Very Good

God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! Genesis 1:31 NLT 

Maybe it was as simple as getting all the clean laundry folded. Perhaps you resolved to play with your kids more or refine your meal plan. No matter your goal, no one but you realizes that you didn’t meet it. But you still beat yourself up for not accomplishing what you set out to do. Motherhood is not a series of accomplishments, and its success is not measured by the checks on our to-do lists. Our heavenly Father wants us to know that he made us and considers us very good whether the laundry gets folded or not. 

Being one of God’s very good creations is not something that can be checked off a to-do list. We can’t just make it happen any more than we can make toddlers eat their brussels sprouts or teens clean their rooms. Instead, the Bible tells us that God made us in his image and blessed us (Genesis 1:27-28). This means that we are important and loved before we ever do one single thing. As mothers, we tend to beat ourselves up because we don’t feel like we measure up. But for every shortcoming, God’s grace is sufficient. Every time we pray, “Help me, God! I can’t, but you can,” God leaps to the call and gives us just what we need. Genesis 1–2 reminds us that God made everything, including and especially us; and when he looks at us, he sees something very good. God cares about the things we care about—our unfolded laundry, our meal plans, our children’s futures—but he doesn’t expect us to make it all happen on our own. So admit your weakness and who you are as God’s good creation, and let God show you the amazing things he can do in and through you! 

You were handcrafted and handpicked for this family, for this season, for this life, and God says this is “very good!” 

This month, we will share excerpts – like this one – from the Daily Devotional Bible for Moms! We hope the scriptures and accompanying devotions fill your cup so you can pour out from an overflow of God’s peace and love.