Spiritual Help in Living Out My Vocation
Have you had a moment in your motherhood when you wondered how you were going to get through the next five minutes? Forget surviving the rest of the day! Getting through the next five minutes was your ultimate goal.
When our kids were growing up and we talked about what vocation they might have in the future, we told them they had three different choices: single life, religious life, or married life.
God calls us to our vocation because it is the vocation that will bring us closest to Him. Our goal on earth is to reach Heaven upon our death. Our vocation is part of how we work toward that goal.
God calls us.
God is the One who calls each of us to our vocation. He speaks to us in our hearts and then helps us to live out our vocation.
The Bible tells us that, “Every excellent gift and every perfect gift is from above.” James 1:17a Our vocation is a gift from God to us.
Our vocation as mothers may not feel like it is a gift when our toddler starts screaming in the middle of Mass or runs away from us during Holy Communion and we try to get him before who knows what he may do. (Yep-that has happened to me.)
Or when our newborn, precious baby wakes up EVERY SINGEL TIME you per her back in her crib during the night. It feels like the longest night of our life, the eternal night that will never end.
Yes, at these times it can be challenging to be greatful and thankful that God has called us to the vocation motherhood. Our vocation may feel more like a burden than a gift.
Those thoughts may bring us sadness, and we may feel like we SHOULD be glad for every moment of motherhood. But God knows it is hard. He is with us, He knows the challenges we face, the joys we experience, and He knows how much we love our kids. He is with us.
God helps and encourages us.
God helps and encourages us in many different ways: through His Word, the Sacraments, prayer, and others.
You have probably heard the saying that God does not give us anything in life that He also does not give us the grace to handle. GOD IS RIGHT THERE WITH US during each moment of our vocation.
I imagine Him trying not to laugh as my son ran away from me after Holy Communion. Here was one of His little children running with glee in His house.
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At three am when your baby wakes up AGAIN and you are not sure who is crying more-you or your baby-God is there wiping your tears. He is loving you as you are trying to love your baby and yourself through those motherhood moments that are so hard.
God helps us Himself.
God gives us Himself in His Word and in the Eucharist at Mass. He is with us in the Sacraments and is with us in our hearts.
The Word of God and Sacraments are spiritual food for our journey. We are a soul in a body and when we feed our soul, we can handle the challenges of motherhood even better.
God does not tell us life following Him will be easy, but He does tell us that He is with us.
God helps us through others.
My husband and I had our first three kids in three years. Our oldest is a boy and then we had two girls. During Mass one time when I was by myself and our son started acting up, a couple sitting behind us said, “We’ll take the girls.” They each took one of my daughters so I could focus on my son. It was so helpful.
After that, whenever the couple was at the same Mass, they would sit near us so they could help us with our kids if we needed them.
Sometimes it can be hard to accept help. We might feel like it looks like we cannot handle something, but it is okay to ask for help and to accept help when it is offered. Others helping us is one way God helps us when He sees we are in need.
Living Out My Vocation of Motherhood is a Challenge.
Faithfully living out our vocation is a challenge. It takes effort every day to live the best we can. Some days our best may be getting dressed and feeding our kids. Other days our best may be getting up before 9 am, cleaning the house, playing with the kids, and having a wonderful dinner together.
Every day is different. Each day has its own challenges and joys. Every day is a gift. Every day God is with us.
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