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I am so grateful for the blessing of being invited to MOPS, being brave enough to go, and the ability to remember how God sees me….but this was not always the case…

“MOM: The toughest job you will ever love.” That was a cute little inscription on an embroidered cloth with sweet little flowers on it that my mother gave me when I found out that I was going to be a mommy for the first time. At the time, I knew motherhood was going to be hard and different than anything I had ever done in my life. I had no clue what I was about to go through or what the journey would look like. Being a mother helped me realize who I really am and that it was okay to need help sometimes.

I still remember the day I realized that motherhood was meant to be done as part of a community. Our new little family was out getting pizza (because I needed to get out of the house!) and we ran into a sweet friend from church. She saw our brand-new baby girl and smiled and then looked at me and said, “How are you doing?” I thought, “You should definitely give the standard ‘fine’ so as not to show that you are terrified and struggling.” But the truth was she already knew, she understood that I needed fellowship with other ladies, that I needed a place to ask questions, that I needed someone to tell me that I’m doing a great job, that God has equipped me to be a great mom, and that everything is going to be fine. She knew that I needed a place where I would be reminded that Jesus came to redeem all our mistakes, that His grace covers ALL, and that He chose me to be this sweet baby girl’s mama on purpose! That day she listened to my struggles and my joys and then she invited me to MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers. A place for all of this and so much more!

I’ll be honest, it was a little awkward at first. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to socialize and how far I had let myself go emotionally. I convinced myself, “I’m fine! When you become a mom this is just the way life is!”

Did I know that because I had been a mom before and other moms had told me that?! NO! I had no clue! When you are recovering or rehabilitating from anything it hurts to get back to “doing good.” But going MOPS helped me to see who I really am and that even though I was (and still am) an imperfect mess, God uses me for His glory and to lead my children in His ways.

I started to see myself the way that He sees me. I am His chosen treasure (Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 2:9), I am the daughter of The King (Galatians 3:26), transformed by Him for His glory (Romans 12:2), who has been given a gift to invest in her family (Proverbs 31:11-21), who does not have to worry about anything (Philippians 4:6-7) and who is a blessing to her family (Proverbs 31:28).

God reminds me every day that there is no greater value I can be given than that of being a wife and mother and now I get to share that same love and encouragement with other moms that come to MOPS!

If you are a mother of a little one, or know a mother of a little one, we hope that you will consider attending yourself or inviting someone to try Mountain Christian Church MOPS! It begins August 21st and meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month from 9:15 am – 11:30 am. At MOPS, our desire is to deepen relationships, encourage confidence as mothers, wives and women, and grow together spiritually. Contact Michelle Aigner at 263-0951 for more information.