When Mothering Is Hard and No One Sees

by Rachael Adams | Aug 11, 2026 | The Love Offering Podcast Show Notes

So much of motherhood happens beyond the view of others.

It happens in middle-of-the-night feedings, early-morning car rides, overflowing laundry baskets, difficult conversations, and quiet prayers whispered over sleeping children. It is found in lunches packed, appointments scheduled, tears wiped, boundaries held, and countless needs met.

These ordinary acts of love may never receive applause, but they matter. Even when no one else notices, God sees.

On this episode of The Love Offering Podcast, I spoke with Shalene Roberts, author of When Mothering Is Hard and No One Sees. What began as a vulnerable blog post written during an overwhelming season of early motherhood became a message that resonated with hundreds of thousands of women.

Her words touched so many hearts because she gave voice to something mothers often feel but rarely say aloud: “Does anyone see what I’m doing?”

The God Who Sees You

When Shalene wrote the original post, she had three children under the age of five. She was sleep-deprived, physically depleted, and possibly experiencing postpartum depression. In her exhaustion, she cried out to God and asked Him to show her the meaning in all she was doing.

The Lord led her to Hagar’s story in Genesis 16.

Alone in the wilderness, Hagar encountered God and called Him El Roi—“the God who sees me.” God saw Hagar’s pain, knew her circumstances, and met her in a place where she felt forgotten.

That same God sees us today.

He sees every sacrifice you make for your family. He sees the prayers no one hears, the worries you carry, the meals you prepare, the rides you give, and the ways you continue loving when you are running on empty. Nothing offered to Him in love is insignificant.

Planting Seeds We May Not See Grow

Our culture often measures worth through visible accomplishments. We celebrate promotions, awards, degrees, and other measurable achievements. But much of motherhood cannot be measured, especially when our children are young.

Mothers spend years planting seeds without immediately seeing a harvest.

We teach our children to be kind, tell the truth, respect others, work hard, seek God, and love their neighbors. We repeat the same lessons and wonder whether they are taking root. Then, sometimes, we receive a glimpse of the fruit.

During our conversation, I shared how another baseball father recently told my husband what a respectful young man our son has become. His words meant so much because they offered a small reminder that the lessons we have tried to instill are making a difference.

Those glimpses are gifts, but we may not see the full impact of our faithfulness in this lifetime. The love we pour into our children can ripple through generations as they carry what they have learned into their future homes, churches, workplaces, and communities.

One day, we may discover that a prayer prayed at the kitchen sink or a truth shared during an ordinary car ride affected more lives than we could have imagined.

Where the Gritty Meets the Glorious

Motherhood can be gritty. It can leave us physically exhausted, mentally overwhelmed, and emotionally stretched. There is always another task to complete or another need to meet.

Yet when we view motherhood through God’s eternal perspective, the gritty becomes glorious.

A sink full of dishes can become a place of prayer. The carpool line can become a place of worship. A difficult conversation can become an opportunity to extend grace. The ordinary becomes sacred when we recognize Christ’s presence within it.

Nothing in the life of a believer is merely secular or insignificant. When we invite the Lord into our everyday routines, He uses even the smallest moments to shape us and the people entrusted to our care.

Receiving Rest from Jesus

In demanding seasons, we may tell ourselves that we will rest when the schedule slows down, the sports season ends, the baby sleeps through the night, or the next stage begins. But Shalene offered a beautiful reminder: rest is not simply something we pursue. True rest is found in the person of Jesus.

Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Physical rest is important, but even a full night of sleep cannot always reach the deepest places of weariness within us. Our souls need the rest only Christ can provide.

Making time with God will look different in every season. It may be an in-depth Bible study, a psalm read while preparing dinner, an audio Bible playing in the car, worship music filling the house, or a brief prayer whispered between appointments.

The length of the moment matters less than the direction of our hearts. God meets us when we turn toward Him.

Holding Our Children with Open Hands

Motherhood requires us to hold two responsibilities in tension: giving our children strong roots while also helping them grow wings.

Shalene spoke tenderly about preparing to send her oldest son to college. After years of nurturing, teaching, protecting, and praying, she is now learning to release him into the life God has prepared for him.

Our children ultimately belong to God. We have the privilege of loving and stewarding them for a season, but His plans for them may not look exactly like ours. Holding them with open hands means trusting that the One who loves them even more than we do will continue guiding them.

This release can feel painful, but it is also an act of love. We are not raising our children to remain dependent on us forever. We are raising them to follow Christ, use their gifts, serve others, and fulfill the purposes God has prepared for them.

Your Faithfulness Matters

Perhaps you are in the exhausting years of caring for little ones. Maybe you are guiding teenagers, preparing to launch a young adult, or adjusting to an emptier home. You may not be a mother by name, but you are faithfully mentoring and nurturing children who need a godly influence.

Whatever your season, God has not overlooked you.

He sees the sacrifices that no one acknowledges. He knows the prayers you have prayed repeatedly. He sees every seed you have faithfully planted, including the ones that have not yet broken through the soil.

You may feel incapable, but the God who called you will equip you. The Holy Spirit will provide the wisdom, strength, patience, and grace you cannot produce on your own.

The work may feel unseen, but it is never unseen by God. The love you offer today is shaping lives, building a legacy, and participating in His eternal work.

Keep planting. Keep praying. Keep loving.

God sees you, and none of your faithfulness is wasted.

Shalene Roberts