, she did not care what anyone thought anymore. She knew what she needed, she knew her bankruptcy, and she knew there was but one place in the entire world where she could finally find what her soul longed for. I love what Jesus says in verse 47 "Therefore I tell you, because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Too many days I have stood outside the door feeling unworthy to enter into His presence because I had nothing to offer. Then He reminded me of this story and I realized it wasn't about what I had to offer, but what He was offering me. Grace and forgiveness. I cannot give or teach others what I have not accepted within myself. If I am deplete of the grace and forgiveness of God, I will have none to offer anyone else, especially my children.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.Heb 4:16

Ya'll we cannot do this alone. Whether you have 1 kid or 8, you cannot walk through these moments on your own. No matter how stubborn or organized or intelligent you are, you cannot do this on your own. The Red Sea did not part because of the will of the people, the giant was not slain out of luck, and the lion' mouths were not shut because of lock jaw-God alone ladies, God alone! Grace is not dependant on your ability to earn it because you can't. When we are depleted by our kids with nothing to offer by noon, we are still His and that's enough.

This is what the Lord says:
“The people who survive the sword
    will find favor in the wilderness;
    I will come to give rest to Israel.”
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness Jeremiah 31:2-3