For Mothers of Young Children
How Heavenly Father Changed My Perspective of Motherhood
When I lost perspective as a young mother, I found an answer to my prayers in the scriptures.
I was once a stay-at-home mom to several tiny children. While I strongly believed that my choice to do this was part of God’s plan for me, I reached a point in motherhood where I felt miserable and overwhelmed, not to mention inadequate and invisible.
Where I lived, I was considered really young to have small children. Most of my college friends were building careers, going out on the weekends, and traveling. When one of those friends visited me and saw how my life was going, disdain was written all over her face. And it hurt! I was embarrassed of the sleepless nights, the laundry mountain that never seemed to shrink, and the children who seemed to constantly get sick and cry.
I slowly began to feel angry and trapped. I lost perspective and really questioned why I had chosen this life.
Finding Peace in the Chaos
I poured out my heart to my Heavenly Father and admitted that I was doubting Him and His plan for my life—that I was frustrated, depressed, and angry. I asked for some reassurance and the strength to do better.
While relief did not come immediately, my prayers were eventually answered one day when I was reading Matthew 25:
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
“Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
“When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
“Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (verses 34–40).
In that moment I felt powerfully impressed with a knowledge that my tiny children were the “least of these.” They had arrived as strangers—quite literally naked, constantly hungry, and frequently sick. As a parent, by feeding, bathing, cleaning, tending, nursing, and nourishing them, I was doing the Lord’s work in a very real and tangible way.
What’s more, my prayer was answered! I knew that I was not invisible at all. Inside my little apartment, I was seen and heard by my Heavenly Father.
Embracing Motherhood with a New Perspective
This new understanding immediately enlarged my perspective in a profound way. My attitude and feelings towards motherhood changed throughout the following months, and every time I become overwhelmed as a parent again, I remember this experience.
And now, some 20 years later, I can tell you that I have no regrets at all in how I spent those years. Even if they don’t remember them, I cherish the days with those tiny children more than anything else I could have done with my life.
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained how essential parenthood is to Heavenly Father’s plan, saying:
“This commandment has not been forgotten or set aside in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We express deep gratitude for the enormous faith shown by husbands and wives (especially our wives) in their willingness to have children. …
“What a wonderful blessing we have to receive sons and daughters of God into our home.
“Let us humbly and prayerfully seek to understand and accept God’s commandments, reverently listening for the voice of His Holy Spirit.
“Families are central to God’s eternal plan. I testify of the great blessing of children and of the happiness they will bring us in this life and in the eternities.”
Heavenly Father has not forgotten mothers. When we understand the divine nature of motherhood, we can trust that He will help us find joy in this sacred calling.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “No love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child.”
What a powerful statement!
Being a mother of young children can be challenging, but it’s an example of the pure love of Jesus Christ. It’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever done, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.