The gift of motherhood and homemaking.

It's 2:30 am. I often fall asleep while nursing Benjamin to sleep and then wake up at 12 to reset my home and prepare bread for the morning. As I was sweeping the floor I couldn't help but thank the Lord that I get to do this. What a gift that I get to take care of my family. I knew for sure that I would die absolutely happy knowing I did this my whole life. No internal struggle about doing anything else or having to spend more time with my kids. No stress about having to juggle it all. Just utter peace knowing that as I walk with the Lord He'll stretch me and increase my capacity for carrying more so that I can do all with the grace, excellence, and patience of a King's daughter.

As I prayed I was reminded that 6 years ago I was crying in my room. Fearful of all of the things I would miss and couldn't do. "But what about me?" I asked the Lord. We were getting ready to go do bible college in Australia and it was getting more and more evident that my husband would do most of the studying while I would stay at home. Something that scared me. I didn't want to miss out on all the fun.

The Lord reminded me how He called me to go to a woman's conference. I remember telling my husband: "I think God is telling me to go to that conference". He kind of shrugged it off (Since we were saving up our money to go to Australia) and said: "If the Lord truly wants that He'll have to give you a free ticket". A few days before the conference I received my free ticket and off I went. 3 months pregnant. Traveling by myself and sleeping in the attic of an overbooked hostel among many strangers. (I ended up sharing the gospel to two men and took them to church).

That conference was, to my (but not God's) surprise ALL about motherhood. It was all about the calling of motherhood and about the woman who went before us that made a HUGE impact on society from their homes. Because who cares more than a mother trying to protect her children right?

I went home in total awe and peace. I knew what God was calling me to do. I didn't know how exactly and had absolutely 0 homemaker skills, but my heart was set and I was ready to walk this road less traveled with the Lord.

Fast forward 6 years later and I am a stay-at-home, homeschooling, business-running, evangelizing homemaker. And I can wholeheartedly tell every woman out there that they will not ever regret the decision to walk this journey with the Lord.

So here are some practical tips, based on the bible, on how to go from stress to blessed as a homemaker:

1. Take it one step at a time.

"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” - Zechariah 4:10

This verse is specifically about building the temple of Jerusalem, but nevertheless, we can learn from it that God wants us to start. He wants us to take one step at a time and to trust that by His spirit we will be formed, renewed, and strengthened to become more like Him.

2. Practise patience and pray always

3. Do not run away from the hard thing.

"For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." - James 1:3-4

As one of my favorite authors and mama of 10 likes to say: "Hard is not bad".

We as humans of the current generation often seek to make our lives as easy as possible. Though it may seem pleasing at first it actually robs us of the chance to have our characters build. Leaving behind a whole generation of weakened vessels that burst at any difficult circumstance that comes our way. The Lord's way however is that we learn to stand victorious through ALL circumstances knowing with joyous hearts.