Motherhood: Full of Grace?

“This is SO not graceful right now!” I thought to myself as I leaned half-way into the back seat of my sedan attempting to put my 1 year old in his car-seat with one hand while simultaneously pulling my shirt down and my pants up with the other.

I have found myself thinking similar things as I walk waddle, up and down dormitory halls doing nightly rounds, or squat to clean up the ever present goldfish crackers from under the kitchen table, or chase my son around for 10 minutes simply trying to get him dressed.

Motherhood is not graceful.

Motherhood is messy and sticky (very, very sticky), it’s exhausting and it’s awkward and sometimes even embarrassing (that moment when your son decides to stick his hand down your shirt in church…yup, embarrassing).

As badly as I want to reflect the images I see of Mary living out her call of motherhood I can’t help but get stuck on how perfect she seems and how utterly imperfect I am.

Sure Mary was conceived without sin, but did that mean she was a perfect mother? Did she have to figure out being a mom like I do? Maybe nursing a newborn didn’t come naturally for her either. Maybe baby Jesus leaked all up the back of his swaddling clothes when she failed to change him soon enough because she was sleep deprived from countless nighttime feedings.

What did it mean for Mary’s motherhood that she was “full of grace,” as the angel declared at the Annunciation? I think it meant that she had the grace to continually affirm her “fiat,” her “yes” to the call of motherhood, day in and day out, even when things got messy. As mothers, the moment we opened ourselves up to bearing new life we proclaimed our own “yes” to motherhood, and God wants us to ask for the grace to live that “yes” every day, in every situation.

As I waddle down the hall holding my basketball sized belly- “yes.”

As I snuggle my sleepy son- “yes.”

As I squat to clean up crumbs- “yes.”

As I lay still feeling my baby girl kick and flip- “yes.”

As I chase my half dressed son around the apartment- “yes.”

To every precious, sticky, whiny, exhausting, giggly, trying, amazing moment of motherhood I want to have the grace to unreservedly say “yes.”

Heavenly Father, I ask that you give me what I need to live out my call to motherhood in a way that is truly graceful. Give me the strength to overcome the difficult moments with patience and the prudence to treasure every moment in love.

Mama Mary, mother of us all, pray for us!

03/22/15