Doing My Best Before 5:30 PM- Working Moms and God's Grace

At 3:47 p.m., something at work needed to be fixed before the end of the day.

It was not a major emergency. It was simply one of those problems that takes longer than expected, involves more steps than it should, and shows up at the worst possible time.

I tried one solution. It did not work. I tried another.

And I kept looking at the clock.

Not because the work did not matter. It did. I wanted to finish what needed to be done and leave things in good shape.

But my children needed to be picked up, too.

The childcare center closed at 5:30, and getting there required more than simply leaving the office. There was traffic construction (that I never know about in advance), and the general possibility that the drive across Elkhart, IN would take longer than expected.

At 4:02, I told myself there was still plenty of time.

At 4:18, I was less convinced.

I tried to focus on the problem in front of me while mentally calculating the drive. If I left by 4:45, I would be fine. At 4:55, I would need traffic to cooperate. By 5:00, I would spend the entire drive worried that I had waited too long.

That is one of the hardest parts of being a working mom. Even when you are focused on the work in front of you, part of your mind is keeping track of another world.

Did I pack the extra clothes?

What are we eating for dinner?

Did I respond to the daycare message?

How late can I stay before I have to leave?

Who will be disappointed if I cannot give them more time?

The pressure is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is simply the steady feeling that two important parts of your life need you at exactly the same time.

The Problem Was Solved, but Not Perfectly

Eventually, I found a solution that worked well enough for the day.

It was not as polished as I wanted it to be, but it kept things moving. I finished what I could, made a note of what still needed attention, grabbed my bag, and headed for the door.

I was still thinking about work as I drove.

I replayed the afternoon and wondered whether I should have done something differently. I wondered whether I had left too soon. I wondered whether a better employee would have stayed longer.

Then I pulled into the childcare parking lot. My children were waiting for me, completely unaware of the problem, the unfinished details, or the clock I had been watching all afternoon. To them, I had finally arrived. My son, who is almost three years-old, said "You got here so fast!".

That did not make the work problem disappear. It reminded me that success could not be measured by whether I handled every responsibility without inconvenience, interruption, or imperfection.

I had done the best I could with the time and responsibilities in front of me.

Sometimes that has to be enough.

Working Motherhood Will Expose Your Limits

Being a working mom has taught me that I cannot always give every area of my life everything it asks from me. There will be days when work needs more. There will be days when my children need more. There will be seasons when I feel strong and organized, and others when I feel like I am holding everything together with calendar reminders and reheated coffee. That does not mean I am failing. It means I have limits.

Working mothers are often expected to be fully committed at work, fully available at home, involved in their communities, attentive in their relationships, financially responsible, emotionally steady, physically healthy, and somehow well rested.

When we cannot maintain all of it at once, we assume the problem is us.

Maybe the better lesson is that we were never meant to carry every responsibility through our own strength.

Grace Is Also for the Workday

One verse I return to is:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9

I often think of grace as something I need after making a major mistake. But I need grace in ordinary moments, too.

I need it when I feel torn between staying late and making pickup.

I need it when my best effort still leaves something unfinished.

I need it when I lose patience because I have spent the entire day solving problems.

I need it when I compare myself to someone whose life seems easier to manage.

God’s strength does not begin after I become more organized, productive, or capable. It meets me inside the limits I already have.

That does not remove the deadlines or make the childcare center stay open later. It reminds me that my worth is not measured by how flawlessly I manage every demand.

You Are Doing More Than Watching the Clock

To the working mom watching the time during a late meeting, you are not uncommitted.

To the mom answering an email from the childcare parking lot, you are not failing at balance. To the mom serving a simple dinner because the workday took everything she had, your family is still being cared for. You may not finish every day feeling successful. Some days, success will simply mean that you kept going, made the next responsible decision, and arrived where you were needed.

The clock may always be ticking.

On my way to daycare pickup! (5:15 PM and by God's grace, with plenty of time to spare.)

But it does not get to decide whether you are a good employee, a good mother, or a faithful woman.

You are carrying a lot. You are learning where your limits are. And you are discovering that God’s grace is already waiting for you there, and in community like this one.

Share this with a mother who could use the encouragement from this gentle reminder and an invitation to a community like ours. Happy August, Michiana Women!

-Megan Ehrhardt,

WFRN Radio & StoryArk Digital Marketing