Evening. The time when all of the guilt and condemnation for that day’s variety of mothering failures come out to wreak havoc on our souls.
As soon as the house is quiet, my inner critic turns up the volume. It’s when I have the worst panic attacks, laying in bed, spiraling. Remembering every single time I yelled or was sarcastic or didn’t give attention when I should have.
Yet “this I call to mind and therefore I have hope” (Lam. 3:21) . . . God’s Word always brings hope and this is my favorite passage for evening spirals.
This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.
1 John 3:19-20
My heart condemns me, but God already knows everything. And this is a comfort because He is greater than all the sin and failure in me and from the day. “There is now NO condemnation for those in Christ Jesus!” (Rom. 8:1, capitalization mine). I can set—anchor, stabilize, establish, settle—my heart at rest in Jesus’ presence. His presence is where my evening peace is found.
Dear mama, I know your heart might be yelling at you while His voice is whispering. But you belong to Jesus, the Truth. You can be at rest in His presence. You know God is greater. Train your ear to listen to Him.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24
Evening will pass. God is loving and compassionate.
Morning will come. God is merciful and our portion.
Great is His faithfulness.
