Mommy Needs Jesus

A few years ago, when my daughter was ten, she said something that caught me off guard.

She told me it felt like God was demanding. Almost egotistical. Why would God want our praise and worship so badly?

In the moment, the only thing I could think to say was that He is God Almighty, the Creator of the entire universe, and that He deserves our praise.

But later, her words stayed with me.

Because if I am honest, I have wondered the same thing. And I know I am not alone. Sometimes, especially in the middle of motherhood, it can feel like God is asking a lot. Worship Him. Trust Him. Glorify Him in everything. When we are tired, that can feel heavy.

God did not give me an answer right away. He rarely does. There was no big revelation that day or even that month. He worked slowly, in His own time and in His own way.

But over time, something became clear.

God does not ask us to glorify Him because He is self-absorbed. He invites us to glorify Him because He loves us.

Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper helped put words to what my heart was learning. The author explains that God, calling us to worship Him, is actually an act of love. We were never meant to find lasting satisfaction in ourselves, our circumstances, or even the good gifts God gives us.

Love is doing what is best for someone.
But making self the object of our highest affection is not best for us. It is a lethal distraction.

We were made to see and savor God. In savoring Him, we are satisfied.

To make people feel good about themselves when they were made to feel good about seeing God is like taking someone to the Alps and locking them in a room full of mirrors.

In creating us for His glory, He is creating us for our highest joy.

He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

We were made to find joy in Him.

When we place ourselves at the center, we grow weary. When we chase fulfillment in things that cannot hold the weight, we end up empty. Even good things can leave us wanting more.

Scripture reminds us where fullness is found:

“You will show me the path of life.
In Your presence is fullness of joy.”
Psalm 16:11

What glorifying God looks like in everyday life

This does not mean adding more to your plate.

It looks like choosing gratitude in the middle of ordinary days.
It looks like trusting God when the answers are unclear.
It looks like loving people well, right where you are.
It looks like using the gifts God has given you, even when they feel small.
It looks like worship that shows up as surrender.

Scripture tells us, “Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.”

That includes the unseen moments. Changing diapers. Making dinner. Folding laundry. Sending the encouraging text. Taking a deep breath and trying again.

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman called Do Everything that captures this so well. Everything really does mean everything.

We cannot glorify God on our own. We need Him living within us to do that. And when we ask for His help, He meets us with grace. Glorifying God is not about striving harder. It is about staying close to the One who satisfies. Abiding.

A prayer for today

God,
Thank You for loving me enough to invite me into joy.
Help me stop chasing what cannot satisfy and lift my eyes back to You.

Teach me to glorify You in the ordinary moments.
In my home, in my motherhood, and in the quiet places no one sees.

Help me remember that You are where fullness lives.
Amen.

One day at a time, lifting our eyes back to Jesus, abiding to thrive