A Letter To Single Moms at Christmas
Dear Single Mom,
We are thinking of you. With Thanksgiving over and Christmas getting closer, we have been praying for your heart.
This time of year is hard. We know. Everyone in the Shepherd’s Village’s family has been in your shoes. We are (or were) single moms, too. Some of us were also raised by single moms.
The holidays are, by far, the most difficult times. We still feel the intense sadness, mixed with grief and fear. Being a single mom can be crushing, especially this time of year.
If you are single because of divorce, custody agreements mean sharing your children on every holiday. Will this be your first time alone at the Christmas Eve service? Will you have to face waking up the next morning without your children waking you at the crack of dawn, looking for their stockings, squealing over presents under the tree, eating snowman-shaped pancakes, and playing with new toys?
Maybe your children are with you this year, but you feel the weight of facing the season without their father. You feel the saddening sting of being surrounded by all the dads carrying kids on their shoulders at the mall or the frustration and aloneness of dragging a Christmas tree out of the lot by yourself.
There is intense pressure over the holidays and a lot of extra responsibilities. Every single day, you provide, nurture, care for, teach, and discipline. Then add all the holiday stuff—the shopping, the gift wrapping, remembering the advent calendar, getting the tree, hanging up the decorations, trying to give your kids a “normal Christmas” —and it is a recipe for being completely overwhelmed.
Our Shepherd’s Village moms know how it all feels. We have experienced the loneliness and how…different it all feels.
But, we wanted to write you this letter to tell you there is hope.
As Christmas draws closer, we want to gently and lovingly let you know—you are not alone.
Even if you feel overwhelmed and have absolutely no help…
Even if you are a widow…
Even if your children’s father has no part of their life…
Even if you are embroiled in bitter fighting with the father of your children…
You are not alone.
God has you. He has not forgotten you.
He is the BEST Father and He is there for you, Sweet Mama. And He is there for your children, too.
Jesus truly is the reason we celebrate this season in the first place. He came to earth as a baby—the Savior of the World—for you and for your children.
Our prayer for you as you go into the Christmas season is that you would experience His beautiful, immense love for you.
We pray that no matter how difficult your circumstances may be right now, Jesus would remind you that He doesn’t make mistakes. You are exactly where you are supposed to be and so are your children.
We pray you are able to get some rest, somehow.
We pray you will live in the moment and cherish every sweet handmade card or craft your child makes for you this season.
We pray the people in your life will SEE you and feel compelled to love you and serve you during this season.
We pray for extra hugs, sweet snuggles, and lots of smiles.
And even if none of this happens, we pray that deep down, your faith in the Lord would increase and you would hear us when we say…