What Makes My Kids Cry Today

You don’t need a stage or a spotlight to do something that matters. In this short devotional, we’re reminding ourselves that the quiet, faithful, everyday things—raising kids, showing up at work, caring for others—are holy in God’s eyes. If you’ve been feeling unseen or unimportant, this is your reminder: you’re doing holy work. And heaven sees it.

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📖 Scripture: Colossians 3:23–24

🙌 Share this with someone who needs a little encouragement today.

By Lizzie @ What Makes My Kid Cry Today

Real Life. Real Laughs. Real Jesus.

What made my kid cry today?

He brought me an old family photo.

One of those pre-kid, blurry-but-magical snapshots from years ago.

We were smiling. The lighting was bad. My hair was questionable.

But there we were—two young adults who had no idea what five kids and seven loads of laundry a day looked like.

And he asked me:

“Mom… why am I not in this picture?”

I smiled and said gently,

“You weren’t born yet, sweetheart.”

Cue. The. Tears.

😭😭😭😭😭

The injustice.

The heartbreak.

The betrayal of not existing yet.

He wailed like he’d been personally excluded from a party he was too young to attend and too unborn to be invited to.

No explanation could soften the blow.

No hug could undo the emotional devastation of pre-birth omission.

Apparently, I should have known better than to take pictures before he existed. 🙃

💛 Real Talk

It’s funny now (and honestly, it was a little funny in the moment too).

But as I wiped his tears and tried to explain that he’s in thousands of photos now,

I couldn’t help but feel the sting of the deeper fear behind his reaction:

“Was I wanted?”

“Did I matter before I showed up?”

“Am I really part of this story?”

✨ Faith Tie-In

And it hit me—

I’ve asked God the same questions.

When things feel hard…

When I feel left out or forgotten…

When I see others thriving and wonder why I wasn’t invited into that season of joy…

I’ve looked up and cried,

“Why am I not in this picture?”

And His answer is simple, kind, and so full of love:

“You’re in the story. I’ve had you in mind all along.”

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…” – Jeremiah 1:5

You may not be in every picture,

but you are in every plan God’s ever had for your life.

👩‍👦‍👦 Motherhood Moment:

After my son calmed down, I showed him all the pictures of him.

First bath. First steps. First meltdown over toast being “too brown.”

And I reminded him:

You weren’t in that picture.

Because that picture led to you.

💬 Comment Prompt:

Has your child ever cried over something deep and ridiculous at the same time?

Tell me your “pre-birth betrayal” story—I promise I’ll laugh and cry with you 💛