Mommy Needs Jesus

Abiding to Thrive

I was lying in bed when the Lord showed me a picture.

He asked me to remember the last time I felt truly close to Him. A moment I could not deny His presence. Maybe it was during worship when tears streamed down my face, or in a quiet moment when joy filled my heart unexpectedly. I remembered times when my heart pounded and my senses felt alive, when I felt warm, held, and completely engulfed in His love. Those moments feel sacred, and we often wish we could stay there.

Then He asked me to picture a time when I felt very far from Him. A season marked by shame or regret. A moment when guilt weighed heavy and prayer felt out of reach. I wanted closeness, but I did not know how to find my way back. As moms, those moments often come after losing our patience, saying something we wish we could take back, or feeling like we are falling short of the calling God has given us.

Next, He invited me to consider how I felt in the present moment. Not especially joyful or deeply discouraged. Not overwhelmed with guilt or overflowing with peace. Just here. Existing. Caring for kids, managing schedules, folding laundry, making meals, and trying to keep up. Not particularly close to Him, but not far either. Just living in the middle of ordinary life.

And then the Lord gently showed me something I needed to understand.

Everything I had described was rooted in feelings.

Feelings matter, but they are not truth. They shift with exhaustion, stress, hormones, and the constant demands of motherhood. God’s Word, however, does not shift. It remains steady when we do not.

So He brought me back to what Scripture says about His presence once we have received Him.

“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

God does not come and go based on how connected we feel. He is not closer on the days we have uninterrupted quiet time or pray with focus and clarity. He is not farther away on the days we feel distracted, weary, or spiritually dry. His presence is constant.

This is where abiding begins.

Abiding is not striving to feel close to God. It is resting in the truth that He is already near. When we stop chasing spiritual highs and start trusting His promises, we create space to thrive. Not because life becomes easier, but because we are no longer carrying it alone.

Abiding to thrive often looks quiet. It looks like trusting God’s nearness while doing ordinary things. It looks like believing truth over feelings, especially on the days when motherhood feels unseen and our hearts feel tired.

And maybe that is exactly where real growth happens.

A Closing Prayer

Lord, thank You that You are with me always, even when I do not feel it. Help me stop measuring Your presence by my emotions and start resting in Your truth. Teach me what it means to abide in You in the middle of motherhood, in the ordinary and the unseen moments. When I am tired, remind me that You are near. When I feel distant, draw me back to Your promises. Help me abide in You, so that I can truly thrive. Amen.