Running on Empty

---

There are moments in early motherhood when the house is loud, but your heart feels painfully lonely.

You are needed constantly, touched constantly, called for constantly, yet somehow you are still invisible. You love your baby more than you knew possible… but you’re exhausted, isolated, craving adult conversation, craving assurance that you’re doing this right, and craving quiet.

Beneath all these feelings, you are craving God.

I’m still walking through these days. Rocking my baby to sleep for nap time, feeling both deeply grateful and deeply alone. I wanted to feel close to God more than anything, but I didn’t know how to find Him amidst the chaos of daily life. My quiet days didn’t look like they used to. My prayers felt rushed and distracted.

I had to learn something in this season, which I hope will encourage your life.

God isn’t absent in this season of our lives, but I had to be intentional about seeking Him right here in it.

There is a woman in Scripture who understands what it feels like to be overwhelmed, desperate, and unseen. Hagar.

She found herself alone in the wilderness, used, mistreated, and uncertain about her future. She was a mother in crisis. Afraid, unprotected, and uncertain how she would provide for her child. In the wilderness, God met her. Not once–but twice.

In both encounters, He saw her and spoke tenderly to her. He gave her hope for the future of her child, and Hagar responded with a name for God that still echoes today: “The God who sees me.”

God didn’t wait for Hagar to clean herself up and find a quiet prayer closet. He met her in the wilderness, and He meets young mothers there, too.

If you are in a season where the world feels small and your responsibilities feel heavy, hear this:

God sees you in the rocking chair.

God sees you folding clothes.

God sees you wiping tears– yours and the baby’s.

God hears the prayers you whisper when you’re too tired to form full sentences.

But here’s the part that sometimes we miss:

Hagar didn’t just accidentally stumble into God’s presence. In both moments of crisis, she cried out, she responded, and she listened.

Connection requires intention.

In this season, seeking God might not look like an hour-long quiet time. It may look like listening to praying while washing bottles, or listening to Scripture while nursing. It may look like reaching out to another mother instead of withdrawing.

We were never meant to mother alone…

God created motherhood to be lived in community–with Him and with other women walking the same road.

If you are longing for refreshment, community, and connection with our loving Shepherd, I want to invite you to join our Facebook community, At The Well.

It’s a place for your mothers to gather, be seen, be heard, and be reminded that the loving Shepherd is always near. A place to drink when we feel spiritually dry.

Remember this:

You are not invisible

You are not forgotten

The wilderness will not last forever

Led with Love,

Juanita

Let's Continue to Walk Together

We’ve also designed a Spotify Playlist design to help you reconnect with the loving Shepherd. You may find it here.

Be encouraged, refreshed, and love as you rest safely in the Shepherd’s embrace.