Trusting God in Motherhood When Life Takes a Turn You Never Expected
How many of you have looked at your life and thought, “This isn’t what I pictured”? I know I have. Maybe you planned out every detail, imagined what motherhood would look like, picked the colors, bought the little socks – and then one diagnosis, one shift, one phone call changed everything. That’s what we talked about in our recent podcast episode, and honestly, it’s a conversation I keep coming back to in my own heart. This is about trusting God during illness in motherhood when the story you’re living isn’t the one you wrote for yourself.
What Does Trusting God in Motherhood Actually Look Like?
I remember years ago, holding close to the idea that as long as I did everything “right,” my family would be safe, happy, and healthy. But anyone who’s walked this road knows there are no guarantees. Trusting God in motherhood isn’t a one-and-done decision; it’s about trusting God with family decisions when His path looks different. It’s a hundred little steps every day, right in the middle of fear or uncertainty, spiritual renewal in everyday life.
I still remember sitting with a friend on the podcast as she shared about expecting her fourth child, thinking she’d go home holding a healthy baby. Instead, the doctors found an “anomaly.” Suddenly, she’s talking about NICUs, surgeries, and all these “what ifs” that felt bigger than anything she’d ever faced. I listened to her story and saw myself in every raw question she asked God. “Why me? Why this? Am I enough for this calling?” Can I tell you something? Almost every mom I know has voices like those, especially when life changes direction.
Trusting God in motherhood is not about pretending you aren’t scared or sad or angry. It’s taking those feelings to Him, open-handed. It’s praying honest prayers. It’s letting yourself grieve what you thought would be, while still hoping for what could be. It’s faith in action, not just happy thoughts—trusting God through waiting.
Letting Go of the Motherhood You Expected
Can we talk about expectations? I had so many. Maybe you did too. Plans for my kids. Plans for myself. A certain timeline. A certain kind of home. But when life turned, I realized holding tight to those expectations was only making things harder. Maybe you’ve tried to white-knuckle your plan through a diagnosis, a hard season, or an unanswered prayer.
Here’s the thing: If trusting God in motherhood means anything, it’s learning to hold everything loosely. It doesn’t mean letting go of hope. It means releasing the need for control. I hear it from so many moms: “I just want to know next year will be okay.” Me too. But the real peace doesn’t come from seeing the future. It comes from knowing Who holds it.
Why Do We Feel Unequipped for the Hard Chapters?
There was a season where I sat on the floor (in the middle of unfolded laundry, let’s be real), and asked God why He picked me for this story. I thought, “Shouldn’t He have chosen someone braver? Someone more qualified?” My friend on the podcast said the same thing – she felt like the absolute last person suited for what her daughter needed. That kind of honesty? We need more of it.
Trusting God in motherhood doesn’t mean you always feel ready. It means you look up, again and again, and say, “I trust You to fill in the gaps.” You may have heard the phrase, “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” I used to roll my eyes at things like that. But sometimes (maybe always), God gives us strength in the very places we feel the weakest. If you feel inadequate, if the job feels bigger than your skill set or your heart, you are not alone.
Scripture for the Days You Feel Small
There is one passage I return to so often, especially when the day feels longer than my energy: “The Lord was with Joseph, and he prospered” (Genesis 39:2, CSB). Notice it didn’t say the Lord removed every problem or pain. God was with Joseph in the pit, in the prison, in the places no one wants to be. That’s true for us, too. He’s with us in the doctor’s office, the NICU, the midnight hour when we wonder how much more we can take.
How Can We Experience God’s Presence in the Middle of Chaos?
I get this question from moms all the time. How do you find God in the chaos? Especially when you’re not sure how to put one foot in front of the other. Practically, here’s what’s helped in hard seasons:
- Shrinking my circle. Big crowds, big plans, extra obligations – those go on pause. Family comes first.
- Honest prayers. Not fancy, not filtered. Just me and God, sometimes in tears and sometimes in silence.
- A faithful community. Our church has been such a steady place when the ground feels shaky. People who check in, love us as we are, and show up with casseroles or prayer texts.
- Scripture, even if it’s just a few verses a day. I cling to those like a lifeline.
- Looking for the helpers. Sometimes grace comes through a neighbor, a nurse, or even a stranger who sees you and says, “You’re doing good.”
Trusting God in motherhood looks different for everyone, but the foundation is the same. Even when you feel invisible or forgotten, the God who sees Hagar in the wilderness (Genesis 16:13) is the same God who sees you. You are not alone in this.
Finding Peace One Day at a Time
There is something about letting go of the future – really, just trusting God for today. My friend shared in the episode, she doesn’t like planning more than six months out. That landed with me. So much can change in a moment, and hanging on to the future too tightly only frays your nerves.
We talked about practical things – like healthy routines, daily walks, eating well, and just being together as a family. Sometimes it’s those simple rhythms (packing lunches, folding laundry, sitting on the porch) that keep us grounded, even when the storms roll in. You don’t have to be a supermom to trust God in motherhood. You just have to keep showing up, one small step at a time.
How Do We Keep Perspective Instead of Feeling Like a Victim?
Can I tell you something tender? You are not a victim of your circumstances. That’s not just something I say to others. It’s a truth I have to remind myself every time my plans flip or I feel sidelined. Your story matters. Your child’s diagnosis, your situation – it doesn’t define you or your motherhood. You get to choose perspective. That’s one of the most freeing things about trusting God in motherhood.
It’s not toxic positivity. It’s not pretending everything’s fine when it isn’t. It’s believing that God can add grace, even when the path winds where you’d never have chosen to go. It’s looking for His fingerprints in the small mercies – a good doctor, a listening friend, the laughter you didn’t expect.
Encouragement for the Road Ahead
Let me wrap this up with what I would say to you if we were sitting together, coffee in hand. Dear tired mama, you are seen. You are loved. Trusting God in motherhood does not mean stuffing down your doubts or pretending things aren’t hard. It means letting Him in, right here. Even if the answers never come, even if the miracle looks different than what you prayed for, there is still hope. There is still goodness. There is purpose in your story, even if it’s not the page you would have picked for yourself.
Next time life takes a turn you didn’t expect, take a breath, ask for help, and remember, you are not alone. You are surrounded by a God who meets you in the real, right-now mess and brings peace that makes no sense on paper.
Let’s Keep Walking This Together
If this tugs at your heart, I encourage you to go listen to the full podcast episode, “It’s Not What I Expected, But It’s Exactly What I Needed.” There’s more hope, laughter, and raw honesty waiting for you there. Keep putting those perspectives into practice, one faithful step at a time.
P.S. For more encouragement on this topic, check out my post on Grace for the Unexpected Days or revisit our episode on Motherhood and Faith for practical ways to lean in when life feels overwhelming.
