These are the lessons motherhood taught me this year.
Not lessons I learned from books or podcasts.
Lessons I learned while living it.
While being tired. While trusting God. While figuring things out one day at a time.
This year stretched me in ways I did not expect. I became a mother again. I learned how to mother two children at the same time. I learned how much control I actually do not have and how much grace God gives anyway.
As I look back, these are the five lessons motherhood taught me this year. And as you read, I hope you pause and reflect on your own journey too.
Lesson One
Surrender Is Not Giving Up. It Is Letting God Lead.
At the beginning of this year, I was holding tightly to control. Especially with my pregnancy.
I trusted God, but I also wanted to manage everything. The symptoms. My energy. My productivity. I wanted to be pregnant and still function the way I saw other pregnant women functioning.
That was not my story.
My body needed rest. My mind needed peace. And God was gently asking me to surrender, not just the pregnancy, but my expectations of myself.
The moment I truly realised I could not control the outcome was after I gave birth. I had prepared. I had support lined up. Yet exhaustion took over and my newborn developed jaundice. We were admitted. Tests were done. Phototherapy followed.
That moment humbled me deeply.
Surrender felt both fearful and peaceful. Fearful because I love my children so much. Peaceful because I chose not to overthink. I placed my baby in God’s hands and trusted Him to take care of what I could not.
The verse that carried me through this season was Philippians 1: 6. It reminded me that God does not start things and abandon them.
I have written before about what it looks like to surrender daily in motherhood, especially in seasons where control feels impossible.
Reflection for you:
What is one thing you may be holding too tightly right now?
Lesson Two
Trusting God With My Body Changed Me.
Before my VBAC, I carried quiet fears.
My first birth did not go as planned. Everything changed so quickly and I had not processed it fully. This time, fear tried to speak again. Stories about uterine rupture. Warnings. What if I laboured and still ended up in surgery.
I did not doubt my body, but I felt pressure from outside voices. That is why I chose to go quiet. I protected my peace. I limited conversations. Not because people meant harm, but because I needed space for faith to grow.
Trusting God looked simple and practical.
One day at a time.
Learning. Preparing. Moving my body.
Acting my faith, not just talking about it.
After birth, something shifted in me.
I could care for my newborn and still show up for my toddler. The fear that I would not be present for my first child melted away. I healed. I moved. I mothered confidently.
I remember looking at my baby and thinking, this child was in my womb. My body carried her. And here I am, still standing.
It left me in awe of God.
Reflection for you:
Where is God asking you to trust your body and His design more deeply?
Lesson Three
Grace Meets You When You Move Forward Anyway.
I chose to travel alone with my preschooler and my infant because I believe experiences are gifts. I love creating memories with my children. When the opportunity came, I did not hesitate.
Before the trip, my anxiety was very practical. Luggage. Airports. Breastfeeding. Managing a preschooler who wanted to explore everything and a baby who needed me constantly.
There was no moment where I thought I cannot do this. But there was a moment where I thought, what did I get myself into.
The Uber dropped us far from the mall. My children fell asleep. My preschooler had an accident before I could find a bathroom. And still, we kept going.
The next day, I went out again. Alone. Then again. Until it became familiar.
People would look at me with concern and ask if I was managing. And I realised something. These are my children. Why should I not be able to manage?
God’s grace was already there. Enough grace for airports. Enough grace for tired days. Enough grace for motherhood in motion.
Reflection for you:
Where have you already been given grace, even before you felt ready?
Lesson Four
God Speaks Softly In Ordinary Days.
This year was shaped by quiet moments.
Co sleeping with both my children. Night feeds. Waking up already feeding before my mother could even wake me. Tears. Falls. Healing.
When I developed a skin condition postpartum, my biggest concern was not myself, but my baby. I did not wait. I sought help. I chose care over endurance.
God spoke more through peace than signs. Through the people He sent. My husband. My parents. Family. Friends who showed up when I needed them.
Intentional living looks different now. Slower. Gentler. Less rushed.
I focus on what matters first. I remind myself that I am a mother of two and I only have two hands.
Being present means being my children’s safe place. Laughing with them. Letting them cry on me. Loving them fully.
Love does not divide. It multiplies.
Intentional living has looked very different for me since becoming a mother, and I share more of these slow, faith led reflections here on Kavanah Mama.
Reflection for you:
What ordinary moment this year quietly changed you?
Lesson Five
Reflection Helps Me See God Clearly.
When I reflect, I see God everywhere.
In birth.
In travel.
In motherhood.
In every role I carry.
When I do not pause, I take things for granted. I forget that strength, balance and endurance do not come from me alone.
Every mother deserves space to process her journey. To count blessings. To learn. To grow in gratitude.
Reflection is not indulgent. It is grounding.
The verse from Philippians 1:6 has been a deep encouragement to me, reminding me that God finishes what He starts.
Reflection for you:
When was the last time you paused to really see how God carried you?
Closing Encouragement
If I had to describe this year in one word, it would be growth.
Growth in motherhood.
Growth in patience.
Growth in trust.
As I step into the next season, my prayer is simple. That I continue to see God’s hand. That I trust and obey without doubt. That I do not forget His presence in the ordinary.
If you are reading this, take a moment. Look back gently. Name what God helped you get through this year. Celebrate how far you have come.
You are not behind.
You are becoming.
