The other day when I got home from work, my two boys (7 & 9) were super whiny.  It was as if they stored it all up just for me to deal with when I got home from work (just like babies in the nursery cry when mama finally comes to pick them up).  And I understand, I am their safe space, the person that they can show all their raw emotions to and who will still love them unconditionally when all is said and done.  So they were both whining at me and scrapping at each other, and just as I was tensing up to intervene (and I probably wasn’t going to handle it very well at that point), one of them had an unusually loud bodily function.  Both of them erupted in peals of laughter, and they were once again best friends.  I smiled weakly, buried my forehead in my hand, and heaved a sigh to relieve the tension, almost more weary than I was before I got home.

I’m writing this to give you some insight into the heart of a single mother.  When I get home, it is just me.  I bear all the responsibility of meals, parenting, bedtime, laundry, finances, emergencies, appointments, school…

I think as women in general it is in our nature to give of ourselves in almost everything we do.  We have a tendency to put everyone else’s needs before our own, especially in family life.  If you are like me and chose a serving profession (nurse), then your job requires a lot of self-giving.  So I give all day at work, then I get home and give the rest to my kids, and sometimes it is hard to have the motivation to fill myself back up again by spending time with the best Giver of all, my Heavenly Father.

These are some more things that single mothers may be feeling:

~ She wants to stay home with her kids, but she needs to work full time.

~ She wants to spend time with her friends, but she needs to spend time with her kids.

~ She wants to unburden herself emotionally, but she doesn’t want to be a burden.

~ She wants to enjoy a ladies’ gathering or meeting, but she often feels out of place because her family life is missing an important (and often talked of) component.

~ Weddings can be very hard to attend as it is a huge reminder of how her life is different from those around her.

Please, if you know a single mom, speak some words of encouragement to her.  Tell her how happy you are to see her.  Tell her she is doing a good job.  She may be putting up a strong front, but I assure you that she probably needs to hear those words more than you know.

I realize that not every situation mirrors my own.  I also realize that there are many challenges that all walks of life encounter.  We all have various struggles, challenges, burdens…but we also have the ability to be encouragers.

Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

Proverbs 12:25

I know there are a lot of people who pray for me regularly, but those words of encouragement are definitely a balm for the soul!