When my son was young, he loved magicians. They made things disappear, created illusions and were masters of disguise. But as I’ve grown older, I have decided the greatest magicians in the world are mothers. Pulling a rabbit out of a hat pales in comparison to getting kids out of bed, dressed, fed and appearing at school on time.
When it comes to creating illusions, moms can turn tears into joy with just the right words. And making things disappear? The mess that was there is suddenly gone. As masters of disguise, they can go from being a cook to taxi driver to teacher all in one day. And if you think spinning plates on sticks at the same time is impressive, try carrying a baby and wrestling a toddler while checking out at the grocery store.
Motherhood is not for the faint of heart. There are so many times I have failed as a mom. My kids are lucky to be alive. Once, I had my kids in the car and we ran out of gas in the most dangerous place in all of Atlanta — the top of Spaghetti Junction. Another time, I lost my toddler son at Phipps Plaza when he wandered away as I went to comb his sister’s hair for our picture with Santa. While I was on the phone, my 3-year-old daughter turned her 1-year-old sister into a piggy bank by dropping coins down her throat.
What can I say? It is clear to me that God watches over mothers. And some of us keep him busier than others.
But the real magic of motherhood is how caring for someone else turns out to be the best way to care for yourself. God, who I consider the ultimate magician, planned it this way! He gives us these precious children, and yes, raising them is like being on a roller coaster — with so many highs and lows at times you want to throw up.
But through all the ups and downs, God is teaching us. We learn how to negotiate with a miniature dictator over a snack choice or calm the one in the high chair because their cup is not pink enough. We recognize that the goal of a desperately strategized, well-planned, efficient bedtime might really be reading just one more story.
Our children are used by God to shape us into who he wants us to be. What better way to make someone who is selfish (as we all are) and help them become selfless than by giving them someone to care for? Our selfless actions mold us into the people God uses. Take heart; your patience and compassion are growing. You just don’t realize it yet. Through the daily activities, you’re learning what self-sacrificial unconditional love requires of you. You’re also learning more about the character of the One who sacrificed so much for you. God is the model parent.
The more you remember you are a child, the better parent you will be. Those who choose to walk with God as a child does with a mother find him totally dependable. He invites all his children to run boldly to him to ask for direction. Unlike a magician, only he can take life’s trials and turn them into something unexpected: a deeper trust in him.
God also uses hard things to grow our children. Letting them fail is one of the hardest jobs a mother has. When we rescue them, though, we could unknowingly be interfering with God’s school of hard knocks.
What God is looking for in both moms and their children is faith. He allows trials for reasons we may never understand, but through them we can believe he has our best interest at heart.
As my four children have had their own kids (giving us 17 grandchildren so far), they have shared their parenting concerns with me. I don’t enjoy seeing them suffer. In fact, I long to wave a magic wand over each situation and take it away. But through these concerns, I sense God wants to increase their dependence on him. So, I encourage them to let go of being a perfect parent and strive to be a praying parent.
One of my favorite verses is 1 Peter 5:7: “Let me (God) have all your worries and cares for I am always thinking of you and everything that concerns you.” Prayer, which is simply asking God to be at work in what concerns you, is the magic wand God gives all moms. It is truly magical.
As a grandmother, I find myself once again on my knees for the next generation, trusting that God will keep those I love close to him because he loves them more than I ever could. I wrote a prayer for each of my grandkids (to be hung in their rooms) so they’ll know that even when I’m gone, God is always there to guide them and to encourage them to also run to him with their concerns.
God’s plans for you and for your children are “far greater than we could ever hope for or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). That’s what I call magic!
Nancy McGuirk is a mother of four and grandmother of 17. She is an author, speaker, and the founder of Women’s Community Bible Study of Atlanta — an interdenominational group of 350 to 400 women, most of whom are mothers. She is married to Terry McGuirk, who is chairman and CEO of Braves Holdings, LLC, the parent company of the Atlanta Braves and Braves Development Company.
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