Devotionals for the Heart: A life lesson God taught me about motherhood

Motherhood: Learning to Let Go and Let God
A devotional by Erica J. Hill

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your pats straight.”—Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)

Motherhood looks different in every season. Sometimes, the hardest part is knowing when to hold on and when to let go.

Part of my daily prayers for my children includes thanking God for them and asking Him to give me what I need to mother them where they are. My children range in age from a teenage son to a young adult son, and a married daughter in her late twenties who is now a new mother herself. I am also a new grandmother.

I am learning that motherhood never really gets easier, it just changes. What my teenage son needs is not the same as what my young adult son needs, and what my sons need is different from what my daughter needs.

Motherhood has stretched me in ways I never expected. It is more than cooking meals, offering advice, and praying over them at night. It is learning when to speak, when to listen, and when to step back. It is helping them discover their gifts, guiding them through their emotions, and trusting God with the parts of their lives I cannot control.

I remember when I first became a mother. As a young single mother, I was terrified. Even though I had my own mother there to support me, I still longed for my daughter to grow up in a two-parent home. Then, when I found out I was pregnant with my first son, fear crept in again. I wondered how I would raise a boy into a strong young man. I questioned whether I was enough. I thought I could handle potty training and teaching him manners, but I wondered how I would teach him the things a father traditionally teaches a son.

Looking back, I realize that fear has followed me through many seasons of motherhood. There have been nights when I worried about how I would provide everything my children needed. Even now, I sometimes find myself anxious about their futures or concerned about the decisions they may make.

Recently, I heard the Lord whisper something simple: Let go. This is the story of what happened: I had purchased new beds for my sons, and while my husband was making arrangements for someone to assemble them, my oldest son grew impatient. He had outgrown his bed and wanted to sleep comfortably again. He offered to put the bed together himself, but I initially told him no because I was afraid he would mess it up. It was at that moment that I heard the words: Let go.

It dawned on me that one day he would move into his own place and need to know how to assemble furniture. I realized my “no” was coming from fear, not wisdom. I was trying to protect instead of allowing him to grow. Eventually, he put his bed together—and his brother’s bed as well. In that moment, I realized that sometimes our love holds on too tightly, and growth requires us to loosen our grip.

The Bible gives us many examples of both strong and flawed mothers. Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, trusted God with an unimaginable assignment. Jochebed released Moses into God’s care. Hannah surrendered Samuel after praying for him. Lois and Eunice poured faith into Timothy. Yet other mothers mentioned in the Bible and in our modern day, made choices that led their children in the wrong direction. These stories remind me that motherhood has never required perfection —only faith and trust in God.

I am still learning to trust God with my children. I am learning to release fear and embrace faith, and to remember that my children are not mine to control; they are lives entrusted to me for a season. The Bible reminds me in Psalm 127:3 (NIV), “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”

Therefore, I continue to pray. I thank God for my children. I ask Him for discernment. I ask Him to help me meet each of them where they are. Motherhood is not about having all the answers. It is about trusting God in every season. And every day, I am learning to let go just a little more.

And maybe that is what motherhood is: learning to trust God with what we love the most, one day at a time.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of motherhood and for the children You have entrusted to me. Help me to trust You in every season and give me wisdom to meet each child where they are. Teach me when to hold on and when to let go. Remind me that You love my children even more than I do. Help me to walk in faith and not fear as I parent them.

In Jesus’s Name I pray.
Amen.

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Song of Reflection #1: “Trust in You” by Lauren Daigle. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Thy Will” by Hillary Scott & The Scott Family. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” by Hillsong United. Listen to it here

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Author Bio:

Erica J. Hill is a wife, mother, and proud grandmother living in Georgia. 

With a career spanning both elementary education and higher education, she has served as an elementary and middle grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher and now works as an administrative assistant in higher education. Currently pursuing her master’s degree in Instructional Technology and Media Center Specialist, Erica’s love for learning and teaching runs deep.

Raised in the Southern Baptist tradition, she has faithfully served as a Sunday School teacher and now as one of the youth directors at her church. A lifelong writer at heart, Erica once set her passion aside to pursue other career goals—but recently felt God’s undeniable tug to pick up her pen again, this time to write for His Kingdom.

She is currently working on her first book, Worthy. Whole. Woman. It is a devotional that she hopes will be an encouraging resource created to uplift and empower women—especially women of color—to walk confidently in their God-given identity.

Through her words, Erica blends faith in God, personal reflection, and practical wisdom to inspire women to heal, grow, and embrace the fullness of who God created them to be.

Originally from Atlanta, Erica now calls Macon County home, where she lives with her husband and children. In her free time, you’ll usually find Erica curled up with a good book, working on DIY projects, or planning her next travel adventure.

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Connect with Erica:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leahsgrace2931/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahsgrace2931/

Devotionals for the Heart: How to discover the power of letting go

The Power of Letting Go
A devotional by Suzanne Felton

“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.”

—Jonah 2:8 (NIV)

Perhaps you’ve heard the story—attributed to various tribes depending on who tells it—about how a hunter can catch a monkey using nothing but a hollowed-out coconut and a piece of fruit. The hunter places the fruit inside the coconut through a small hole in the shell and secures the trap to a tree. When a hungry monkey comes along, it reaches through the hole, grabs the fruit, and tries to pull it out, but can’t. Its fist is too big for the hole.

But wait, you might be thinking. All the monkey has to do is let go of the fruit, slip its hand out of the coconut, and run free. You would be right, but what the hunters know is that monkeys will not let go of the fruit, even when their captors come to take them away. They keep holding on until it’s too late.

Aren’t we all like those monkeys sometimes? Humans have a hard time letting go. Maybe it’s an innate survival instinct, or a mindset taught by culture, or a combination of both, but people tend to grab hold of things within their reach and cling tightly to them. “Mine” is a word children learn early, use often, and carry into adulthood. We humans love to obtain, collect, and accumulate as much as we can, building bigger barns or renting more storage units to keep it all in. It’s what we do.

In a world that is constantly telling us that we can have everything we want, and that we deserve to have it all right now, it’s hard not to grab onto things that bring us instant gratification, especially when we’re hungry or in pain or facing difficult circumstances. The fruit in the coconut can seem like the solution to our immediate problems, so we grab onto it. With our fists closed around the wrong things, however, we cannot receive God’s greater blessings.

The Bible tells of a time when a wealthy young man approached Jesus Christ and asked him what he needed to do to have eternal life (Matthew 19:16-22). Jesus told him he must sell all his possessions, give to the poor, and then follow Him. Instead of jumping at the chance to do what was necessary to get what he’d asked for, the Bible says the man went away sad. He was not willing to let go of what he had in the here and now, so he could not receive God’s eternal blessing.

The things we cling to in the moment aren’t necessarily bad things. God knows we need food, money, and material possessions in our earthly lives. It’s when we hold on too tightly, when we begin to trust in the things themselves instead of the One who gives them to meet our needs, that those things become idols that turn us away from Him. With our focus on idols, we become trapped and fail to see the danger that’s coming because of it.

Jesus understood human nature. He was tempted in the desert by the devil to seize things that might have brought him temporary satisfaction in the here and now (Matthew 4:1-11). Later, facing death, He asked his Father (God) if there was any way to avoid the pain and suffering He knew was coming (Matthew 26:39). Each time Jesus chose not to take the easy way out—to grab the fruit in the coconut—but said instead, “Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39 NIV).

Jesus knew the power of letting go. He set the ultimate example of avoiding the trap of instant gratification. We can read about it in Philippians 2:5-9 (TLB) that says, “Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross. Yet it was because of this that God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name which is above every other name.”

When God asks us to let go of our idols, He’s not just trying to take away things that make us happy. He wants us to open our hands and our hearts to receive His blessings that bring eternal joy.

Let’s Pray: Dear God, help me to recognize the things in my life that I’m holding too tightly and taking my focus off of You. Help me let go of my idols before I become trapped by them. Thank You for Jesus, who set the example for us. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “First Things First” by Consumed By Fire. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Suzanne Felton has been a writer for most of her life, even before she realized it. 

She has worked in a wide range of settings, from non-profits to science labs to government contracts to educational classrooms, all of which involved writing in one form or another.

Suzanne is amazed by the power of words and now uses her passion and experience to help authors and students as a writing coach. Encouraging others to find the words and the courage to share their stories is one of her greatest joys.

Suzanne’s devotionals have been published in periodicals and blogs including The Upper Room, The Love Offering, Keys 4 Kids, and The Swallow’s Nest. She is also a two-time finalist in the Cascade Christian Writing Contest for poetry.

She is a wife, mother, writer, reader, teacher, deep thinker, and sinner saved by grace. Suzanne and her family reside in Northern Virginia, but Suzanne will always call her native South Carolina home.

Married to her best friend for twenty-five years, Suzanne is active in her church, where she and her husband have served as deacons for over a decade. They enjoy watching sports and visiting national parks with their two teenage sons. Suzanne is also an avid birder, easily and happily distracted by anything with feathers.

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Connect with Suzanne:
Website: https://suzannefelton.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l_suzanne_felton
Email address: suzannefeltonwriter@gmail.com