If You Are A Mom

then you know you can use a little encouragement now and then.

This year I've been getting to know Sally and Clay Clarkson through their books and website. Their ministry is called Whole Heart, and while I came across their stuff in my homeschooling research, I've been impressed by their desire to minister to the whole family, particularly parents. Rather than put their efforts into designing homeschool curricula, they've labored to produce books, conferences, and events to spur moms (and dads) on in the faith, and in passing it on to their kids.

Whether you homeschool or not, you need to get your hands on Sally's books! She doesn't offer a 12-step plan, but she does encourage moms to take their job seriously, to seek God for guidance, to create a vision for their kids and family. I can recommend The Mission of Motherhood and The Ministry of Motherhood. And I look forward to reading Seasons of a Mother's Heart and others in the coming months. She's having a 15% off sale leading up to Mother's Day; now's the time to get these books!

A word of warning: you need to go into reading these books extending yourself a lot of grace. Sally has thought a lot about being a mom, raising her family, and scriptures that apply. And her kids were not all toddlers at the time of writing. You may find some of her stories intimidating, thinking, "I could never be like her! She seems to have it all figured out!" But the point is not to become a mom like Sally; she doesn't write for that reason. The point is to be encouraged to think about family, faith, child-rearing, and, above all, seek the Lord in your labors as a mom (or anything you do, really!)

This mom thing can wear you down! But God's given you the task of raising your kids, and you're just the mom they need. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 As I said in yesterday's post, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! And take advantage of Sally's insights if you need a little hope that it's all worth it or some ideas on how to think Biblically about mommy-ing beyond the day-to-day routine.