For Lone Ranger Moms

Being a rather introverted person by design, I have to make a conscience effort to ensure that I am living life in community. Also by design, I have a tendency to rely solely on myself, my husband, and of course, my God. However, I know God desires for us to be in relationship, especially with other believers.   

Moms, we are not meant to do this life alone. We need each other for encouragement, support, and mutual prayer. If it weren’t for Mom2Mom or Community Bible Study, I shudder to think at how depressed and stressed I might be!  I am so grateful for the friendships I’ve made and for the various women God has placed in my life thus far… 

After all, even the Lone Ranger needed Tonto! :)

For Lone Ranger Moms

by Kristen Habermehl

God made us for relationship, and we need each other in this day and age more than ever before. There should not be ANY “Lone Ranger” moms out there because that was not God’s design or intention when he created us.

There is not a role that is more rewarding and over-taxing at the same time, than that of motherhood. And there seems nothing the enemy likes more than ensuring we are left on our own, even if only the way it “feels” at the moment. Precious and wise mentor, Sally Clarkson, said it best, when she reminded us, “A mother left alone in her own home is a target for the enemy.”

It’s true, mom, we can’t think we are above temptation, depression or tragic mistakes; it’s vital to our own health and the welfare of our families that we build and cultivate godly friendships. It doesn’t matter whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, we all need a shoulder to cry on and an ear that will listen – this precious treasure that can be found in other moms will not only keep us on the straight and narrow, it will breathe joy into the potential mundane and overwhelming moments that we will face as moms.

How is it that I discover over and over that I don’t need to “fix” my circumstances, I need only to recognize I’m not the only one who has gone through this before? That’s why we need other moms.

We must have real, life-giving friendships that will feed our souls and strengthen our hearts. Facebook, Twitter, and every other new-fangled social network out there is not a substitute for the real thing – in fact, sometimes those avenues can beckon us deeper into feelings of failure than elevating us to plateaus of peace.

So what if you’re the new mom on the block? What if you don’t have a friend like that? Oh, mom, I’ve been there – I know how lonely tastes, feels and looks – and now is the time to reach out in simple places and ask God to direct your efforts. It may be another mom who looks lonely in the nursery, it may be a quiet neighbor down the street; wherever you see the smallest flicker of potential, YOU take the first step, plant the first seed and ask God to make something grow (don’t worry about your personality, push yourself through the door or down the street – you’ll be glad you did).

God desires for you to have a friend with whom you can connect even more than you do. And never forget, He is that friend when all is good and when all seems dark. You are NEVER alone.

So pack away the white horse and the black mask and determine you will not be one of those “Lone Ranger” moms another day longer! Enjoy the realness of friendship that is waiting for you out there.

{Kristen is blessed to be a wife and home-schooling mom of five. She finds great joy in making her house a home in Nova Scotia, Canada, where she also writes, speaks and blogs for moms at My Heart at Home}.