El Roi: The God Who Sees You on the Kitchen Floor

Motherhood can feel painfully invisible.

In this episode of the Real Moms Real Faith Podcast, Jenna Marie Masters speaks directly to the mom who feels unseen, overwhelmed, and worn down by the ordinary demands of motherhood. From changing endless diapers to whispered prayers no one hears, Jenna shares a deeply personal moment on her kitchen floor that became a defining pillar in her faith.

Rooted in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 and the story of Hagar in Genesis 16, this episode reminds us that God is not distant from our daily struggles—He is El Roi, the God who sees.

You’ll be encouraged to believe that:

• No prayer is too small or too ordinary for God
• God sees every act of faith, even when no one else does
• His presence meets us in exhaustion, not just in strength

Jenna also offers a simple weekly challenge and a meaningful way to help your children understand that they are seen by God too—so they won’t grow up striving for the world’s approval.

If you’re a mom who has ever cried on the kitchen floor, prayed a prayer that felt “too small,” or wondered if what you’re doing even matters—this episode is for you.

You are seen. You are held. You are never alone.

Transcript

Welcome And Heart For Unseen Moms

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This is Jenna Marie Masters with the Real Moms Real Faith Podcast. I am so glad you're here so you can be encouraged to trust God with all the things one day at a time. Hey, welcome back to the Real Moms Real Faith Podcast. This is episode 31, and I'm so glad you're here because today I feel like I just I feel like this episode is for the mom who feels unseen.

Life On The Kitchen Floor

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In 1 Thessalonians 5.16, we learn to pray without ceasing. Let me tell you, this verse is a lifeline if you want to survive motherhood. I ran into a couple moms last week at church, and this has been on my mind ever since. There are a lot of moms who don't feel seen. There are a lot of moms who feel like taking a shower is maybe the only time during the day they get to themselves. There are some moms like me who their kids run into the house and you stay in the car just an extra two minutes to take a couple deep breaths. So this podcast is to the mom who is doing everything and wondering if any of it even matters. So I'm just going to take you back to a moment that I will never forget. I remember being on the kitchen floor when my babies were little. I was right in front of the sink and I was digging around under the sink cabinet looking for a new trash bag liner because I was filling up the diaper genie so fast. I was literally doing 18 to 21 diapers a day. I had a newborn, a one-year-old, and a potty training two-year-old at the time. So I was rummaging through the cabinet under the sink, hoping I could find one more trash bag liner. My husband was at work. The house was loud, of course. My arms were like aching from lifting up all the littles. And I was just crying a lot. I was just so exhausted from crying. And I was just crying because I was exhausted. So it was just this ongoing cycle. And the thought hit me all at once. No one knows I'm on the floor right now. No one sees this. No one knows what really goes on in this house during the day. Sure, I mean, I would vent to Aaron when he got home, and he's so loving and so kind, and he would listen to all the things, but he wasn't there during the day. He didn't see it. So I was crying on the kitchen floor, feeling deeply alone, and honestly, it felt like what I was doing didn't matter. I'd wipe spit up off my shoulder, applesauce off my son's cheek. I'd figure out how to get the mascara out of my daughter's hair because she had found it and went to town. I mean, it was just black mascara all over this light blonde, wispy hair. But I finally got it out. But no one saw. I would throw those toys into the bins over and over again. The house would still be a mess at the end of the day. I'd change this diaper, and then guess what? There'd be another one waiting for me in 30 minutes or less. I'd load up three babies, head to the grocery store, one strapped to me,

The Prayer That Felt Too Small

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two tangled together in the cart. I'd feel embarrassed if they screamed or threw something, or if I had to dig through my diaper bag again for a snack or a passy. Then I'd unload seven grocery bags and three babies back into the minivan alone. Feeling like I had just pulled off the greatest feat known to man. If you know, you know. But no one saw. I used to push this triple stroller that was held together with duct tape, and I would blare my worship music because it was the worship music that was holding me together as the duct tape held together that totally ghetto triple stroller I got off Craigslist. I would take the kids on walks, I'd slow down on purpose to let them chase butterflies. I'd let them stop and pick up rolly pulleys they wanted to keep as pets, but no one saw. I bought every little Bible devotional I could get my hands on. I made sure to sing Jesus Loves You before naps and bedtime. I would whisper prayers over their little chubby cheeks. And all at the same time, I would just ache and pray, God, please let them choose you when they grow up. Let them choose you now, but no one saw. There were days where I just wished pregnancy hadn't changed my body. But all the time I was like secretly wishing for more babies to change me again. So I'd do the squats, the 50 sit-ups, all during their 20-minute nap, so I could keep up with however many children God wanted to give me, but no one saw. And then I would find myself back on that kitchen floor again, digging for another trash can with another baby beside me, with my faith, because I prayed. Honestly, it was more of a confession. And this was a moment that just stuck out in my faith walk for me. I prayed, I need help changing this diaper. And the words, like they felt small. The request felt really silly, actually, but the need for help was overwhelming. I even thought, is this a stupid prayer, God? I believe everyone listening here has had a prayer where they actually thought, I can't believe I just prayed that. Because we tend to think there are so many things that are bigger for God to care about than me or a diaper. But I'm sharing this because I want you to know what happened to me. God whispered to my heart, if one of your precious little ones asked you for help, Jenna, even with the smallest thing, would you ever think that request was stupid? No. Because meeting my kids' needs is what I was breathing in and out all day long. They are the center of my devotion. And God reminded me, those babies that you were pouring everything into, I'm the one that made them. And I am the one who sees you pouring everything into caring

Hagar And The God Who Sees

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for them. And then I remembered Hagar, a mother in the Bible, treated super unfairly. She was alone, thirsty in the desert with her child, desperate, not knowing where to turn. And God meets her there. And the first thing he does is he doesn't tell her what to do. He calls her by name. And he says this in Genesis. Where are you coming from? Where are you going? And here's the really beautiful thing. Jesus knew the answer when he asked Hagar those questions. I believe he knew that Hagar needed to know he cared. She needed to hear him ask. And a few verses later, this is just amazing. She does something extraordinary. Hagar is actually credited as the only person in the Bible who personally gives God a new name. She calls him Elroy, the one who sees me. Leave it to a woman who was exhausted, unseen, desperate, protecting her child to be the one who names God not only by his power or position, but by his presence. The God who sees me. And this is just something I cannot shake this week. My friend, he sees you. He sees every diaper, every grocery run, every whispered prayer, every tear on the kitchen floor. He's on me that day. And he sees you right now. He doesn't only just see you, he's asking you a question. Where are you coming from, daughter? Where are you going? Tell me what you've been through. And he's not rushing you to answer. He's listening. That day on my kitchen floor became a faith pillar for me. It's where I learned that no prayer is too small. No exhaustion is too ordinary. No like little heartbreak or little need is too insignificant for God to care about. And after I prayed, I felt a supernatural strength. Like God Himself was lifting my arms up to help me finish changing that diaper. Him helping me do that was like the loudest shout ever into my heart. Jenna, I see you. I hesitate sometimes to share things that might sound strange or dramatic, but this is my testimony. And I cannot deny what I experienced. And the longer I walk in motherhood, the more convinced I am of this. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb on the word of our testimony. So if my story helps even one mom lean into Jesus today, then praise God. You are seen, you are held, and you are never alone on the kitchen floor. He sees it all. Before we close, I want to give you a simple challenge for this week. Just one thing. Sometime this week, maybe on the kitchen floor, maybe in the car, maybe during bedtime, I want you to pray the smallest, like most honest prayer that you've been holding back. The one that feels too ordinary or too repetitive or too insignificant. The prayer that sounded like, God,

You Are Seen And Strengthened

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I need help with this moment. God, I'm tired. God, I don't know what I'm doing. And then when you pray it, I want you to say this out loud afterward. I want you to say, God sees me. I actually want you to say, thank you, God, for seeing me, because he does. Now here's where we can weave it into our kids. The next time you might think your kid is feeling left out or overwhelmed or unseen, when they say no one noticed, no one helped me, it feels like no one cared. I want you to tell them this story. And you can say something like this Did you know there was a mom in the Bible named Hagar who felt really alone too? And God met her right there and he showed her he sees her. And then you tell them, God sees you too. When you're sad, when you're trying, when no one else notices, even sometimes when it feels like mommy doesn't notice or daddy doesn't notice, God always notices. You can even make it part of your nightly prayer rhythm. You could pray and say, God, thank you for being El Roy, the God who sees my child. Because when our kids learn early that they are seen by God, they won't spend their lives trying to be seen by the world. I cannot wait for you to get the devotional this week for this one. There's a mommy and me devotional, there's one that's just for you, and there's even a little coloring page for your kids you can download for free. So all you need to do is comment the word rooted on any of my Instagram posts, and it will automatically be sent to you through your DMs. If this podcast encouraged you, I would love for you to share it

A Simple Prayer Challenge

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with a friend this week. I guarantee that there is a mom right now that needs to know she is seen by God. If you have a moment to jump on Apple Podcasts and rate the podcast or give it a review, it really helps other moms find the podcast and it really just it blesses me. If you would like to read the whole story about Hagar, just look up Genesis 16 and you will find it there. It's really extraordinary. Don't forget to follow, save and share, and subscribe. You're awesome. Give it up for a mommy! Yes, we asked. Love it.