Perhaps you can relate… Perhaps even before the great shutdown of 2020, you already felt a bit unqualified or ill-equipped for the tasks in front of you. So today, let’s offer each other some hope and encouragement.

Here are some truths that remain even while everything around us is changing.

• Even though it feels like chaos, God is still in control.
• God created you and loves you.
• You are not here, in this moment, during this time in history, by accident.
• You may feel like you’re in over your head, but God will provide you with everything you need to do the things He has prepared for you to do. We may not have discovered all the tools available to us yet, but God will equip each of us to love our spouse and raise our children in the midst of any storm.
• It’s ok to bring your questions, doubts, fears… a.ny.thing. to God in prayer.
• You don’t have to be a super-mom to be a good mom. Perhaps today, “good enough” is good enough. My kids are surviving on multivitamins, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese and fruit smoothies right now. It. Is. Good. Enough.

Today, I want to offer you a prayer. A prayer written thousands of years ago. A prayer that rings just as true now as it did then. The prayer of Mary, mother of Jesus. Imagine being given the task of raising the Son of God… how ill-equipped she must have felt! Yet, she trusted that God had chosen her to do what He asked her to do. And God provided everything she needed, every step of the way. He will do the same for us, dear friend! He will.

I invite you today to reframe the ordinary moments of your life. Ask God to help you see past the dishes, the laundry, the mess – and give you eyes to see the beauty of how He’s equipping you to do the tasks He’s given you as a wife and mom. As a sister. As a friend. As a coworker. As a boss. As an employee. As a neighbor.

May you accept the truth that the God who created you and loves you will give you everything you need every step of the way.

Father God, as Mary prayed, please empty and quiet the places in our hearts that are filled with fear and inadequacy. Open our souls with Hope. Let us experience the creative power of your embrace and the cleansing fire of your unconditional love. Amen.

Magnificat of Acceptance

My soul trembles in the presence of the loving Creator
and my spirit prepares itself to walk hand in hand
with the God who saves Israel
because I have been accepted by God
as a simple helpmate.
Yes, forever in the life of humankind
people will sing of this loving encounter;
through remembering this moment, the faithful
will know all things are possible in God.
Holy is the place within me where God lives.
God’s tender fingers reach out from age to age
to touch the softened inner spaces of those
who open their souls in hope.
I have experienced the creative power of God’s embracing arms
and I know the cleansing fire of unconditional love.
I am freed from all earthly authority
and know my bonding to the Author of all earthly things.
I am filled with the news of good things;
my favor with God,
faithful trust in the gentle shadow of the Most High,
the mystery of my son, Jesus,
the gift of companionship with my beloved kinswoman,
Elizabeth, who believes as I believe.
The place in my heart that I had filled
with thoughts of fear and inadequacy
has been emptied and I am quiet within.
God comes to save Israel, our holy family,
remembering that we are the ones who remember,
…according to the kinship we have known…
remembering that we are the ones who remember
and that where God and people trust each other
there is home.
From Miryam of Nazareth: Woman of Strength and Wisdom by Ann Johnson