My timing may be way off with the holidays clamoring for attention and this strange year we’re all still working through. But some of you – first-time mama’s, moms with countless littles, and mothers with the ‘finish line’ cresting into full view – may be looking for some encouragement and fresh perspective as you plow headlong into this winter while planning for the new year.

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‘It’s Complicated’

Vast volumes attempt to describe the value, purpose, and smoke and mirrored how-tos of this sacred work that never ends. Motherhood: I’m not sure who can adequately define it? And yet, shouldn’t we keep trying for the sake of well-doing, and shouldn’t the merest hint of consequential virtue be to God’s glory, not our own? 

As I share the following story, it is my hope that you, dear friends, will catch a vision of doing this Christian motherhood thing -better, starting sooner, keeping more consistent over the long haul, and keeping yourself mindful of His presence with us, in your day-to-day -undistracted by the tasks at hand. Although I hesitate to share this desire, not wanting to further overwhelm, let’s remember together: nothing is impossible with God. 

Once a Mother, Always a Mother

I came to this gifted calling well over thirty-eight years ago, technically skilled in feeding and diapering yet ignorant of so much! Like many young mothers starting before my teen years were finished, God chose to allow me extensive on the job training.

After nearly four decades bumbling through varying degrees of full-time mothering with all its blessings and apparent challenges, I now scramble to hold the self-appointed ‘part-time’ positions of being a 24-hour on-call counselor regarding anything under the sun, providing random B&B services -though, in all honesty, Stache is more likely to offer the second ‘B’ -hostessing and cheffing occasional ‘banquets’ for our burgeoning family, and serving as an extreme emergency back-up plan to young adult dreams. In other words, no adult child explicitly asks for my employ, per se — these declared positions, as you might have gathered, are rarely essential. I can’t help waiting in the wings in case a need arises. 

Becoming Empty-Nesters

This past September, our youngest son married his sweetheart. Being the last of our five kids to establish his own home, he officially left ‘the Stache and I,’ empty-nesters, giving me quite a lot to chew on and adjust to – lamenting, like, what am I supposed to do now?! I’m not too proud to admit, this assumed final chapter closing the book on one of my most loved all-encompassing lifeworks, seriously attempted to mess with my head.

Imagine my surprise and eventual amazement with God when I finally realized there was yet essential work waiting for me to attend -frighteningly real, somewhat neglected, exceptionally passionate work for the Kingdom of God as I’ve rarely known. 

High Time To Pray

Recently, through serving in ministry with my church, God has given me new opportunities to learn more about prayer -isn’t that so like God? When He has a job intended for us to fill, he provides the grace, ability, and desire to accomplish the work. 

Pastor, speaker, and author Paul David Tripp, in his devotion book New Morning Mercies, asserts that ‘true prayer happens at the intersection of surrender and celebration.’ How incredibly profound is that?! This short statement has stuck with me to ponder for months.

A quick Google search of the word ‘surrender’ gives this definition: ‘abandon oneself entirely to (a powerful emotion or influence); give in to.’ Simply (read: excruciatingly) letting go of our imagined control to God and celebrating the awe-inspired wonder that He is.

Jesus prayed this prayer in Matthew 6, modeling his submission to God’s will and thankfully acknowledging the Father’s greatness.

The Lord’s Prayer

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name. 
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)

Unlike a trailing wish list presenting our highest prioritized self-focused desires to a god suspiciously resembling Saint Nick –Jesus’ prayer is one of complete trust and honor to God. He teaches us here to release our requests to God with thankfulness and observance of who He is -prayer is a great privilege. Although surrendering our will to God is an essential element in our relationship with him; still, we are specifically encouraged to bring our cares to God because He cares for us!

Persistence

Back in the day when life suddenly became more tumultuous than I knew possible, God reminded me of the parable of the persistent widow. (I encourage you to read Luke 18:1-8) We find there an example of persistence in approaching God on a matter. Never to be confused with manipulation, persistence in prayer is, yet again, a pursuit of trust. It displays our sincere belief that God is the only one who can affect our situation –to rescue, heal, fix, or change the world and circumstance in which we live.

As moms busy themselves prioritizing the safety, care, and nuture of their children, it can be terrifyingly unthinkable to consider a spiritual war just then. Love for our children, and the belief that God’s word is true, demand that we must. Ephesians 6:10-18 speaks of spiritual warfare’s dark realities and how to protect against them –with verse 18 stating:

'...With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, 
and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every 
request for all the saints,.'  Ephesians 6:18 (NASB)

Though clearly directed to the church in general, it certainly can apply to Christian mothers being watchful, praying over our children -we are, after all, part of the church.

I have had excellent prayer warrior examples around me. Still, I’ve been slow to consistently engage in prayer beyond family and friends’ day-to-day requested needs. Thank the Lord: He is patient! 

Battles Waiting

While my distracted heart increasingly pined those last waning years for the predictable old days of diapers and cardboard read-aloud books, school assignments, and eventual late-night chats with our teenagers – critical spiritual battles over my kid’s lives were brewing, waiting to be acknowledged in Christ, fought through, and when the Lord wills -mercifully won. 

Have you ever considered the wars your child might fight in a lifetime? Fears, discouragements, temptations, satanic suggestion, evil spirited traps, even malicious attacks, to name a few. The Bible speaks of spiritual wars being fought and won in the spirit, not in the flesh. What a perfect awe-inspiring job for a mother! 

Imagine coming alongside our kids in spiritual warfare, praying like none other. How much better off would your kids be if they had a faithful prayer warrior by their side? Because prayer is personal, between God and ourselves, one of the most extraordinary things about prayer warrioring is there are no physical boundaries necessary to be considered –no crossing over healthy social constructs in the case of independent adult kids –no need for kids to be living in your hometown. And praise God for his kind mercies -even in the case of heartbreaking estrangement, there are no restrictions in coming to God for our child’s sake. 

Most certainly, children of every age, from being a mere hope-filled twinkle in mom’s eye to the oldest decrepit mother and child pair, our kids need and benefit from faithful prayers. It’s never too early to begin praying, and as long as your child still experiences day and night on earth as you do, it’s not too late to start. 

[Scripture referenced: Galatians 6:7-10, Titus 2:3-5, Luke 1:37, Psalm 127:3, Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 18:1-8, Ephesian 6:10-18, James 5:16, Phillippians 2:13, 1 Peter 5:7]