When parenting feels overwhelming, one of the most important things to know is this, without shame or pretending we’re fine: God never designed parenting to be carried alone. If we try to do it all ourselves, we don’t just get tired; we get worn down in our souls, in our hearts and minds, and we lose our peace. That’s exactly what Moses’ father-in-law saw. He looked at Moses trying to carry everyone’s burdens by himself and said, “The thing that you do is not good… you will surely wear yourselves out… this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself” (Exodus 18:17–18). Then he gave him wise counsel, based on his years of experience, that still applies to overwhelmed parents today: bring the heavy matters to God, and also share the load with capable, trustworthy people so “they will bear the burden with you” (Exodus 18:19–23). In other words, delegation isn’t laziness, it’s wisdom. It’s humility. It’s admitting that I am finite and that I need help.
So one of the most practical support systems is shared responsibility. For us, that can mean trusted family members, grandparents, a close friend, a babysitting swap with another parent, carpool help, meal trains, or someone who can step in for an afternoon so we can breathe. Even in the early church, believers lived with a mindset of shared needs and shared care: “all who believed were together… and divided them among all, as anyone had need” (Acts 2:44–45), and again, “they distributed to each as anyone had need” (Acts 4:34–35). The point isn’t communism; it’s community. It’s people saying, Your burden matters to me.
And that leads to the second support system: real community, not just being around people. Scripture is honest: isolation multiplies strain. “Two are better than one… for if they fall, one will lift up his companion… a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12). Parenting can make us feel like we’re failing in private, but we’re not. We’re not the only ones who cry in the bathroom, in the car, in the grocery store, lose patience, or feel like we’re doing a poor job. We need people who can be close enough to notice and kind enough to help.
That’s why the New Testament keeps calling us into mutual strengthening: “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and “let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together… but exhorting one another” (Hebrews 10:24–25). When I have counseled parents, I often say, “We don’t just need a break, we need belonging.” We need “iron” around us, because “as iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17). A healthy church family, a home group, or a circle of parents who pray together can be a lifeline. And this does not end as our children grow and leave the nest. If anything, we adults need to continue that fellowship with our community as we age because we need to continue life together, not just with our spouse, but with our friends in our community.
The third support system is wise counsel and mentoring, because parenting decisions can feel like a minefield. God’s Word is blunt: “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established” (Proverbs 15:22). Who among us cannot say as I have, that I’ve had to learn that my first instinct isn’t always the best instinct, “he who heeds counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15). Scripture even tells us plainly, “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days” (Proverbs 19:20), and “Plans are established by counsel” (Proverbs 20:18).
Sometimes that counsel is pastoral. Sometimes it’s an older couple who has walked through the very season we’re in. Sometimes it’s a therapist, a pediatrician, or a Christian counselor who can help us sort what’s normal stress from what’s becoming burnout, anxiety, depression, or trauma. Titus describes a beautiful pattern of older women teaching and strengthening younger women, helping them learn how to love their families well (Titus 2:3–5). That kind of mentoring is not control; it’s care. And let me add something that parents often overlook: prayerful support paired with honest confession. Not performative, not fake, honest. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16). Some of us don’t need another parenting podcast; we need a safe person who can hear us say, I’m not okay, and then pray with us without judging us.
A fourth support system is practical help and “rest”, because our bodies and minds were not built to run nonstop. Even Jesus told His disciples, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31–32). And when Martha was overwhelmed and distracted, Jesus didn’t shame her; He lovingly redirected her: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed” (Luke 10:41–42). Sometimes we don’t need to try harder; we need to simplify, prioritize, and rest in what actually matters.
And finally, the most sustaining support system is the Church functioning like the body it truly is. We are not meant to be independent units. “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26), because we belong to one another. God gives different gifts to build up and support the whole (Romans 12:4–8), and He gives shepherds and teachers “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11–16). When the church is healthy, overwhelmed parents are not invisible; they are embraced.
So, what actually helps parents who feel overwhelmed?
Shared load (delegation and practical help) because it’s “too much… to perform… by yourself” (Exodus 18:17–23).
Community and belonging because “two are better than one” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12) and we’re commanded to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).
Wise counsel and mentoring because “in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22).
Prayer, confession, and encouragement because God heals and strengthens us through one another (James 5:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Rest and spiritual recalibration because even faithful people need to “rest a while” (Mark 6:31–32).
If we’re overwhelmed right now, we need to remember this: needing help does not mean we’re failing. It means we’re human. And sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is let someone else hold up our arms for a season, as Aaron and Hur did for Moses when his hands grew heavy (Exodus 17:12). That kind of support is not weakness. It’s how God keeps us steady.
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