I Am Safe In Your Arms
In my suffering, I feel God hold me
Welcome to the Mothering Spirit newsletter! Each Saturday morning, you’ll receive a round-up of the week’s posts—perfect for your weekend reading.
This week on Mothering Spirit
Samantha Aguinaldo-Wetterholm’s story speaks to anyone who's wrestled with anxiety or intrusive thoughts:
“Later that night, I was washing away the final remnants of my sobs. Black smears of mascara clung to my bottom lashes. I looked at myself in the mirror in a haze of exhaustion and defeat. Would I always be plagued by this anxiety? Would I always suffer from these intrusive thoughts?
But I realized motherhood has taught me more about the abundant compassion of God than anything else. As I rocked my son, I told him that I was there for him. I whispered those words in his ears. I rocked him to sleep. He surrendered his fear and found comfort in my arms. I realized that I must do the same in the comforting embrace of my Father.”
Read the whole essay: God’s Abundance In Anxiety.
Jessica Mathisen offers a prayer for mental health as a mom:
Thank You that You see me, Your beloved daughter, in my frailty.
Thank You that You know everything about me—
including my internal struggles that threaten to strangle the life out of me.
Thank You that You care for me with such compassion,
tending to my wounds and letting me know I am safe in Your arms…
Pray with the whole prayer here.
Scripture offers tender images of God caring for us like a loving mother. But we don’t often get the chance to sit with these beautiful passages.
Let yourself pray with a new image of God this weekend—as a comforting mother, a mother hen, and a laboring or nursing mother (from Isaiah and Matthew).
Read more here: 4 Scripture Stories for Mothers.
From our sponsors
This week’s sponsor of Mothering Spirit is Be A Heart Design, a modern Christian lifestyle brand that creates beautiful products to help both adults and children grow in faith. Sign up for their free weekly Heart to Heart newsletter with a round-up of resources to nourish your soul. And be sure to check out the new Our Lady Belt Bag!
A personal note from the founder of Mothering Spirit
This week I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I would love your prayers for my healing, my husband and children, and all those who are caring for us. If you would like to learn more, you can follow my story here.
Please rest assured that Mothering Spirit will continue during the months in which I seek treatment to beat this cancer. Sarah Rose has been my incredible partner in this work from the beginning, and all the writers whose words have lifted you up have already written enough essays to fill our calendar for most of 2023. Isn’t that amazing? God provides in incredible ways, and I know we have only seen the start of it.
So please know how grateful I am for your prayers and for all the ways you have supported Mothering Spirit as we have launched and grown over the past eight months. I know the Holy Spirit is at work in this whole endeavor and I trust we will be led and shepherded by God’s abundant love and care.
Thank you, deeply—
Laura Kelly Fanucci
If you like what you read at Mothering Spirit, we’d love if you’d share this with a friend! Maybe someone who needs encouragement in her mothering journey—or a place to pray in the midst of her busy days. Thanks for supporting our writers by sharing their work, following us on Instagram or Facebook, or supporting us on Patreon.
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