I feel defeated lately.

Defeated by life.

Defeated by 2020.

Defeated by motherhood.

Defeated by responsibilities and expectations.

Defeated as a follower of Christ.

As the virus begins to spread again I feel a sense of loss about the holidays to come…wondering what will they be like this year. As schools begin to close again, I feel frustrated. I feel incapable of handling zoom calls and my children’s non-stop bickering. With each shriek I feel myself become a little more unraveled.Days filled with technology issues, burnt cookies, and non-stop messes.Laundry that goes on for days.

Feeling isolated and unsure of when this will ever end. Days that seem to go on forever with no rest to be found. Knowing Jesus is the answer but feeling like I have no time to sit in His presence. Just straight up defeated. Weary to the bone. Anyone else?

If you are feeling this way I want to give you a pep talk because I really need to hear one right now myself.

You are not defeated—You are a conqueror.

You, sweet mom, are a warrior.

You have the strength of Jesus running through your veins.

You have the Holy Spirit as your guide.

You have the weapon of prayer.

You have the sword of the Spirit to cut through the enemy’s lies.

You have every resource available to you that you could ever need through Jesus.

You are not defeated–you are victorious through Christ, and even if you don’t feel His presence right now in these hard moments, you need to know He is right beside you (and me) fighting this battle for us. His presence is all around you, close as your very breath.

And while today we may feel a bit defeated, we both know we will rise again tomorrow and try again. We will thank Him for His grace and His mercies and we will stand strong because we have the King of Kings standing right beside us, leading the way.You are a conqueror—say it and believe it.

Now cling to Him and keep pressing on.”Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”Eph 6:10″But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”1 Cor 15:17