#Inspiration #CreateYourNow #DailyMotivation

Can I be honest? That’s not sacrifice. That’s erasure.

And it’s not from God.

See, here’s what nobody tells you when you become a mama: the desires that were planted inside you before your first child took a breath? They didn’t expire. They didn’t get revoked. God didn’t hand you a baby and say, “Okay, now forget everything else I put in your heart.” He’s not a God of subtraction. He’s a God of abundance — and that abundance includes you.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Notice it doesn’t say, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart — unless you have kids.” The desires are still valid. The calling is still real. Motherhood didn’t cancel it. Motherhood just made you brave enough to fight for it.

Think about it this way. A tree doesn’t stop growing because it bears fruit. It keeps reaching. It keeps stretching toward the sun. The fruit actually comes because the tree is healthy, rooted, and alive. You are that tree, mama. Your children are beautiful fruit. But the growing? The reaching? That’s not optional. That’s how you stay alive — and that’s how they learn to grow, too.

There’s a woman in Proverbs 31 that people love to quote, and honestly, she used to intimidate me. But read her closely. “She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.” She’s not sitting still. She’s not shrinking. She’s working with strength and purpose — and it’s celebrated. She had dreams of her own. She had a vision for her life. And nobody called her selfish for it. They called her blessed.

So why do we call ourselves selfish when we want the same thing?

Because somewhere along the way, we confused selflessness with self-disappearance. We thought being a good mother meant becoming invisible — that the more we faded, the brighter our families would shine. But that math doesn’t work. You can’t pour from dust. And your kids don’t need a ghost. They need a woman who is whole, alive, and unafraid to want something that lights her up from the inside.

The K.I.S.S. ~ Give yourself permission!

“Wanting more for yourself doesn’t mean wanting less for your family. It means wanting to be whole while you love them.” ~ Kristianne Wargo

Let that sink in. Sit with it. Because somewhere deep down, you already know it’s true.

Maybe it’s a career you’ve been tiptoeing around. Maybe it’s a creative dream you put in a drawer the year your first was born. Maybe it’s going back to school, starting a business, learning to paint, writing the book, or simply having something — one thing — that is yours. Not mama’s thing. Not wife’s thing. Yours. And that doesn’t make you less devoted. It makes you more whole. And wholeness? Wholeness is the best gift you’ll ever hand your children — because they learn how to live by watching you do it.

So here’s the question: what would it look like to stop apologizing for the want and start honoring it instead?

1. WRITE the Permission Slip

Literally. Grab a sticky note, the back of a receipt, your journal — whatever you’ve got. Write these words: “I give myself permission to want something that’s just for me.”

Now stick it where you’ll see it. On the bathroom mirror. On the dashboard. Inside your planner. Let it meet you in the mundane moments when the guilt tries to creep back in. You don’t need anyone else’s signature on this. Just yours.

2. NAME What You Want

Not what sounds noble. Not what you think you’re supposed to want. What do you actually want? A career shift? A creative outlet? Time to learn something new? Space to just think without someone tugging at your sleeve?

Say it out loud. Whisper it first if you have to. Write it down if that’s easier. But get it out of hiding. Desires that stay unnamed stay unfulfilled — and you’ve hidden yours long enough.

3. STOP Qualifying Your Desires and Dreams

The next time you share a want with a friend, your spouse, or even yourself, pay attention to what comes after. “I’d really love to go back to school… but I know I should just be grateful for what I have.” “I’ve been thinking about starting something… but it’s not a big deal.“

Stop. It is a big deal. Your desires don’t need a disclaimer. They don’t need an apology. Let them stand on their own and watch how powerful they become when you stop shrinking them before they even have a chance to breathe.

TRUTH: God didn’t make a mistake when He wired you with ambition alongside motherhood. He didn’t accidentally leave dreams in a heart that was also meant to raise children. He did it on purpose — because He knew the woman who pursues her calling and loves her family fiercely would raise children who believe they can do the same. You’re not taking something from them by wanting more. You’re showing them what it looks like to be fully alive, to be whole and alive.

So give yourself the permission. Not because the world says you deserve it — but because the God who created you never asked you to disappear. He asked you to grow. He asked you to bear fruit. And He promised that when you delight in Him, those desires of your heart are not just okay. They’re part of His divine plan.

“Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!“