Motherhood was the sweet spot of my life—though certainly not easy.

Those years devoted to raising my two daughters, Shannon and Meghan, brought significance, purpose, and clarity to my life, enlarging my heart in ways I never imagined possible.

And Don and I loved it all—school activities, sports, home life, friendships, marriage, entertaining, and even the mounds of laundry!

For me, happiness in motherhood was found in the small moments:

Private moments together over breakfast, sharing their day after school, sitting at the kitchen table doing homework, or talking and laughing as we prepared dinner.

I loved our moments before bedtime with homework complete, chores finished, as we shared their day. I would read them bedtime stories, but the best nights were when Don would tell his bedtime stories.

He had a bag full of stories he made up as he went along, weaving and creating wonderful adventures. “The Centipede’s Shoes” was one of their favorites, telling of the centipede that went to the town shoemaker. Thirty-five pairs of legs created quite a challenge for the shoemaker!

Small Moments of Joyful Memories

These special, seemingly small moments make up the joyful, precious memories of parenthood.

The laughs, the love, the play, and the hugs are woven together for all eternity. They fortify us as parents for days to come when our children begin the journey into a world beyond our home.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble

in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”—Matthew ll:28-30

But as any parents know too well, motherhood and fatherhood can bring us to our knees. The fruit of parenthood is not only the legacy of our children; it also produces fruit in us as mothers and fathers. It changes, transforms, and awakens the craving for God in our lives.

To Whom Do Our Children Truly Belong?

My spiritual awakening and rededication to the Lord came on a beautiful summer morning on my knees beside the bed on the seventh floor of the Maui Hyatt Regency Hotel in Hawaii.

It was the perfect time for God’s hand to move.

I was being pressed on all sides by the challenges of parenting teenagers, struggling to give up control as my precious daughters expanded their lives away from our family kitchen table. Add to this the pressures of my business and cultural expectations of peer and social groups, and I felt as though I were in a vice.

Perhaps you’ve felt these pressures, too?

Don and I shared a growing frustration with our lifestyle. We constantly lived under the demands of both our work schedules. Our family was living life in the fast lane. We were exhausted, frustrated, overwhelmed, and spiritually depleted—and we knew it.

It’s been said that “A daughter is a mother’s heart walking outside of her body.”

The greatest treasures entrusted to me by the Lord were Shannon and Meghan. God had given them beautiful spirits, big hearts, gifts, and talents. I wanted nothing more than for God to do His will in their lives. So I gave them into his perfect hands.

Very slowly as I knelt in that room, I imagined taking a deep pink ribbon for Shannon and a pale pink one for Meghan, and slowly wrapping each one, from the bottom of their toes to the top of their head, praying for every aspect of their lives as I went. When I reached the top of their heads, I tied a great big bow and offered them to the Lord. I promised Him, from that day forward, I would watch to see what His purpose was for each of their lives and do everything I could to grow them according to it.

I watched as through a kaleidoscope my forty-three years turned wildly before my eyes. I confessed my sins as quickly as they were revealed and sensed God was calling me in a new direction, away from the busy, hurried nature of our lives. I could not ignore His compelling voice in my spirit.

Motherhood taught me how to be a prayer warrior, seeking God’s mercy and grace in all humility as I brought my petitions before the Lord. I began bringing my children before Him each day.

How tenderly the Lord welcomes our cries! He was teaching me to listen to Him as we walked our girls through the changing landscape and potential minefields of their teenage and young adult years. Renewed and refreshed in my spiritual walk, I felt prepared to be used by God for His purpose in the next season of life.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.—Philippians 4:6-8

FOREVER MOTHERHOOD

With my daughters grown and on their own, as wives and mothers, I am so proud and thankful of who they are and how much they love and are blessed by the Lord.

I celebrate their lives today, thankful for how the Lord has blessed them with gifts and talents to serve their husbands and children, as well as other young people who find love and encouragement being in their presence, as they pour themselves into serving their family.

I look back now and reflect on God’s faithfulness, love, mercy, and grace during those motherhood years. Fortunately, Motherhood never ends. What a blessing that we are mothers forever—only with changing roles!

Motherhood is forever. We change with the needs of our children, being quiet when they don’t seek our input, speaking honestly with love when they seek our advice, and sometimes just listening while they talk it out themselves. We encourage and support them, loving them unconditionally in the process.

I believe this is what God desires of us: to grow in love, tenderly creating a lifelong circle of giving and receiving love with our children. And above all, we continue to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). We have the assurance of God’s faithfulness and strong hand being with us in the battle for the souls of our children.

A mother is a prayer warrior forever!

This post is inspired by an excerpt from my book Stones in the River: Discovering Your Spiritual Markers of God’s Love, Grace, and Faithfulness. Click here to discover more. 

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