This is something that I have struggled with from the beginning of my motherhood journey. I knew that the baby I was holding was one of the most precious gifts in my life, and someone to not take for granted. The gift of life is more than one can really grasp, and yet our culture has put a whole new idea in our minds when it comes to motherhood. It’s not enough to be just a mom, or so it feels. I can’t tell you how many times I have said the words, “Oh I just stay home with my kids” when asked what I “do” for a living. It took me a long time to really feel the immensity of this job that I get to hold, and it shouldn’t be something to shy away from or struggle to say. It is a huge and incredibly worthwhile job, and while it may not be glamorous most days (or ever) it is one that matters. These little people the Lord has gifted us with are spiritual beings. They have souls, they are so important, and guess what? They need a mom! The time and effort put in while being just a mom is so worth it.
Nevertheless, we ask ourselves questions as stay-at-home moms: Is it worth it? Do I have a purpose? How are my days at home making an impact? And while I still struggle with these thoughts, especially on a day where there have been more messes than I know what to do with, and attitudes that certainly don’t reflect all the hard work I feel like I am putting in, I know deep, deep down in my soul that this is exactly where God has me. I don’t have some intense story about how mothering at home was all worth it, because I am still so much in the thick of motherhood; drowning in the laundry, schooling, dishes, and making all the meals, but I know that it is worth it.
I know this, because when I open the Word I see scriptures that say “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14) Children matter so deeply to Jesus. He wants to spend time with them. He doesn’t see them as getting in the way, or an annoyance that should be sent away. He values them. He chose them. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it.” This truth shows me that although I am not the Holy Spirit to my kids (and never will be), my prayers with them, time spent reading the Word to them, and time spent teaching them biblical truth does matter and will impact their future for His glory. Will they be perfect? Of course not. But may we teach them that their Heavenly Father is. May it be written on their hearts. What better person to teach our children these truths than their mom and dad?! What a gift! Another scripture that stands out to me is Deuteronomy 6:5-9: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your house and on your gates.” This scripture says that in every moment, at any opportunity that we have, we are to be impressing truth on our children. When we are home we have ample opportunities! May we not take these opportunities for granted.
Another question we tend to ask ourselves is, “Will I lose myself in motherhood?“
To this I would answer, “yes”, in the most humbling and God honoring way. I believe God had so much more in mind when it comes to motherhood than we will ever really grasp. I believe that it’s this beautiful, sacrificial love, a daily dying to ourselves, and an incredible reflection of our relationship with Him. Just as our babies so desperately need us, may we humble ourselves and see our desperate need for Him in our motherhood journey. Life is no longer about our needs or desires, and at times that is a tough pill to swallow – yet that’s exactly the place where God wants us. Humbling ourselves before Him and before others. His greatest command is to love Him first, and to love others. There is no better place to practice this than in our homes. Sometimes I think of “others” as people outside of my home, and while it is so important to love outside of our homes, we must first learn to love the ones in our homes.
I pray for us moms whose focus is inside of our homes, that we would be grounded in Christ and plant ourselves exactly where He has us. It is more than being “just a mom” and there is so much purpose and life in our homes. Not because I say so, but because God says so; if that is where He has us, I pray that we would set all the questions and all the feelings of inadequacy aside and root ourselves in Christ, knowing that our identity is not in what what do, but in Who’s we are.
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