[Devotional #28] Joyce Byers From Stranger Things Wasn’t Crazy. She Was A Mom.

I have never been a big fan of scary things. Shows, movies, haunted houses. Even the Haunted Mansion at Disney World has been known to scare me.

When Stranger Things first came out nearly ten years ago and became a huge sensation, Mike and I decided to give it a try. After all, it was called Stranger Things, not Scary Things. But after season one ended, we never went back… until this past week.

Mike is still firmly on the “no” train when it comes to this show, so I decided to watch it during my alone time. I won’t be sharing spoilers. I am only on season three. This time around, I haven’t found it nearly as scary. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown closer to God and can separate myself from fiction more easily. Or maybe it’s because I’m simply invested in the characters. But the biggest change I noticed wasn’t what I was watching. It was how I was watching.

When the show first aired, I wasn’t a mother. I certainly wasn’t a mother to a child with a rare disease, disabilities, and medical complications. I was just a 25 year old, newly in love. But as I started season two, I saw myself in Joyce Byers, Will’s mom.

We Are All Joyce Byers

Taking him to doctors. Yelling when they dismissed her concerns. Refusing to accept answers that didn’t make sense. And most importantly, she never gave up on Will. She never questioned his experience. She just kept fighting for him.

And while our circumstances are very different, that part hit me deeply.

As a mom raising a child with an ultra rare disease, one with fewer than 100 known cases worldwide, finding doctors who will listen, help, or even try can feel impossible. There are moments when you want to give up. When the exhaustion feels unbearable.

But I can’t. Because if I give up, what does that mean for Maximus?

Who will fight for him?
Who will advocate for him?
Who will keep showing up?

The hard truth is that no one else will.

And that realization felt like the real scary thing in Stranger Things. Watching your child endure something you cannot control, cannot fix, and cannot fully protect them from.

But if Joyce taught me anything, it’s this:

Giving up is not an option.

That led me to reflect on Scripture and the way God calls us to let go of control. But I had to ask myself an important question. Does letting go of control mean we stop trying?

I don’t believe it does.

God doesn’t ask us to abandon our responsibility. He asks us to release our anxiety. He invites us to stop trying to carry everything alone and to place the outcome in His hands. Surrender isn’t passivity. It’s obedience.

We give God the control, but we still show up for the assignment He’s given us.
We still walk forward.
We still protect what He’s entrusted to us.
We still act in faith, even when it’s terrifying.

Life will always hold scary and strange things. But when we give them to God, truly give them, we don’t walk through them alone.

Stay Mighty,

Devotional of the Week

Isaiah 40:29-31 (NIV)

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak… those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

There is a kind of strength that doesn’t look impressive from the outside. It doesn’t shout. It doesn’t dominate. It doesn’t quit.

If you’ve ever watched Stranger Things, you’ve seen this strength embodied in Joyce Byers. She is dismissed by doctors, mocked by authorities, and treated like she’s overreacting. Yet she never stops showing up for her son. She keeps asking questions. She keeps fighting. She keeps believing what she knows to be true, even when everyone else doubts her.

That kind of strength costs something.

Motherhood, especially when you’re raising a child with disabilities or medical complexity, requires the same relentless endurance. You don’t have the option to walk away. You advocate when you’re tired. You stay alert when you’re overwhelmed. You keep loving even when fear is loud.

Scripture does not ask mothers to lay down their strength. It promises renewal for it.

God gives strength to the weary not so they can stop, but so they can continue. The promise is not escape from responsibility, but sustenance within it. You still walk. You still run. You still fight for your child. But you do not do it alone.

God does not replace your role. He reinforces it.

Reflection

Joyce didn’t stop searching because things were scary. She kept going because her son mattered. In the same way, God does not ask you to surrender your vigilance or your discernment. He asks you to stay connected to the Source that keeps you steady.

Renewed strength does not mean the fear disappears. It means fear no longer gets the final word.

You are not wrong for feeling worn down. You are not failing because this feels heavy. You are living out a calling that requires endurance, and God is faithful to meet you there.

Journal Prompt

Where have I been showing up faithfully even while exhausted?

How can I intentionally receive God’s strength instead of trying to manufacture my own?

A Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,
You see every moment I show up for my child even when I am afraid or tired. Thank You for being a God who strengthens rather than sidelines me.

Renew my strength today. Steady my heart. Help me continue walking in courage, discernment, and love, trusting that You are sustaining me for the work You have entrusted to me.
In Jesus’ name,
​Amen.