The Things I Do One-Handed Now (and Why I Deserve an Award)

Before becoming a mom, I never realized just how much could be accomplished with only one hand. Five months into motherhood, I’ve discovered that necessity is truly the best teacher — and it turns out, necessity trains you to become part-octopus. 🐙

🏆 The one-handed diaper change.
🏆 The baby-in-one-arm laundry transfer.
🏆 The hold-the-bottle-while-texting move.

Some days I think I deserve a medal for the things I can do with a baby perched on one hip. Other days, I think I at least deserve a giant Diet Coke!

But here’s the part that surprised me most: in all of these one-handed moments, God has been gently teaching me something about strength, humility, and dependence.


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One Hand, But Not Alone

When I’m juggling bottles, burp cloths, and a squirmy baby, I’m reminded of 2 Corinthians 12:9:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Motherhood has shown me my limits in the most humbling ways. I can balance a baby on one arm while folding laundry, but I cannot do this life — or this calling of motherhood — in my own strength. My one hand may be full, but my heart is steadied by the other hand that always holds me: the hand of Jesus.

I used to think strength looked like independence. Now, it looks like surrender.
Strength looks like whispering prayers in the dark while rocking a baby back to sleep.
It looks like holding onto God’s promises when I feel like I have nothing left to give.
It looks like trusting that even though I feel stretched thin, He is filling in the gaps.

Isaiah 41:10 has become a verse I cling to daily:
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

When my own hands feel inadequate, His are more than enough.

Yes, moms deserve a medal for all the things we do one-handed now. But maybe the greater award is knowing that every spilled bottle, every clumsy diaper change, and every late-night feeding matters in the eyes of God. He sees the small acts of love as big acts of faithfulness.

So today, if you’re a mama reading this with a baby in one arm and your phone in the other — take heart. You may feel tired, messy, and unqualified, but the Lord is cheering you on. He calls you worthy, chosen, and equipped for the exact season you’re in.

And maybe that’s better than any medal.

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✨ What about you, mama friends? What’s the funniest or most impressive “one-handed move” you’ve mastered?

#MomLife #FaithfulMotherhood #StrengthInHim


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