Motivation

Dear Single Mom,

​How motivated are you? Where does your motivation come from? As we think about our lives, I’m pretty sure most of us can relate that there have been times in which we lack motivation. Whether it’s motivation to go to work, parenting, completing assignments, reading our Bible, or simply just living. We live in a world where there are so many distractions. There is always something going on. We get so consumed with life, that we become discouraged and find ourselves overwhelmed and needing time to just breathe. Taking a break and breathing is great. However, after we rest, we must remember to pick up where we left off with our responsibilities. As a single mom, it’s so easy for me to get caught up with trying to live up to my own expectations, and getting frustrated when I fail to meet those expectations.

​I find myself feeling less motivated to get up and go to work. I've become so exhausted with life that I just want to rest, especially after a stressful day of work. I find myself becoming impatient with my extremely energetic child. There are times when she wants me to finish singing the, “Johnny, Johnny” song with her. I’ve become so overwhelmed and exhausted with what I have going on, that I just hand her my cell phone to quiet her for a bit while I relax. Selfish, right? Sometimes, I simply lack the motivation to carry on with mommy duties and spend quality time with my daughter.

​As a single mom, there are times I lack motivation in the area of seeking God. How many of us can relate to that? We already know that praying and spending time in the Word is where we restore our strength. However, sometimes we lack the motivation to get on our knees and pray after a long day of work and mothering. There are days where I get so consumed with the busyness of life, I forget to say a simple “hello” to God. When I become distant with God, my motivation decreases in the areas that need my attention. We also know that when we don’t spend time with God, we allow the enemy to have access to our thoughts. There have been times when the devil would plant thoughts in my mind such as, “you’re a terrible mom”, you can’t even manage your child”, you're all alone”, “no one cares about you”, “you can’t do this”, and “you might as well kill yourself, life will be so much easier.”

​Let me tell you single mom, those are all lies from the pit of hell. The devil is strategic in how to get to you. He will attack the areas that he knows you're struggling in.  We MUST continue to seek God and spend time with Him daily. So that when those thoughts come, we can let the enemy know that he is a liar! God is with me always! I am a child of God! I am who He says I am! I am more than a conquer! I am the head and not the tail! I am above and not beneath! We must remember that through God is where we become refreshed, renewed, and reminded of who He says we are. God is where we get our motivation from.

​I encourage you single mom, when you find yourself unmotivated, ask yourself this: When was the last time I prayed to God? When was the last time I read my Bible? What music am I listening to? Remember, God gives us the motivation to keep going. When we have God by our side, we can do all things.

Deuteronomy 28:13 The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.

Signed with Motivation,

Jovonna Coleman