Victory Moments in Motherhood

As a young woman who loved to be productive, who loved a good hard days work, and loved to be active with others, motherhood came as quite a shock to me. I didn’t realize how much I would love and be pulled towards my little one and how much I was called outside of myself. And so I entered into the beautiful school of motherhood: of slowing down, of seeing the value in the most ordinary tasks when done in love, seeking holiness in the mundane, and placing everything outside of my vocation in its proper place. There is a death when women become mothers. And I say this for both spiritual and physical motherhood: in the bearing of new life we die to ourselves; we serve, we love, we change. Suddenly the world is no longer just about me and my ongoing and changing personal desires: it is about the little one in my arms and our family getting to heaven, while simultaneously extending that call home to everyone we encounter.

Mary sanctified those hidden moments in Nazareth as a little Mother who became our great Queen-Mother. But so much of her is hidden, so many of those moments she served and contemplated and swept, and cleaned, and cooked, and nursed, and taught, and brought up our Savior. She did this humbly, seeking God in all things, finding Him in all of the mundane ordinary tasks and sanctifying each moment for Him and for us to look towards. She shows us as mothers, how sacred these quiet, hidden moments are. Our Lady did it, we can strive to imitate. This doesn’t take away my overwhelming days, or days when I’m tired, or days when I’m impatient, but it brings value to these challenging moments. It makes me realize their worth and how they stretch me to a greater and more true love.

It was through these reflections on Our Lady that I began to see something change in me. I was motivated to overcome myself and I prayed for the grace and tried as hard as I could, in my own little way. Like that moment I wanted to react impatiently but chose to use kind and patient words instead. Or when I prayed a rosary while I cooked dinner for all those who would eat what I make. Or when I was completely present even though I was exhausted that day. It’s those little deaths, those little victories that stir love; that produce beauty in the soul. That patience, that prayer, that presence were “victory moments” that make up a greater picture. And yes, we all have our bad moments—plenty of them— every single day. But perhaps we focus too much on those moments. Love conquers all. Our “victory moments” are the moments that matter. Those are the moments we can focus to continue to grow in and achieve with prayer and efforts, and of course the Sacrament of Confession! And so in this school of love, this school of motherhood, I found that what I originally thought was unproductive and too slow of a life was my hidden garden, cultivated by love through prayer, work, and fasting.

As children grow, we see them fall in love with God. As children grow, we see them learn to pray. As children grow, we lose ourselves even more fully in true love. But it takes time and effort. Those slow quiet days turn into weeks… months… years. And the result is beautiful when we refocus our eyes on what is truly important. It is those small, hidden “victory moments” that are the most productive and life-giving moments in our day. I believe the greatest thing we can give our husbands, our children (both spiritual and physical), our community, our world, is our personal growth in holiness. And the results… they will last for all of eternity.

Written by: Megan Madden

Find her on Instagram @ a_mothers_lace