Bloom

I ran into a friend in the shaving cream aisle at Target. We hadn’t seen each other in quite some time and started to catch up. She was overwhelmingly exhausted due to motherhood. I, being on the other side of motherhood, was able to tell her it wasn’t always going to be this way. And what better place to talk our motherhood whoas out then with a Starbucks and red cart? Am I right?!?!

When I got home, I had a vision. I remembered what I felt like when I was in the throws of motherhood. At one point, I had an infant, one year old, and four year old. Even though I loved being a mom, I felt depleted and exhausted most days. I got the vision of a tree in the winter. The branches are stark. The tree is barren. Nothing is blooming. Then, all of a sudden, as spring nears, a bloom bops through. And another bloom. And another until the tree is full of wondrous colors.

The tree is me. I felt stark and barren when the boys were little giving my everything to them. I was depleted. As the boys got older, I began to rediscover myself. All of a sudden, one bloom popped out. Then another. And another until my tree was full again.

Motherhood is magical. It is also exhausting. We tend to neglect and reject ourselves in order to care for these precious souls entrusted to us. At some point, though, our barren trees need to bloom again. That won’t happen unless you’re willing to water it.

It is time we stop neglecting and rejecting ourselves.

Our trees will remain desolate as long as we neglect and reject ourselves. For some reason, we have convinced ourselves that sacrificing all of us is what motherhood (and life) is about. I am here to tell you that you are no good to those kiddos (or anyone for that matter) if you don’t love yourself.

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Ephesians 1:4-5

God loved you before he created the world. Can you believe that? He wanted you to be a part of his family because it made him happy. No matter how depleted, exhausted, unworthy, or depressed you may feel today, know that the God of the universe loved you so much that he thought of you before he placed on star in the skies. He loves you so much that he created you to be a part of his family because it makes him happy.

You are worthy to bloom. You were never meant to stay in a barren season. There is something in you that he created that brings him great joy. Stop neglecting and rejecting yourself and find that thing.

You are worthy of more.

It is time your barren tree starts to bloom. There is too much beauty within you to be withheld.

Bloom.

Stop neglecting and rejecting yourself and bloom.

We need you to bloom.

Love & Blessings,

Meg