Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:22

Our mothering journeys are as unique as the kids we are raising, but also somehow universal all at the same time. Right? The path that brought us here, to this moment, is vastly different from each other, and yet so much of what we have experienced along the way—and even in the span of a day—is similar.

Exasperation. Wild-eyed joy. Gratitude. Exhaustion. Grief. Hope. Resolve. Regret. Wonder. It all comingles inside us every day. Can you relate?

As I have been sitting with our new theme “All For Love,” I keep thinking about what it means to love our mothering journeys, which for some of us might be difficult. Maybe the path that brought you to where you are today hasn’t unfolded the way you had envisioned or expected. Maybe a million circumstances seemed beyond your control and you weren’t able to create the environment you wanted or make the choices you desired. Maybe nothing went the way you had hoped or planned. Likely, at least something has been off-kilter, given this past year.

I find it all too easy to let the way I wish things had been, or the way I wish things are, to rob me of what’s in my hands today. It’s so tempting to fixate on what I wish had been different or better instead of saying even the simplest thanks for today. Standing on this exact patch of ground where God has placed me is often one of the greatest challenges of my day. It could be that I believe if I stand too still, right here in my own living room, accepting what is, that it will all begin to consume me.

But the invitation is never to launch back into the past or spring forward into the future. The invitation is always—and I mean always—to return back to this moment, this place, these people, this grace.

In the inaugural episode of our new podcast, “Moms Unscripted: Real Talk for Real Moms,” our host panel talks about the events, the unique twists and turns of our stories, that have led to our becoming as mothers. We talk about how our motherhood journeys have each been different—teen mom, single mom, step mom, pandemic mom, fulltime working mom outside of the home—and what it feels like to be a beginner in motherhood ALL. THE. DANG. TIME.

We want to invite you to think about the path that has brought you to where you are now. Maybe even begin to make peace with the parts of your journey that you haven’t loved so much, haven’t embraced.

The famous theologians, Rascal Flatts, say it this way: “God bless the broken road that let me straight to you.”

Yes, may God bless the broken, bending, winding, wounding, wonder of a path that has brought each of us to our precious littles. And may he give us the grace to turn to our right and to our left and see that we are not alone on our journey.


Leeana Tankersley is a mom of three, writer, and hope warrior. She is the author of six books, including Begin Again and her forthcoming Hope Anyway. She is a regular contributor to MOPS. Leeanatankersley.com @leeanatankersley