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When Motherhood Reveals What’s Hidden
I remember when my children were little—three under the age of four—and I was home with them all day.
Before that season, I would have told you I didn’t struggle with anger.
I was easygoing. Calm. Even-tempered.
But motherhood has a way of revealing what’s hidden.
Not because children are the problem… but because they expose what’s already inside of us.
Suddenly, I found myself reacting in ways that didn’t match who I wanted to be.
I was teaching my children about patience, kindness, and self-control…
But struggling to live those same things out myself.
May times I felt like a hypocrite.
Maybe you’ve felt like that too.
When You Realize: I Need Help Too
As I prayed for my children, God started showing me… I needed those same prayers.
The things I was asking God to do in them—He wanted to do in me.
That realization can feel humbling.
You’re praying for your child to be patient…
and God gently nudges your heart about your own impatience.
You’re teaching them kindness…
and the Lord reminds you of how you spoke to your husband the night before.
Instead of pretending we have it all together, we need to be honest with the Lord and with ourselves.
“Lord, this is me. You see it. And I need Your help.”
There is something freeing and powerful about that kind of prayer.
The Man at the Pool—and the Question That Changes Everything
In John 5, we read about a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years.
Thirty-eight years.
His condition had become his identity. Everyday was the same. Waiting by this the pool, hoping someone would help him make it to the stirred waters in time. Once again disappointed. Hopeless.
This was just who he was. A man who would never be able to lead a normal life. A man who would always be dependent on the help of others just to survive.
And then Jesus came.
And instead of immediately healing him, Jesus asked a question:
“Do you want to get well?”
Why would Jesus as him this?
Of course he wants to be healed… right?
But Jesus was getting to something deeper.
When we’ve been stuck in something for a long time, we start to believe:
“This is who I am.”
And in order to change, we must let go of that identity.
When We Bring Excuses Instead of Surrender
The man didn’t say “yes.”
Instead, he explained why he couldn’t be healed.
“I don’t have anyone to help me.”
“I can’t get there in time.”
“Someone else always gets ahead of me.”
In other words… he told Jesus all the reasons he was stuck.
And if we’re honest, we do the same thing.
We tell God why we can’t change.
Why our situation is too hard.
How we’ve tried before and failed.
But Jesus wasn’t asking for excuses.
He was inviting him to believe again.
“Get Up, Take Your Mat, and Walk”
Jesus didn’t walk him to the pool.
He simply said:
Get up.
Take your mat.
And walk.
And in that moment, everything changed.
Because when Jesus tells us to do something, He also gives us the ability to do it.
That’s the difference.
This man had not been able to walk for 38 years.
But when Jesus spoke—suddenly, he could.
The Difference Between Self-Reliance and God-Reliance
There were so many times in my own journey when I tried to change in my own strength.
I would determine:
“Tomorrow I’ll do better.”
“I’ll try harder.”
“I won’t react like that again.”
And I meant it.
But I kept falling into the same patterns.
Because I was relying on myself.
There’s a difference between doing our part… and trying to do it without God.
We are called to take action.
But we are not called to do it alone.
God doesn’t ask us to change in our own strength. In fact, He knows we can’t.
He invites us to walk with Him.
Letting God Change You from the Inside Out
God isn’t interested in just making us look good on the outside.
He wants to transform us from the inside out. He wants true change. Heart-change.
He wants to make us more like Him—full of love, patience, kindness, and self-control.
Not just talking about those things…
but living them.
And sometimes, that process begins with Him showing us the truth about where we really are.
Not to condemn us, but so we can actually deal with it—with Him.
A New Identity Begins with a Step
That man at the pool had to make a choice.
He had to get up.
He had to pick up his mat.
He had to walk.
And in doing so, he stepped into a completely new identity.
And that’s where it starts for us too.
There comes a moment where we say:
“I’m not going to stay here anymore.”
“I’m not going to keep calling this ‘who I am.’”
“By God’s grace, I’m going to walk into something new.”
Not perfectly.
Not all at once.
But step by step.
With Jesus.
You Don’t Have to Stay Where You Are
Friend, I don’t know what area of your life feels stuck right now.
Maybe it’s your emotions.
Maybe it’s your thoughts.
Maybe it’s something you’ve struggled with for years.
But I do know this:
Jesus is not asking you to fix it on your own.
He’s inviting you to come to Him.
To trust Him.
To walk with Him.
To take that next step—even if it feels small.
And as you do…
He will meet you there.
God is always at work—shaping, refining, transforming.
Let’s keep walking.
Let’s keep trusting.
Let’s do this together.
Take up your mat and walk.
A Short Prayer
Lord,
You see every part of me—the parts I’m proud of and the parts I wish I could hide.
And You still love me.
Thank You for not leaving me where I am, but inviting me into something new.
Help me to trust You in the areas where I feel stuck.
Give me the courage to take that next step.
And remind me that I don’t have to do this alone.
Teach me to walk with You… one step at a time.In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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