BY�TASHA BURGOYNE, GRACE ATTENDER
For many women who are also moms, the thought of joining a moms group can be intimidating. In my own experience as a brand new mom 7 years ago, it was downright terrifying.
Early on as a mom, I felt a need for connection, but I wondered if it would be easier to try to make a go at motherhood on my own. After all, I had mommy blogs, how-to books, Instagram and Pinterest to look to…and those places seemed so much nicer, safer and easier than what I fearfully imagined a moms group might be filled with: Mommy Wars, knitting circles, organization lessons, casserole clubs and women who checked off a personalized Proverbs 31 to-do list everyday by 6am while making her family a balanced breakfast and simultaneously changing the diapers of perfect “Bringing up Bebe” children. With lipstick on.
The thing is, mommy blogs, Pinterest and how-to books only go so far in real life (mom or not) and fall short terribly after months of no sleep, potty training woes, lack of adult conversation and the ability to drink a cup of coffee while it’s still hot. Beyond that, they fail completely when it comes to the very real need we all have for true spiritual connection.
So, obviously, I did end up joining Real Moms, despite my fears of what it might be. Here are 8 things I found instead:
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Hot coffee and breakfast WITHOUT KIDS
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Moms of all kinds
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A team of prayer WARRIORS who prayed for me
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Real friendship and tangible support
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Challenging and encouraging biblical teaching
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Opportunities to serve
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A safe place of care, fun and spiritual growth for my kids
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Laughter and Fun
If you join Real Moms like I decided to 6 years ago, you probably won’t learn how to master a particular craft, or how to clean more efficiently. Those kinds of things can be left for Pinterest.
You will find imperfect moms just like you and you will find imperfect moms very different from you; and these moms will be moms that need you and you, them. You won’t need battle armor for Mommy Wars or a personalized Proverbs 31 to-do list, but if you come with open hands and an open heart, you will find new tools that will help equip you for the inevitable battles that come with life.
At Real Moms, I didn’t find a perfect group of moms, I found real ones; and I learned that the best way to walk into any group, was to be the (mom) friend I had so desperately wanted and needed for myself.
“And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4:12 ESV