When your hanging on by a thread

intro/prayer

When I was praying and thinking through this list of topics Rosemary sent us teachers and what the Lord would want me to teach on, I really paused at this one. I went over and over the words in my head and I remembered about 10 years ago being in the counseling room at our old church. I remember the counselor telling me how my life was “margin less” My mind went right to the picture of a piece of writing paper. You know, the ones with margins on both sides. My life, was, margin less. At the time, I was pretty busy with work, was a wife, a newer mom of two little kids, and trying to manage our home. I was an anxious MESS. Panic attacks, the whole thing. I lost a ton of weight and thought for sure something was terribly wrong with me. Our minds are powerful and I had myself convinced I was dying. I’ll never forget my husband telling me one day, you need to get help. That was the beginning of quite a few years being in and out of counseling.

Man’s View

T.S. I tell you all of this, because, In the day in age we live in, life is fast paced, plus as mom’s we are carrying the weight of our families. I did a quick google search on the “Worldly reasons moms get stressed out and feel like they are hanging on by a thread.”

The Demands of Modern Motherhood

The Mental Load: Moms frequently manage the “invisible labor” of the household, including scheduling appointments, remembering important dates, planning meals, and coordinating family logistics, which is constant and mentally exhausting.

Balancing Word and Family: The struggle to balance professional responsibilities with childcare and household management is a significant stressor. The lack of affordable high-quality childcare and inflexible work arrangements contribute to this persistent tension.

Sleep Deprivation: Consistent lack of sufficient sleep, often due to infant care, child disruptions, or staying up late to handle chores, severely impacts a mother’s physical and mental health.

The Relational and Emotional Factors

Lack of Support: Feeling of isolation and lack of practical or emotional support.

Partner Dynamics: Disagreements over parenting styles, the division of labor, and perceived imbalance in household responsibilities are common sources or conflict and resentment.

Identity Shift: Many women experience a loss of self or pre-motherhood identify, feeling that their entire life has been consumed by the role of “mom,” leading to feelings of sadness and a loss of personal purpose.

Perfectionism: Self imposed pressure to do everything right can lead to chronic anxiety and a fear of failure.

Practical and Physical Challenges

Financial Stress: The signiciant cost of raising children, including childcare, food, education, and healthcare, is a major source of worry for many families.

Physical Exhaustion: The sheer physical demands of childcare such as lifting, carrying, and being constantly on the move, coupled with chronic sleep debt, lead to physical burnout.

Loss of Personal Time: Many mothers have little to no time for self-care, hobbies, or simply being alone with the thoughts, which depletes their emotional reserves.

T.S. In a wordly perspective, these factors combine to create a perfect storm of stress, making us mommas feel as though we are hanging on “by a thread” There are actually symptoms that are named for these things:

Depleted mom syndrome: which refers to “the state of long-term emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that comes from giving everything to everyone else...and leaving nothing for yourself. It shows up when: Your identity feels reduced to “mom and nothing else. You feel invisible or unappreciated.

Borderline Mother Syndrome: unpredictable behavior and impulsivity. Swinging between idealization and devaluation of her loved ones, driven by deep fears of abandonment and chronic emotional turmoil.

T.S. I don't know about you, but I could at one point or another be labeled from the worlds perspective with one of these things.

“When you’re hanging on by a thread, make sure it’s the Hem of His Garment.”- TobyMac

T.S. Ladies, we have GOOD NEWS. Because our amazing Savior doesn’t want to leave us in this state. And a lot of these things are tactics the enemy uses to defeat us. If we look hard enough, depending on the day, we will find something to label ourselves as and if we are not careful, we can root ourselves in that identity. Let’s now take a look at God’s View.

God’s View

God Listens to Your Prayers

Psalm 121:2 “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.”

Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

God Is in Control

Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

Romans 8:29 “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Luke 12:7 “Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

God Provides What You Need

Psalm 34:10 “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

God Is Faithful

Psalm 77:11–12 “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.”

Lamentations 3:22–23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

1 Thessalonians 5:24 “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

God Is With You

Isaiah 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Matthew 28:20 “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.””

Psalm 121 “A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

T.S. “Stress is real, and it is part of life in a fallen world. The goal is not to escape stress or pretend it doesn’t exist “God’s provision may not always feel like abundance, but it is always enough.” it doesn’t exist. Instead, we can respond to stress with truth-anchoring our hearts in the God Who listens, Who controls, Who provides, Who is faithful, and who is always with us.”

God’s Hope

Hebrews 4:12 “For the Word of God is living and active and full of power.”

This makes it operative , energizing, and effective

T.S. “When we take hold of the truth of God’s Word, the truth holds us, too.” - Alicia Bruxvoort

God’s Change

T.S. When our life is spinning out of control, there is a real reason to self-examine. Praying, and asking the Lord to reveal to us where we might be going our own self-centered way in things and where we might need to put off and put on some things in our lives.

Biblical Schedule