September 8, 2025 • 17 mins
What does “normal” even mean when you’re a single mom? Culture may call single parenting the new normal, but if you’ve ever sat in a school auditorium surrounded by married couples, or explained to your kids why your family looks different, you know it rarely feels normal. In this episode of It’s a Single Mom Thing, Sherry keeps it real—messy, complicated, and sometimes unfair—while pointing to the faith, strength, and purpose you can still find in the middle of it all.
Whether you’re co-parenting, flying solo, or simply navigating a season you didn’t choose, this conversation will help you laugh, reflect, and reset. With honesty, sass, and hope, you’ll discover:
- Why culture’s definition of normal leaves us feeling anything but.
- How faith steadies you when everything falls apart.
- What your kids learn by watching you live through the mess.
- Why messy doesn’t mean meaningless—and how God grows miracles in chaos.
This isn’t a life sentence—it’s a lesson in living. And maybe, just maybe, it’s the start of your new normal. Normal? Please.
It's a Single Mom Thing, Not the Single Thing That Stops You!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to it's a Single Mom Thing, the show for
single moms by single moms.
This is Sheri, your host, and Iam happy you are here today.
Remember it's a single momthing and not the single thing
that stops you.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Let's be real, life doesn't always go the way we
planned it right?
Some of you listening thoughtyou'd be married forever.
Some never pictured raisingkids alone.
Some of you, well, you aren'teven moms, but you've had your
own set of curveballs wherenormal got ripped right out from
under you.
And when that happens, though,it's easy to feel stuck am I
(00:38):
right?
Trapped like the walls, closedin and the judge threw away the
key.
But here's the truth that we'regoing to talk about.
This isn't a life sentence.
It's a lesson in living,because every season, every
struggle, every setback hassomething to teach us, and if
you're willing to lean in, whatfeels like the end can actually
(01:02):
become the beginning ofsomething new.
Not just for you, though, butfor the kids and the people
watching you.
So lean in, sister, becausethat lesson, it, might just be
the one that changes not onlyyou, but the generations
watching you.
So get your lip gloss, latteand a little bit of grit, and
(01:23):
welcome back to another episodeof it's a Single Mom Thing New
normal.
You know I've talked beforeabout this whole idea of normal.
In fact, back in season four,episode one, I told you my
conclusion and that's normal?
Well, it normally changes, andisn't that the truth?
But when you become a singleparent, that phrase new, normal
(01:47):
well, it hits different.
What does that even mean?
What does the world considernormal and why doesn't my life
feel anything close to it?
And maybe some of you arethinking well, faith, god, the
whole conversation doesn't evenfeel normal to me, and you know
what.
That's fair, but then again,neither is paying $7 for a cup
(02:09):
of coffee, and we still line upat Starbucks, am I right?
So maybe normal isn't the point, Maybe what we really need
isn't normal at all, butsomething that actually works.
And here's what I have learned.
Culture may call singleparenting quote unquote normal,
(02:29):
but let's be honest, it rarelyfeels normal.
It feels messy, complicated andoften unfair.
And yet now, listen closely.
That doesn't mean it'smeaningless.
Let me ask you this how many ofyou have sat in the school
(02:52):
auditorium during one of yourkids' recitals, looking around
at all the married couples andthought, well, this does not
feel normal.
Or maybe it was a soccer game,a church pew, a parent-teacher
night.
You feel like the odd one outin a room full of people who fit
the picture.
And yet, right there, culturewould tell you this is normal.
(03:14):
Statistically, single parentingis everywhere.
Funny though that's not how myinsides interpret it.
My insides are saying thisisn't what I hope for, this
isn't what I thought my familywould look like.
And here's the thing, that innerache.
Well, that's actuallyconfirmation of something bigger
(03:35):
, because it wasn't God'soriginal design.
Back in the garden, way back inthe day, his plan was wholeness
, unity, walking with him.
But when separation happens, hedoesn't abandon us.
He sets us apart so he can drawus back closer.
And maybe that's the real trickhere.
The world and, let's be honest,the enemy, some may call him the
(03:56):
adversary wants you to believethat the abnormal is actually
normal, that the brokenness isjust the way it is.
I ain't buying it, but it'sGod's word.
Well, it reminds us there isnothing new under the sun.
Heartache, hardship, loss thesearen't new, but neither is his
(04:19):
redemption.
What feels like a new normal toyou is really an ancient story
of God bringing beauty out ofbrokenness.
Normal, please, life sentence orlesson in living.
So let's give ourselves apardon and stop treating single
motherhood like a prison termand start recognizing for what
it really is a lesson in living.
Because here's the truth toomany of us wear single
(04:41):
motherhood like a scarlet letter.
And for those of you whoskipped English class, that's
not a clothing line at Target.
Okay, it is an old novel wherea woman had to wear a big red
letter A on her chest for thewhole town to judge her Sound
familiar.
Yeah, some of us have beenwearing invisible letters for
(05:02):
years.
But listen, this is not apunishment and you are not on
parole, my sister, whether thiswas a decision you made or a
decision that was made for you,it doesn't define you.
This isn't a life sentence.
No, it's a lesson in living.
And what do we know aboutlessons?
Well, they shape us, they growus, they teach us what we
(05:26):
couldn't have learned otherwise.
So maybe the school of hardknocks isn't such a bad place to
learn.
Sure, some days it feels likeyou're killing it, slaying
dragons, paying bills, holdingit all together.
And then there's the other daysYou're just slaying drive-thru
fries in the minivan while yourkids scream in the backseat.
Both days count and both daysteach.
(05:49):
And here's the kicker, thelesson.
Well, it isn't just for you,mama.
You know you don't need aparenting manual.
Your life is the manual andyour kids?
They're reading it, cover tocover, every chapter, every
messy margin.
Note every lesson in living.
You didn't even know you wereteaching.
(06:11):
So don't mistake this for asentence.
No, this isn't your green mile,where every day feels like
you're just walking the mile,waiting for the end.
And if you didn't know themovie, trust me, it's a whole
prison march.
But hear me on this, you're notmarching to your end, you're
moving into your beginning.
This isn't a life sentence,it's a lesson in living, as we
(06:34):
said before.
So don't buy the lie thatyou're stuck.
See it for what it is a lesson,and not just a lesson in
survival, oh no, but a lesson inliving for you and for the
generations watching you.
Your kids don't need you to beperfect.
We have covered that, podcastafter podcast after podcast.
But what they need actually isthey need to see you learning
(06:57):
how to live hot mess, expressand all.
Because this lesson, it is thelayup for the one still to come.
And if you don't knowbasketball, okay, a layup is the
setup shot that makes the nextone count.
That's exactly what the seasonis.
It is setting you up, girl, forthe next play.
(07:18):
God's already drawn on theboard.
Why faith even matters?
So let's get real for a second.
Why does faith even matter?
Because some of you, I'm sure,are thinking yeah well, faith
doesn't put gas in my tank,faith doesn't stop my ex from
ghosting me, nor does faithchange the fact that I'm raising
my kids on my own.
(07:38):
And well, you are right, sister.
Listen, faith doesn't erase thehard, faith doesn't pay the
bills.
Faith doesn't always heal theheartache, and faith sure
doesn't undo the mistakes yoursor somebody else's have made.
And I know some of you havechurch hurt People in faith
communities.
Well, they let you down.
Leaders judged you instead ofhelped you, and that stings.
(08:00):
Hurt people, hurt people.
And sometimes it happens in aplace where you least expect it.
I have been there, but here'swhere I got to go a little
harder in the paint.
Some of you are still puttingyour faith in people.
You're banking on the next manto come through and do what the
first one couldn't do.
But let me tell you somethingno man can carry that kind of
(08:21):
weight.
Not the first, not the next,not the one after that.
No, that's a God-sized role.
Now listen, don't get me wrong.
Relationships, they matter.
Community matters.
God designed us to walk thislife together.
You need people in your corner.
You need friends, family,mentors, maybe even a healthy
partner one day.
But people are not your savior.
(08:43):
They can support you, but theycan't sustain you, because
people will fail you everysingle time.
They'll break promises, they'lldisappoint you, they'll ghost
you when you need them most.
Faith in humans will keepbreaking your heart, but faith
in God that's the only placestrong enough to hold you when
(09:05):
everything else drops you.
That's why faith matters,because in this world, trouble
is guaranteed.
Married, single kids, no kids,faith, no faith.
Trouble doesn't discriminate.
The only thing that separates abreakdown from a breakthrough
sister is where you turn when itshows up.
And here's the legacy piece,because there is one.
(09:26):
Your kids are learning this too.
If all they see is mom puttingher faith in the next guy,
they'll learn to do the same.
But if they see you put yourfaith in God, they'll know where
to turn to when their own worldbreaks.
That's the kind of faith thatdoesn't just carry you through,
it changes the generationswatching you.
(09:48):
So lean on people, but put yourfaith in God.
God and good in the messy.
Here's the thing about lifeit's messy and we all know that.
And single parenting yes, thatis double messy.
You got bills stacked likeJenga blocks, emotions running
on empty like your gas tank, andkids who somehow always know
(10:12):
the exact moment to spill juiceon the carpet.
Am I right?
But here's the good news Messycarpet and all Messy doesn't
scare God.
Oh no, messy is where he doessome of his best work.
I have experienced it.
Listen, god wants to be in themiddle of your mess, not waiting
for you to clean it up, butright there with.
(10:32):
Be in the middle of your mess,not waiting for you to clean it
up, but right there with you inthe spilt milk and all.
That means he's there whenyou're doing the kitchen sink
prayers, trying not to cry infront of your kids.
He's there when your teenagerslams the door and you whisper
underneath your breath oh Lord,help me love them anyways.
And he's there when you look atyour bank account and say, god,
(10:54):
I'm going to need you to helpme stretch this dollar bill
because I can't.
I am not that flexible.
And for those of youco-parenting, god is in that
mess too.
Oh yes, he sees the text thatwent unanswered.
He hears the argument that leftyou drained texts that went
unanswered.
He hears the argument that leftyou drained.
He knows the weight of raisingkids with someone who may not
(11:15):
share your values, or raisingthem without someone at all.
And here is the truth God isnot intimidated by any of that.
That's a total flex for him.
He can work in your kids'hearts despite the gaps, despite
the conflict, despite themissing pieces.
Now, maybe, now maybe you're notsold on God yet.
(11:36):
Maybe you're listening andthinking, yeah, but I've been
doing this on my own.
I am not sure I am ready toinvite him into it.
That's okay.
Let me tell you this You'realready reaching for something
when life gets messy Hope,strength, perspective.
Even if you don't call it faithyet, you know deep down you
(11:57):
need more than what you canmuster on your own.
What I found is is that themore often I open the doors to
God, the more I discover he wasalready there waiting to step in
.
So here's the reflectionquestion I want you to sit with
when are you shutting God out ofyour mess?
Because you think it's I don'tknow too small, too ugly or too
(12:19):
complicated for him to handle?
Or maybe you're just tooembarrassed to give it to him?
And if you're not ready to callit God or Jesus, where are you
still craving something biggerthan you to carry it.
Because, ladies, he wants itall the spilled juice, the slam
doors, the lonely nights, theco-parent drama, the doubts you
(12:41):
don't even say out loud.
He wants to be right there init, because the mess is where he
grows miracles.
And let me just pause and askyou this what man do you know
would sign up for all that andstay?
And to be clear, listen, I'mnot bashing men here.
Okay, there are good ones andyes, some will show up and yes,
(13:08):
some will show up, but nobodyand I mean nobody sticks through
every ugly detail every latenight meltdown, every broken
piece.
The way God does.
That's his specialty, hissecret sauce, that's his
faithfulness.
He doesn't bail when it getshard.
No, he digs in and says I'm notleaving you, girl.
Well, who does that?
And here's the kicker.
(13:29):
Your kids see this.
They may not understand it inthe moment, but they're watching
how you navigate the mess.
When they see you forgive, theylearn grace.
When they see you pray, theylearn where to turn.
When they see you keep movingforward hot mess, express and
all to turn.
When they see you keep movingforward, hot mess, express.
And all they learn resiliencerooted in something bigger.
(13:50):
So stop despising the mess.
The mess is the miracle inprogress.
I needed to hear that too.
It's the dirt where God plantsseeds of strength, hope and
faith that you and your kidswill harvest later.
Ladies, messy doesn't meanmeaningless no.
On the contrary, messy is justthe place.
(14:10):
God makes miracles out of yourmistakes.
That's normal, and maybe justnow, maybe, it's your new normal
.
So let's pull this together aswe close.
Okay, we've learned that whatculture calls normal doesn't
always match what our insidesfeel.
We've learned that singlemotherhood or whatever season
(14:34):
you're in, isn't a life sentence.
It's a lesson in living.
We've learned that faithmatters, because people will
fail, life will fail, but Godnever does.
And we've even learned thateven in the mess, the spill
juice, the slam doors and thelonely nights, god shows up,
stays up and even works somemiracles out too.
(14:55):
Now maybe you're listening andyou're not sure about God yet.
Maybe you're still on the fence.
That's okay, girl.
Faith isn't about perfection,it's about honesty.
It starts with saying I can'tdo this all on my own and maybe,
just maybe, there's someonebigger who can.
That's the first step.
(15:15):
Here's your life lesson to chewon this week.
Normal isn't about what yourlife looks like on the outside.
It's about where you turn whenthe insides feel upside down.
And, ladies, if your kids everfeel the sting of not normal
when another kid says why don'tyou have a dad at home or why
(15:36):
isn't your family like mine?
Well, here's something that youcan do, mama.
First of all, it doesn'tinvolve choking a kid out, okay,
but maybe it involves sittingyour kids down and reminding
them that every family has itsown story.
Tell them your family isn'tless, it's just different.
And different isn't a defect.
It's often where the deepeststrength grows.
(15:58):
And when you can't seem to findnormal, here's a simple prayer
you can pray God, I don't feelnormal, right?
Speaker 1 (16:05):
now.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Actually I feel messy , broken, maybe even forgotten,
but I choose to believe you'rehere in the middle of it.
Help me to trust you with whatI can't fix.
Help me to find peace even whenlife doesn't feel normal.
And if you need someone to praywith you, don't forget we got a
24-7 prayer line where you cancall us anytime, day or night,
(16:28):
at 855-822-PRAY.
So remember this, ladies,sister, friend, mamas, your life
isn't a punishment, it isn'tprison, it isn't a sentence.
It's a lesson in living.
It's a lesson in living and, asmessy as it feels, this might be
just the beginning of findingfaith, strength and purpose in
(16:51):
the new normal of singlemotherhood Normal.
Please have a wonderful weekand remember it's a single mom
thing and not the single thingthat stops you.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Thanks for listening to.
It's a Single Mom Thing.
I hope you enjoyed our timetogether.
If you have more questions onhow to have a relationship with
Jesus or need prayer, visit usat wwwshepherdsvillagecom.
Backslash prayer.
For more information andresources, check out our show
notes.
Welcome to it's a Single Mom Thing, the show for
single moms by single moms.
This is Sheri, your host, and Iam happy you are here today.
Remember it's a single momthing and not the single thing
that stops you.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Let's be real, life doesn't always go the way we
planned it right?
Some of you listening thoughtyou'd be married forever.
Some never pictured raisingkids alone.
Some of you, well, you aren'teven moms, but you've had your
own set of curveballs wherenormal got ripped right out from
under you.
And when that happens, though,it's easy to feel stuck am I
(00:38):
right?
Trapped like the walls, closedin and the judge threw away the
key.
But here's the truth that we'regoing to talk about.
This isn't a life sentence.
It's a lesson in living,because every season, every
struggle, every setback hassomething to teach us, and if
you're willing to lean in, whatfeels like the end can actually
(01:02):
become the beginning ofsomething new.
Not just for you, though, butfor the kids and the people
watching you.
So lean in, sister, becausethat lesson, it, might just be
the one that changes not onlyyou, but the generations
watching you.
So get your lip gloss, latteand a little bit of grit, and
(01:23):
welcome back to another episodeof it's a Single Mom Thing New
normal.
You know I've talked beforeabout this whole idea of normal.
In fact, back in season four,episode one, I told you my
conclusion and that's normal?
Well, it normally changes, andisn't that the truth?
But when you become a singleparent, that phrase new, normal
(01:47):
well, it hits different.
What does that even mean?
What does the world considernormal and why doesn't my life
feel anything close to it?
And maybe some of you arethinking well, faith, god, the
whole conversation doesn't evenfeel normal to me, and you know
what.
That's fair, but then again,neither is paying $7 for a cup
(02:09):
of coffee, and we still line upat Starbucks, am I right?
So maybe normal isn't the point, Maybe what we really need
isn't normal at all, butsomething that actually works.
And here's what I have learned.
Culture may call singleparenting quote unquote normal,
(02:29):
but let's be honest, it rarelyfeels normal.
It feels messy, complicated andoften unfair.
And yet now, listen closely.
That doesn't mean it'smeaningless.
Let me ask you this how many ofyou have sat in the school
(02:52):
auditorium during one of yourkids' recitals, looking around
at all the married couples andthought, well, this does not
feel normal.
Or maybe it was a soccer game,a church pew, a parent-teacher
night.
You feel like the odd one outin a room full of people who fit
the picture.
And yet, right there, culturewould tell you this is normal.
(03:14):
Statistically, single parentingis everywhere.
Funny though that's not how myinsides interpret it.
My insides are saying thisisn't what I hope for, this
isn't what I thought my familywould look like.
And here's the thing, that innerache.
Well, that's actuallyconfirmation of something bigger
(03:35):
, because it wasn't God'soriginal design.
Back in the garden, way back inthe day, his plan was wholeness
, unity, walking with him.
But when separation happens, hedoesn't abandon us.
He sets us apart so he can drawus back closer.
And maybe that's the real trickhere.
The world and, let's be honest,the enemy, some may call him the
(03:56):
adversary wants you to believethat the abnormal is actually
normal, that the brokenness isjust the way it is.
I ain't buying it, but it'sGod's word.
Well, it reminds us there isnothing new under the sun.
Heartache, hardship, loss thesearen't new, but neither is his
(04:19):
redemption.
What feels like a new normal toyou is really an ancient story
of God bringing beauty out ofbrokenness.
Normal, please, life sentence orlesson in living.
So let's give ourselves apardon and stop treating single
motherhood like a prison termand start recognizing for what
it really is a lesson in living.
Because here's the truth toomany of us wear single
(04:41):
motherhood like a scarlet letter.
And for those of you whoskipped English class, that's
not a clothing line at Target.
Okay, it is an old novel wherea woman had to wear a big red
letter A on her chest for thewhole town to judge her Sound
familiar.
Yeah, some of us have beenwearing invisible letters for
(05:02):
years.
But listen, this is not apunishment and you are not on
parole, my sister, whether thiswas a decision you made or a
decision that was made for you,it doesn't define you.
This isn't a life sentence.
No, it's a lesson in living.
And what do we know aboutlessons?
Well, they shape us, they growus, they teach us what we
(05:26):
couldn't have learned otherwise.
So maybe the school of hardknocks isn't such a bad place to
learn.
Sure, some days it feels likeyou're killing it, slaying
dragons, paying bills, holdingit all together.
And then there's the other daysYou're just slaying drive-thru
fries in the minivan while yourkids scream in the backseat.
Both days count and both daysteach.
(05:49):
And here's the kicker, thelesson.
Well, it isn't just for you,mama.
You know you don't need aparenting manual.
Your life is the manual andyour kids?
They're reading it, cover tocover, every chapter, every
messy margin.
Note every lesson in living.
You didn't even know you wereteaching.
(06:11):
So don't mistake this for asentence.
No, this isn't your green mile,where every day feels like
you're just walking the mile,waiting for the end.
And if you didn't know themovie, trust me, it's a whole
prison march.
But hear me on this, you're notmarching to your end, you're
moving into your beginning.
This isn't a life sentence,it's a lesson in living, as we
(06:34):
said before.
So don't buy the lie thatyou're stuck.
See it for what it is a lesson,and not just a lesson in
survival, oh no, but a lesson inliving for you and for the
generations watching you.
Your kids don't need you to beperfect.
We have covered that, podcastafter podcast after podcast.
But what they need actually isthey need to see you learning
(06:57):
how to live hot mess, expressand all.
Because this lesson, it is thelayup for the one still to come.
And if you don't knowbasketball, okay, a layup is the
setup shot that makes the nextone count.
That's exactly what the seasonis.
It is setting you up, girl, forthe next play.
(07:18):
God's already drawn on theboard.
Why faith even matters?
So let's get real for a second.
Why does faith even matter?
Because some of you, I'm sure,are thinking yeah well, faith
doesn't put gas in my tank,faith doesn't stop my ex from
ghosting me, nor does faithchange the fact that I'm raising
my kids on my own.
(07:38):
And well, you are right, sister.
Listen, faith doesn't erase thehard, faith doesn't pay the
bills.
Faith doesn't always heal theheartache, and faith sure
doesn't undo the mistakes yoursor somebody else's have made.
And I know some of you havechurch hurt People in faith
communities.
Well, they let you down.
Leaders judged you instead ofhelped you, and that stings.
(08:00):
Hurt people, hurt people.
And sometimes it happens in aplace where you least expect it.
I have been there, but here'swhere I got to go a little
harder in the paint.
Some of you are still puttingyour faith in people.
You're banking on the next manto come through and do what the
first one couldn't do.
But let me tell you somethingno man can carry that kind of
(08:21):
weight.
Not the first, not the next,not the one after that.
No, that's a God-sized role.
Now listen, don't get me wrong.
Relationships, they matter.
Community matters.
God designed us to walk thislife together.
You need people in your corner.
You need friends, family,mentors, maybe even a healthy
partner one day.
But people are not your savior.
(08:43):
They can support you, but theycan't sustain you, because
people will fail you everysingle time.
They'll break promises, they'lldisappoint you, they'll ghost
you when you need them most.
Faith in humans will keepbreaking your heart, but faith
in God that's the only placestrong enough to hold you when
(09:05):
everything else drops you.
That's why faith matters,because in this world, trouble
is guaranteed.
Married, single kids, no kids,faith, no faith.
Trouble doesn't discriminate.
The only thing that separates abreakdown from a breakthrough
sister is where you turn when itshows up.
And here's the legacy piece,because there is one.
(09:26):
Your kids are learning this too.
If all they see is mom puttingher faith in the next guy,
they'll learn to do the same.
But if they see you put yourfaith in God, they'll know where
to turn to when their own worldbreaks.
That's the kind of faith thatdoesn't just carry you through,
it changes the generationswatching you.
(09:48):
So lean on people, but put yourfaith in God.
God and good in the messy.
Here's the thing about lifeit's messy and we all know that.
And single parenting yes, thatis double messy.
You got bills stacked likeJenga blocks, emotions running
on empty like your gas tank, andkids who somehow always know
(10:12):
the exact moment to spill juiceon the carpet.
Am I right?
But here's the good news Messycarpet and all Messy doesn't
scare God.
Oh no, messy is where he doessome of his best work.
I have experienced it.
Listen, god wants to be in themiddle of your mess, not waiting
for you to clean it up, butright there with.
(10:32):
Be in the middle of your mess,not waiting for you to clean it
up, but right there with you inthe spilt milk and all.
That means he's there whenyou're doing the kitchen sink
prayers, trying not to cry infront of your kids.
He's there when your teenagerslams the door and you whisper
underneath your breath oh Lord,help me love them anyways.
And he's there when you look atyour bank account and say, god,
(10:54):
I'm going to need you to helpme stretch this dollar bill
because I can't.
I am not that flexible.
And for those of youco-parenting, god is in that
mess too.
Oh yes, he sees the text thatwent unanswered.
He hears the argument that leftyou drained texts that went
unanswered.
He hears the argument that leftyou drained.
He knows the weight of raisingkids with someone who may not
(11:15):
share your values, or raisingthem without someone at all.
And here is the truth God isnot intimidated by any of that.
That's a total flex for him.
He can work in your kids'hearts despite the gaps, despite
the conflict, despite themissing pieces.
Now, maybe, now maybe you're notsold on God yet.
(11:36):
Maybe you're listening andthinking, yeah, but I've been
doing this on my own.
I am not sure I am ready toinvite him into it.
That's okay.
Let me tell you this You'realready reaching for something
when life gets messy Hope,strength, perspective.
Even if you don't call it faithyet, you know deep down you
(11:57):
need more than what you canmuster on your own.
What I found is is that themore often I open the doors to
God, the more I discover he wasalready there waiting to step in
.
So here's the reflectionquestion I want you to sit with
when are you shutting God out ofyour mess?
Because you think it's I don'tknow too small, too ugly or too
(12:19):
complicated for him to handle?
Or maybe you're just tooembarrassed to give it to him?
And if you're not ready to callit God or Jesus, where are you
still craving something biggerthan you to carry it.
Because, ladies, he wants itall the spilled juice, the slam
doors, the lonely nights, theco-parent drama, the doubts you
(12:41):
don't even say out loud.
He wants to be right there init, because the mess is where he
grows miracles.
And let me just pause and askyou this what man do you know
would sign up for all that andstay?
And to be clear, listen, I'mnot bashing men here.
Okay, there are good ones andyes, some will show up and yes,
(13:08):
some will show up, but nobodyand I mean nobody sticks through
every ugly detail every latenight meltdown, every broken
piece.
The way God does.
That's his specialty, hissecret sauce, that's his
faithfulness.
He doesn't bail when it getshard.
No, he digs in and says I'm notleaving you, girl.
Well, who does that?
And here's the kicker.
(13:29):
Your kids see this.
They may not understand it inthe moment, but they're watching
how you navigate the mess.
When they see you forgive, theylearn grace.
When they see you pray, theylearn where to turn.
When they see you keep movingforward hot mess, express and
all to turn.
When they see you keep movingforward, hot mess, express.
And all they learn resiliencerooted in something bigger.
(13:50):
So stop despising the mess.
The mess is the miracle inprogress.
I needed to hear that too.
It's the dirt where God plantsseeds of strength, hope and
faith that you and your kidswill harvest later.
Ladies, messy doesn't meanmeaningless no.
On the contrary, messy is justthe place.
(14:10):
God makes miracles out of yourmistakes.
That's normal, and maybe justnow, maybe, it's your new normal
.
So let's pull this together aswe close.
Okay, we've learned that whatculture calls normal doesn't
always match what our insidesfeel.
We've learned that singlemotherhood or whatever season
(14:34):
you're in, isn't a life sentence.
It's a lesson in living.
We've learned that faithmatters, because people will
fail, life will fail, but Godnever does.
And we've even learned thateven in the mess, the spill
juice, the slam doors and thelonely nights, god shows up,
stays up and even works somemiracles out too.
(14:55):
Now maybe you're listening andyou're not sure about God yet.
Maybe you're still on the fence.
That's okay, girl.
Faith isn't about perfection,it's about honesty.
It starts with saying I can'tdo this all on my own and maybe,
just maybe, there's someonebigger who can.
That's the first step.
(15:15):
Here's your life lesson to chewon this week.
Normal isn't about what yourlife looks like on the outside.
It's about where you turn whenthe insides feel upside down.
And, ladies, if your kids everfeel the sting of not normal
when another kid says why don'tyou have a dad at home or why
(15:36):
isn't your family like mine?
Well, here's something that youcan do, mama.
First of all, it doesn'tinvolve choking a kid out, okay,
but maybe it involves sittingyour kids down and reminding
them that every family has itsown story.
Tell them your family isn'tless, it's just different.
And different isn't a defect.
It's often where the deepeststrength grows.
(15:58):
And when you can't seem to findnormal, here's a simple prayer
you can pray God, I don't feelnormal, right?
Speaker 1 (16:05):
now.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Actually I feel messy , broken, maybe even forgotten,
but I choose to believe you'rehere in the middle of it.
Help me to trust you with whatI can't fix.
Help me to find peace even whenlife doesn't feel normal.
And if you need someone to praywith you, don't forget we got a
24-7 prayer line where you cancall us anytime, day or night,
(16:28):
at 855-822-PRAY.
So remember this, ladies,sister, friend, mamas, your life
isn't a punishment, it isn'tprison, it isn't a sentence.
It's a lesson in living.
It's a lesson in living and, asmessy as it feels, this might be
just the beginning of findingfaith, strength and purpose in
(16:51):
the new normal of singlemotherhood Normal.
Please have a wonderful weekand remember it's a single mom
thing and not the single thingthat stops you.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Thanks for listening to.
It's a Single Mom Thing.
I hope you enjoyed our timetogether.
If you have more questions onhow to have a relationship with
Jesus or need prayer, visit usat wwwshepherdsvillagecom.
Backslash prayer.
For more information andresources, check out our show
notes.
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