There have been times in my life as a mother when I didn't feel like I could bear one more day of messes, fusses, and all the needs that threatened to engulf me. There would be times when I was dealing with a habit or a sin or an attitude of one of my children, and I would feel like a total failure. I would be overcome by my feelings of inadequacy, failure, fear of the future and what it holds for my children.

My only choice in these times when I reached the bottom of my heart was to do again what I had practiced so many times — to keep trusting the Master and Lord of my life. And as I poured out my heart — my fears, my inadequacies, my weariness, my concerns about my children — I found solace for my soul and strength for my heart. The Lord would encourage me to trust him, to wait on him and give him time to work, to hold on to his promises, to not compromise my convictions, and most important, to persist in my love and my prayers for the little ones he entrusted to my care.

Read more about this in The Mission of Motherhood.