Anxiety and Motherhood: 'God Is at Work and You Are a Work in Progress'

One of life's greatest joys is being a parent. It can also be incredibly challenging, and today, many parents are dealing with anxiety. It's especially true for moms. 

A study by the Urban Institute finds that 13.5 percent of mothers struggle with moderate or severe anxiety. 

Several well-known Christian women are speaking directly into this space.  

Among them is Sissy Goff, co-host of the popular podcast "Raising Boys and Girls" and longtime counselor at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville. 

"In 31 years of counseling kids and families, I have never seen mothers as stressed, as much pressure, even feel like they're failing their own kids," Sissy told CBN News. 

"I think part of that is the pressure that comes from social media and from watching all these people telling you as a mom how you're supposed to do it and really if there's anything I want moms to hear in my office… it would be, you know your kids better than anybody else and I want you to trust your gut and trust that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you in that gut in terms of what your kids needs the most," she said. 

Goff also just came out with a children's book, "Lucy Learns to be Brave," which addresses anxiety in kids.  

"The overarching theme of that book is that Lucy, my little dog who practiced with me at Daystar for 15 years, really discovered that she was brave and that she had this special gift. She waved at people on command, and she discovered that gift when she learned to trust how much I loved her," explained Goff. "And so, kind of the premise behind that for kids is the more we can learn to trust in God's love for us, in their parents' love for them, I think the more they feel like they are courageous and can step out and do these brave things." 

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Anxiety in moms is something Erin Mashaw of "Birds on a Wire Moms" is tackling, too. 

"We just had our annual conference last month and it was themed, 'Peace for the Anxious Mom,' because I think that there's an anxious mom in all of us," Mashaw told CBN News. "There's something about becoming a mom that can just make us fearful and worried about all the things that can go wrong, or you hear other stories of things that are happening."

"Birds on a Wire Moms" puts a big emphasis on a mother's own relationship with Jesus. 

"So while we do want to give practical advice, at the end of the day, what's most helpful when my kids are going through something really hard isn't a mom hack," she said. "What's most helpful in that moment is my relationship with Jesus, and so I think that what 'Birds on a Wire' has really strived to do is, yes we want to give practical advice but we also just want to be able to equip moms to be able to grow in their faith and to know how to pass on that faith and help their kids build a foundation of faith for themselves."  

"Wire Talk" is the name of their podcast. "Birds on a Wire Moms" also offers devotionals and prayer journals. 

Abbey Wedgeworth is another Christian woman speaking to the issue of anxiety facing moms. 

She's the author of the popular children's book series, "Training Young Hearts." 

"The series was born out of a poem that I wrote for my kids," she explained to CBN News. "And it was just celebrating all of the amazing things that their hands can do. Also pointing to the way there are right and wrong ways to use their hands, and then equipping them to respond when they do use their hands in a way that God did not design them to be used. For example, hitting, pushing, snatching."

Her books point to Jesus as the perfect example and the perfect savior. 

"I've heard from a lot of parents that if their kid hits a sibling, they'll run to get the Hands book, or if they bite, like an older sibling will run to get the Mouths book for their little sibling," she said. "They really also provide a refrain for parents to say, 'Did God make your mouth to bite? No, of course not.' And then they can use their mouth to confess and ask for help."

Wedgeworth has also written a book called "Held" for women dealing with pregnancy loss, and out of that spun her podcast with the same name.

She told CBN News she recently submitted a manuscript for another book, "Help, I'm Ruining My Kids." 

"When I share that title with women, they either get tears in their eyes or a lot of times it leads to a deeper conversation with them, just sharing ways they feel like they're ruining their kids," said Wedgeworth. "So, lately I've found myself sharing the message with a lot with moms that nothing you do is beyond redemption. Not your own heart or actions or your effect on your kids. God is at work, and you are a work in progress."

And that's a message for all moms: Your kids are growing, and so are you, and there's a lot of grace along the way.