Prayer for new mothers

Father, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4 about a crown of righteousness laid up for him. I read that as a tired woman and I think, Lord, I am not running any race I can name. I am rocking a baby. I am surviving.

Teach me that staying faithful in hidden places is part of the race too. The unseen night feeds. The quiet patience when she will not latch. The prayers I cannot finish. These are not small to You.

Lay up no crown for the mother I imagined I would be. Lay up grace for the mother I am being made into in this small house.

Help me put one foot down at a time today. That is all the running I have. Receive it as the offering it is.

Amen.