What It Means to Mother
“Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50).
My love, do you hear that music, the one where we dance and your steps are light and you swing?
You mother in the quiet places and in the moments when it is loud and it feels impossible to hear. You mother in the choices, the choices to love beyond yourself, the sacrifice that comes with friendship, the nurturing of an arm across a shoulder, the carrying of beauty within you, the permission for Me to care for you, to pour love into your heart so that the ripple of my love continues.
A waterfall begins with a drop, and then a cascade, a drifting through quiet places, a collection until the drops pour past, all together. Mothering happens in the combination of Me holding you in my hands and letting my fingers open a bit to let you pour out what I give.
You can only mother from what I give.
Mothering is a collection of hopes for the future, a belief in good things and the willingness to go to the hard places for those you love. It is the shepherding of children, the gathering of expectation for a future that is to come.
It is faith in possibility for people beyond yourself.
To mother is to press in and give out and never give up. It is to hold on tight and let go, all at once. It is to walk beside and listen close and not fall away, even though the pain comes and it is hard to stay.
To mother is to stay.
And the staying isn’t what you think it looks like sometimes. It is the supporting of the one you hold close while believing it isn’t always you who knows the way.
In mothering, without Me, you don’t know the way.
To mother is to trust and laugh and cry and wave goodbye. It is to come again, despite rejection. It is to provide, when you feel you have nothing to give. It is to look beyond yourself for strength and feel frail and helpless and fall and believe that you will be caught so that you can lift your knees and see what is before you, the Son.
Mothering is not just about bearing a child. It can be that, but it is not just that. You mother through loving whom I bring your way. Come on, daughter, look whom I bring.
|| More Resources For You ||
Our lives and hearts change as we meditate on truth. When Scripture shapes our thoughts and beliefs, we begin to see and love and feel the way Jesus created us to. That’s why I love this free Bible-reading plan from Rapt. Over 30 days, it offers powerful Scriptures alongside thought-provoking questions to help you apply it to your life. Let His Word transform you, friend. ♥️
Have you ever read Proverbs 31 and felt overwhelmed with the standard of godly womanhood you saw there? Dear sister, let these words from the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute encourage you: “It’s important to remember that this chapter in Proverbs is poetry. It paints a picture of an entire life shaped by faith—not a single day filled with tasks. … The woman in Proverbs 31 is praised not because she is perfect, but because she fears the Lord (verse 30). Her confidence and values are rooted in Him. This doesn’t change with the rise and fall of her to-do list. It is not measured by the condition of her kitchen or the mood of her children. It is anchored in God, who is in control of everything.” → Read the rest here.
Talking about heaven, hell, and where people will spend eternity can get uncomfortable, depending on who you’re talking to. And yet, these kinds of conversations are so important—because we never know when God will use them to draw someone’s heart closer to His. In this chat, Candace Cameron Bure and Madi Prewett Troutt lovingly discuss questions like, “Would a good God send people to hell?” and “How do we avoid getting too comfortable in this temporary life?” Listen in, and let me know what stood out to you the most. What encouraged you? What made you consider things from a new perspective?
* Not signed up for Loop?
Get it today—it comes three times a week, free.
