I am off to Dallas in a couple of days and I look so forward to seeing so many moms there. I consider it such a privilege to be able to serve God by serving moms, because they are the trainers and developers of leaders of the next generation. Often people have asked me why I am traveling so much and working so hard at this season of life. I have to. I keep hearing of precious young adults who are compromising their morals, giving up their faith, making decisions that bring about scars in their hearts and souls. I sometimes feel that I have only a limited time to reach as many moms and parents as I can in my lifetime and I want to meet Jesus face to face and be able to say, “I gave my whole heart and time and life to you and your kingdom’s cause because I love you. You are worthy of all of my praise and moments and life. I treasure you and sought to be a steward of all the wonderful truth you taught me.” We must each take serious our responsibility to be a steward of His grace, love and redemption.
Our young adult children are confronted more than ever with post modern values. Almost every movie, television show, book has an expectation of immorality, infidelity, impurity. Our children are confronted with it at every turn. There are fewer and fewer models that we can point to, to say, “follow His pattern of leadership, of sacrifice, of holiness.”
That is why we must, in our homes, be a true and vibrant picture of the living God, of the depth of Jesus. However, we must ponder often what that means. I have asked myself often just what it is that is causing so many of our older children to fall. My children have precious friends who have grown up with godly parents and heard all the messages of the gospel, and yet they still turn away from God. Many of these parents were faithful and wonderful. But I will share with you what I am learning.
It is a very lonely world out there for godly children. They will find few young adults with strong values and convictions. They will have to stand alone again and again amongst the crowd–the veritable sea of people who are not living with a paradigm of faithfulness to their creator. Loneliness is very difficult to bear over and over and over again. Therefore, we need to stand in the gap, to be there for our children, to reach out to them, to understand their temptation, to keep giving and giving and giving–to continue being the servant leader that Jesus was.
But there is something else I have been thinking about. Often, in our zealousness, we live by fear in the presence of our children. We tell them of the harsh realities of the world, we make them memorize verses, we indoctrinate them with our philosophy and focus on their behavior–we follow methods and formulas and law. But we must understand that it is only when we reach their hearts and pass on a true love of God that they will become engaged in His life.
I have focused my past few years of spiritual life on Jesus Himself. Jesus is, according to Hebrews 1:3, “The radiance of His glory, the exact representation of his nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.” In other words, when you see Jesus, you see God, himself, living in the flesh.”
Looking at Jesus is to look and behold God himself. Jesus was a man who walked on water, was tossed about in the stormy sea on a smelly fishing boat, he held a picnic and satisfied the hunger of thousands of people several times–he didn’t just talk about truth, he satiated hunger of rumbling stomachs. Jesus touched the untouchables–he touched with tenderness and love a prostitute, lepers, sick and dying. He held and fondled on his knee children and laughed with them and loved them. Jesus was not afraid to rage at the religious leaders who led people in legalism and performance but were not compassionate–he was not afraid of the rulers. He talked of birds, trees, lilies, mountains, and creation. Jesus washed one hundred and twenty dirty toes, the night before he died, and wiped them tenderly with a towel as a mother bathes the children she loves. He celebrated and drank wine at a wedding, cooked fish on the beach and validated women for their service and tender love of himself.
People have often asked me why I emphasize beauty–art, candles, beautiful music, a cup of tea, cinnamon rolls, great stories and books and celebrating life. It is because I want to bring the reality of God and His life into my home. He painted the skies and the flowers, her touched human flesh, he gave a capacity to think, he told epoch stories through prophets and in his sermons, he fed and celebrated amongst his own disciples. He comforted the sad, healed the broken hearted, inspired the vigorous young men amongst him to live for a kingdom that would never end. He modeled, through his every waking hour, the vast love, compassion, holiness, beauty, touchable food, and servant leadership that expresses the very heart of God. Jesus is not just a thought to be understood, a verse to be memorized, but a living, breathing, vibrant, loving, personal God who lives and breathes amongst us in my home each day. He is the way and He is with us along the way.
It is the life and reality of a God who came to love and serve and redeem that is what my children long for in their hearts. They experience this through my life and service and love and excellence and faith and confident celebration of life. I can only give to them what I have found by loving Him on my own, by seeing Him with my own eyes, but understanding Him in my own quiet time and then living from a soul fully engaged in Him. The joy of life, which is contagious, comes from being in His presence and enjoying Him. (In His presence is fullness of joy and in His right hand are pleasures evermore. Do I experience this? Do I believe it? Do I live it?)
In my personal relationship with my children where I love and value and serve them as Jesus did His own disciples, my children will not just hear of doctrine and manners and chores, but they will feel the touch of Christ, the compassion of Christ, the encouraging words of Christ and they will learn to love Him because they have felt and seen and lived love in the minutes of our lives together. Even as Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” so I will let my children know, “I will never leave you or forsake you–I will be praying for you, I will celebrate life with you (and cook for you and give you gift cards when you are far away from me.) and you can tell me anything and I will be your friend and companion as well as your leader and guide.
Love will be the foundation of our discipleship relationship as love is the foundation of Jesus’ relationship with me.
So when our children are out in the world, (Jesus said he would not take His disciples out of the world, but he asked the father to keep them from the evil one–to deliver them from temptation–we must send our disciples into the world as Jesus did, when they have been trained and understood the kingdom and the King, that when they are mature, they can also be redeemers.), we will still be with them, close to them, pursuing them and active in their lives. Lonely children, even young adults, always need to have someone to lift them up, to encourage them, to believe in them, to help them–it is the way of discipleship, motherhood and servant leadership–it is the reality of Christ lived through us.
So, as I go to spread these messages, I would so appreciate your prayers, for safety in travel, for health for my family as we serve, for my children to stay faithful and to live in His strength and reality, as I feel that as Clay and I are serving our wonderful Lord, Satan hates us even more and my children become targets. Please pray for them and for us. I so appreciate so many of you who help and give and serve and pray for us together in the ministry God has called us to. May each of you be blessed and prosper in His grace, strength and love today.
One word comes to my mind when I read your words….beautiful! Thanks for being used by the Lord to be a consistent refocus for me as I raise my precious ones to love Him. God bless you as you minister. You will be in my prayers.
Jen in Colorado
PS: Can’t wait to see you in June in Denver!
Read and treasured! Yes, servant mothering is our high calling. My prayer and challenge for today and every day. Am praying for you and your sweet ones, as well as Dallas. Love you.
I can’t wait to see you this weekend and for the wonderful message God will have you share. Praying for your safe travel and for all of us in Dallas.
Thank you for your ministry to me as a mom of young children. You bring such inspiration to my daily walk trying to walk in God’s light. May God pour blessings over you and your family as you continue with all your speaking engagements.
I will pray specifically for your children that they will remain strong in the Lord,and be able to withstand trials they may have.
Thank you for your blog – what an impact you have had on how I mother and homeschool my children! I continue to gain new strength and confidence from your experience and wisdom.
Blessings to you!
Kathy from Canada
You hit the nail on the head. Just yesterday I was sharing with a friend that I may need to take in my grandmother with dementia for a short time. She said, “Won’t that get in the way of your homeschooling?” I told her, “No, that’s why I homeschool.” I don’t want to merely teach my children to love others, I want to model it.
Thank you for the continued words of encouragement!
Sally, you are such an encouragement to me as I seek to live out my calling as a mother with passion for the glory of Christ. I was just thinking on ALL of the things you just expressed in this post. I long for my children to see the reality of Christ in my life as their mother so deeply that He will truly live with in them. I struggle so much because I know how often I fail to display His glory in my daily life often letting the flesh get the better of me. I praise God for you and your ministry… the Lord has used you in my life to live more fully in my calling and your transparency is so appreciated… I read your book Season’s of a Mothers Heart several times and each time I come away so encouraged because not only do I no longer feel so alone in my insecurities and struggles as a mother but encouraged in the reality that God brought you all through it with many blessings.
Thank you so much! I am so excited to be attending the Dallas conference with a friend this weekend. I have been blessed to listen to you before in Dallas and am looking SO forward to it again.
JOYfully in Him,
Kelli
WOW! That one will take a few days to chew on. Thanks for sharing your heart with us. My hubby and I were just talking about these kinds of things on our date this afternoon. I’ll be reading and re-reading this I believe and take it to the Lord to pray on. Thanks for this type of meat for us to chew on! See you at the end of the month! Kellie
I thank you, too, Sally. I check your blog regularly for nuggets to carry with me as I envision how I can make my home more heavenly. You have modeled and taught me so much through your books and your conference. I am humbled and grateful. I will try to remember to keep you and your family in my prayers.
Ann in Charlotte
Hi Sally, once again, your words have touched many parts of my heart and lifted me up in my calling as a mother. Any chance of you coming near NJ?
Many Blessings,
Lisa
Sally, the Holy Spirit has lovingly convicted me (again!) through what you have written here today and I feel so thankful to you for sharing your heart and faith with me.
I feel almost as if there is a re-awakening within me and I really needed that right now as I seek to be a loving Christ-like mama to my children and to the children who enter our home.
Thank you for offering a long cool drink to me, in the name of Jesus, in the form of these words.
Love Lusi x
You will never know how you have ministered life to me over the years. I heard you several years ago in Alabama and I was so touched and encouraged. Now, with one in college facing the realities of this world, you again, are encouraging me with what truely matters. I do pray God’s richest blessings on you and your family. I know you reap abundant, abounding fruit, because you sow abundantly in so many lives. Thank you
I thank God for you and teaching us “young mommmies” about raising godly children. Thank you for giving us direction and encouragement. I’m so thankful that there are women out there to help us. Some days I feel so lost in how to raise my children, but then I get some encouraging words, or some direction and it brings me so much hope. Thank you for your ministry! It is such a blessing!
Sally, once again I’m in tears at your wise, sweet words. Thank you so much for always being willing to pour out the things the Lord pours into you. There is so much for us all to learn from our wonderful Lord, and getting some lessons from other moms is priceless!
Can’t wait to see you this weekend in Dallas!
Praying for your safety and peace and a simple trip, as well as a wonderful conference with *no glitches!* And that the conference will be full of moms with hearts like sponges, who like their rice spicey!
I so appreciate the time and prayer that must go into your words. You are so wise and I am so convicted. I have such a struggle on a daily basis to be godly in my home and not let the flesh get the best of me. Thank you for your guidance and inspiration. I will be in Dallas this weekend and look so forward to soaking in every little bit of wisdom and encouragement I possibly can. Praying for a successful conference and safe travel for us all! To God be the glory!!
Sally, I’m so blessed by what you shared and I was also very blessed by the S.California conference. Thank you for sharing all that God has taught you. I’m so blessed to be apart of this ministry. You and your family are in my heart and prayers. Much love to you!
Thank you so much for this tender encouragment :0)
God Bless!
Hi Sally,
Thank you so much for sharing your heart in this post. It seems that everytime I read your posts, it has something to deal with what the Lord is saying to me at that time in my life. :O)
He’s so good! Times have not been easy for our family, but I can see God working out His perfect will through it all. There have been many times in the last few months that I’ve felt so far from Him, but then He directs me to your blog (I check it daily)and He speaks such love to me through your posts, & lets me know that I can keep on going & raise my sweet children, & love my sweet husband, through Him.
Thank you for your ministry. I’m praying for you & yours. I’ll see ya’ll in Dallas tomorrow! I can’t wait! :O)
God Bless you & Keep you,
Amy
I just finished your book, The Mission of Motherhood and absolutely LOVED it! It is exactly my heart for my family. Your blog is now bookmarked and will be visited often by me. I am so happy that God decided to bless you with such an incredible gift!! Please tell me you are coming to California soon????
Hi Sally,
I’ve nearly finished reading The Mission of Motherhood and I am so inspired! My 8-month old and I have been sick at home with really heavy colds for the last couple of days, and today when I picked up your book and read I felt so refreshed and encouraged. I love the vision of motherhood that you set out, based on God’s plan for mothers. I so long to be the mum, wife and homemaker that God intended me to be, and you paint a very beautiful picture to observe and learn from. Thank you for your ministry in affirming mums in their God-given calling. I look forward to reading more of your books.
God bless you and your family.
Anna,
North Essex, UK
Wow- you really hit the nail on the head. I am a twenty year old woman and I can say for certain that it is the loneliness that is the hardest to bear, and not the sin itself. The inability to celebrate the immorality all around you is compounded by the inability to completly leave it, either. You watch that movie, you go to that party, not because they bring you happiness but because they bring you
companionship…and that fact that most often it was your Christian friends that lead you there in the first place.
The remedy, it seems, is to try to love those around you as selflessly as you can, and maintain your own high personal standards. However, this mindset can make you even lonelier when with your friends, because you realize how alien your priorities are to them- and how you have no one to talk about it with.
Perhaps, by rebuilding a culture of peace and beauty, we can create a place of spiritual renewel for believers as we simelotaneously become a light for all of the lost. Sin isn’t all that great when you know the joy of living with God. In the words of CS Lewis, we are like street children content to play with mudpies in the gutter when we are offered a vacation on the seashore.
Thank you for an excellent and affirming post!
~Katie
So so good…wise words.
I just wanted to encourage Katie, who commented on February 20. There *are* other people out there who know how you feel, but even more importantly, God knows how you feel. And his grace is deeper than our deepest hurt, which considering how painful loneliness can be, must say something really amazing about his grace! I pray that you will sense that grace.