So hopefully you're convinced by now that motherhood is full of "agains"... but maybe you are still wondering if all of your work matters and if any of it is adding up. Betsy, Jen, Emily, and Steph share why motherhood matters deeply in this episode. We hope you are encouraged to persevere in serving your family and in discipling your children. The Lord sees and He is honored by every sacrifice you make. Don't grow weary, Mama!

There are the joyful agains our children shout on the swings,

the exhausting agains of dishes, cooking, and laundry, and the

difficult agains of discipline.

So much of what we do as mothers is on repeat.

So what if we could trust this repetition was adding up?

What if we woke up with clarity, knowing which agains we were called to?

and went to bed believing we are faithful in what matters most.

We believe focusing on the agains in God's word and a to be list over a to

do list is the way to untangle from the confusion and overwhelm we feel.

Let's look up together to embrace a motherhood full of freedom and joy.

Hi there.

Thanks for joining us for another episode of again, I'm your host, Stephanie Hickox.

And this is brought to you by entrusted ministries.

Today I'm joined by the incredible Betsy Corning.

The founder and director of Entrusted Ministries and the author

of Entrusted with a Child's Heart.

And also today we have Jen Freckman and Emily Deyo.

Two amazing moms who are fully devoted to their children.

To the Lord and love pouring into other moms.

Each of these ladies has so much wisdom.

And we really hope that you'll be blessed today.

As you're reminded that every sacrifice you make in your home as you serve

your family matters to the Lord.

He sees every act of faithfulness.

Especially when you're pointing your children to him.

It all matters.

Charles Spurgeon.

The infamous pastor said you are as much serving God in looking after your

own children and training them up in God's fear and minding the house and

making your household a church for God.

As you would be if you had been called to lead an army to

battle for the Lord of hosts.

We hope you believe that by the end of this episode we hope you're encouraged

to persevere in joy knowing that you have an audience of one to please and make sure

you listen to the end for a good laugh.

Jen.

I know you have such a heart to minister, to moms and to make sure that

they know that the Lord is delighted in their faithfulness in the home.

But this idea is so counter-cultural right now.

So I'm wondering how do you see that women need to be encouraged in this area?

For sure.

I think that in today's world, stay at home moms might feel a little

unseen and living anonymously in their homes with their children.

I think even sometimes pastors are neglecting to encourage that

stay at home mom role almost outta fear of offending the working mom.

And I think that they've kind of lost sight a little bit of that.

High and holy calling and how sometimes it can feel lonely and it

can feel like day in and day out.

You're doing this work as unto the Lord and no one notices.

And so knowing that we serve a God who sees matters

I'm reminded about a book that I read once by JC Ryle.

It's in his book, holiness, and it says, holiness is the habit of being

of one Mind with God, the habit of agreeing in God's judgment, hating what

he hates, and loving what he loves.

And measuring everything in this world by the standard of his word.

And in his word, he talks about how us moms are to be

the one at home busy at home.

And so working at home, day in, day out, caring for those

children's needs, it matters to him.

And it's a high and a holy calling.

And I don't think that it's a lesser than.

I think that it's something that God desires.

He knew what he was doing when he put families together.

He could have placed us down in this earth without a family.

But he didn't.

He gave us a mom and a dad and a role for each of them, and he did

that for a reason, knowing that they can help us to disciple.

Us into who we're supposed to be in the Lord.

And that's the role of a parent is to disciple, is to bring that child up into

the fear and admonition of the Lord and to Cultivate in them a heart for the Lord

and to teach him and her, the, the value of his word and what his word says and how

to be a good human, how to be less of a sinner and to work through those things.

And it's a high and holy calling.

In Isaiah 40 11, it says, the Lord helps us.

He will tend to flock like a shepherd.

He will gather the lambs in his arms and he will carry them in his bosom and

gently lead those who are with young.

And that's, that's US moms.

He's gently leading us.

It's not something that we can do on our own.

But we often need that encouragement that we're not doing it alone.

moms get caught up in the mundane and they think that nobody

understands how they're feeling, that they're alone in the world.

Probably because there's not a lot of adults around them

when they're doing this.

Magnificent work as unto the Lord with their small children.

But I think all of those seemingly trivial, mundane things are so

substantial, they're so building into the child knowing that you are there,

that you're a security for them, that you provide for them, you know, we

talk in Entrusted so many ways about how your touch is significant in the

life

of a child.

and they really long for it.

That little child that sees you come to the nursery to pick them up, you're

the one, you are the one, no other mother's gonna do it that point.

And it's just a really precious thing.

And I think that it's just kind of being lost.

Mothers feel that what they're doing isn't necessarily so

significant, but we know that it is.

The Bible tells us that it is.

So a verse that's so difficult to understand is First

Timothy two, and it is verse.

13 and 14.

I will just read it here first.

For it was Adam who was first created and then Eve, and it was not Adam

who was deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression.

But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they

continue in faith, in love, and.

Sanctity was self-restraint.

Well, that's a whopper.

This is definitely one of those verses that you say what

Okay.

I'm excited to

hear I

me too.

It's something that women struggle with.

They might not necessarily understand, well, we know that

that doesn't refer to salvation.

It's that the dignity of womanhood is being lifted up it is saying

that the woman's dignity is preserved through the bearing of her

children and that she is elevated

From the very b eginning, she was the first to be deceived.

The Lord is saying, I will elevate you in the preserving and the bearing

of children, and also in the way that you bring them up in faith and love

and sanctity with self-restraint.

So, It's a really precious promise of the Lord that we don't have to

think of women in one particular way.

God has redeemed the view of women.

It just doesn't seem to be a really apparent in our culture though, does It

It seems.

That women have to be highlighted, celebrated in

a, you know, self celebrated.

I'm not saying that we don't celebrate women, right?

We certainly do.

We celebrate motherhood.

We celebrate daughters, we celebrate all of these things,

but there's such a way that it's.

Self elevation, self-promotion, that we have a difficulty not being celebrated.

In fact, that's what the word celebrity comes from.

You know, a person that is celebrated and I feel like I

can be celebrated by my family.

I can be celebrated by the Lord.

What I think of as, I think of Jesus and Jen, you made me think of this

thought, that when Jesus came to earth, he didn't come to be celebrated.

He came incognito and I really meditate on that sometimes,

that he did what he came to do.

He did what the father called him to do.

He's surrendered his will.

He came humbly and he did this.

Now, that's the first coming of Jesus.

We know the second coming will be quite different.

The whole world will know.

Imagine when he came the first time and he, he did so many things for

people and they just didn't see it.

That will not be the case the second time.

The first time he came incognito, and sometimes we feel that way as

mothers, but what we can identify with Christ and our service unto him

doesn't have to be seen by everybody.

It will be recognized by the Lord also.

Oh, for sure.

I think that that is so sanctifying for us as moms though, because we,

we see in our hearts that desire to get that promotion or to get that

praise or to have that Mother or mother-in-law say to you, well done.

Good job.

You're doing good with that.

And when we don't get that and we have children who are running around

being their sinful little selves and we're dealing with that day in and day

out, and we feel our selves and our hearts being faithful and not seeing

the fruit, we don't see it right away.

We won't see it for oftentimes, it maybe even we won't see it on this earth.

But that we are doing this as a service as unto the Lord, and

this is our holy and high calling.

I'm reminded of a quote in the book by j r Miller called Secrets of Happy Home

Life, and it says, A mother is one of the holiest secrets of home happiness.

God sends many beautiful blessings in this world, but no blessing is richer

than that which he bestows in a mother.

Who has learned loves less and well, and has realized something of the

meaning of her sacred and high calling.

When we moms understand that this is not just babysitting children,

but we are actually involved in the spiritual and developmental wellbeing

of our children's souls, that puts a whole new perspective on being a

mom and

a stay at home mom.

Mm-hmm.

I know with our family, we decided to homeschool because.

It gave so many more opportunities for discipleship.

So many more, so much more time, as in Deuteronomy six, about when you sit in

your house, when you walk, by the way, when you rise up and all those things.

It was like, oh, we'd have so much more time doing that if they were

home with us all the the time.

And so being able to do that.

It helps you to see that this is a holy calling.

This is not just sending them off somewhere where someone can

take care of their wellbeing.

One of my favorite verses is second Corinthians 1215.

I will most gladly spend and be spent for the sake of your souls.

That's why we do this for the sake of their souls.

I wanna spend myself, I wanna be spent at the end of the night.

I wanna go to bed exhausted.

Not because I cleaned the house well, or whatever work on this earth well,

but because of the sake of their souls, I was redirecting their affections

towards the Lord day in, day out.

I wanna be exhausted in that.

I agree.

That's

awesome.

Mm-hmm.

I think in our culture where there's so much instant gratification, it's

very hard to not be tempted by that.

My mentor in college had a two year old and then a baby, and her husband was the

campus minister's and she needed to step back as she was raising her children.

And so she put a picture of a cathedral in her kitchen.

Just to remind her that I'm building something.

I'm building something that I might never see, just like the

builders of the cathedrals.

And I thought that was so neat that she had it so prominently placed in her

home as that constant reminder, even as she turned the stairs to go change

every diaper, she knew this all counts.

I love that there's a

quote by J r R Tolkien that says, my own dear mother was a martyr.

Indeed, and it is not to everybody that God grants so easy away to his

great gifts, as he did to Hillary and myself, giving us a mother who

killed herself with labor and trouble to ensure us keeping the faith.

I

love

Mm.

Absolutely.

And though we know that there's no prescription for this, right?

Mm-hmm.

Every child will someday make a decision.

But what a joy to be able to look back and know that we laid it all out there, right?

That we left

it all on the

field,

that we left nothing unsaid that we wanted to say that we took every opportunity

That's even why we call the Ministry Entrusted Ministries because

it

means

held for safekeeping and we are stewards of those children.

They don't really truly belong to us.

It says in Ezekiel, all souls belong to God, and in that little

shape of the little body that we get presented when they're born.

Such a wonderful.

Awesome moment in life, and then we get to train them up to love the

Lord and give their lives to him.

It's a stewardship.

It's

like we are really raising them on his behalf.

Well, how would

the

king want his children to be raised and his

behalf?

Mm-hmm.

It's such a wonderful responsibility, but it gives you a, a joy in doing it

like the Lord, you're with me in this.

You see me

when I

stick

my head in the dryer.

And you know what?

You know what I like about doing laundry is because my thoughts get to be my own.

I look

at

my

husband

and he has to go to work and he has to talk to people about all these

different things and different clients and different numbers and

all this, and I think, you know what?

I get to think about the Lord.

I get to think about a Bible verse.

I get to.

Really concentrate and dwell on what's holy, right.

Pure, perfect.

Yes.

And what I'm dealing with and what I'm making for lunch

and all that for the kids.

But it's more your own thoughts that you get and you get to bring your

thoughts captive to the things of the

Mm-hmm.

Emily.

I know we've talked a little bit about homeschool here.

But I truly respect you for how intentional you are with your children.

When they're home, you really know their needs and you're available to meet them.

And we're not trying to paint a one size fits all here.

We don't think homeschooling is the only way for discipleship.

We think that the lord calls us to many things and so can you speak

to that a little bit about what it looks like in your home for you

to be faithful in your parenting

it looks like being very intentional for us, as Jen was

reading the quotes about being holy.

They're so sweet, and I think as a young mom, that word really scared me.

Being holy is something so unattainable and it's left for the Lord only, but.

But as I've grown in the Lord in sanctification, he has shown me that

holy doesn't have to be hard and it doesn't have to be unattainable.

It's something that we're daily striving towards in our homes for him.

And I was also thinking as we pour into our children, our girls are

watching and as we model this, so will they also model for their children.

So being intentional in our home and pouring into our kids it matters

every moment that we're folding the laundry, doing the dishes it all

counts and the Lord will sanctify it and make it good for his glory.

And that's funny that you said that you often felt like you

could think through your thoughts.

There are so many times in the day where I am like, I just want to think my own

thoughts.

I'm thinking so much for you.

There's a quote by Sophia Loren that says, when you're a mother, you are

never really alone in your thoughts.

A mother always

has

to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.

so I feel like at times I.

But that's why I think it's so important that as moms we get away to have a quiet

time of our own, that we put a high and holy priority on spending time alone

with the Lord to be able to hear those thoughts, to be able to stop

and think and be like, what are you speaking to me about, Lord,

how can I train up this child?

What is it in my own life that you.

See that is not bringing you glory.

And so being in the word every single day and hearing what he

has for that day, for that moment, for me, has been so important.

Because I feel like sometimes those

thoughts, I'm

like,

I don't

even

know

what

I

Yes.

my husband says

the

world

will

give you its thoughts

constantly.

Yeah.

And so we have to get alone like Jesus did and have our thoughts be his thoughts.

So maybe that's why I stuck my head in the

dryer

Because there is no place in the house you can go where

they can't, try and

find

you.

And especially when you think you're gonna

mm-hmm.

run

to

the

restroom for.

10 seconds.

Yes.

Mom.

I know.

I think it's so funny when in Entrusted when you talk about the best 15 minutes

of the day, my kids, all four of them.

It's the moment I need alone.

That's

Yes.

They best

of minutes.

Huh?

Mom's not here right now.

I think I'll find her.

Yes.

Yes.

I do think it's so hard, it's actually quite impossible to

pour from an empty vessel.

And so when we're not taking time away we can't pour what

we need to in our children.

And so whatever that means for you.

You're of course, your devotion time and your bible time, but also, you

know, what books are you reading?

What podcasts are you listening to?

What friends are you listening as they pour into you?

Who surrounds you?

Who are your children's friend?

It all matters And all of that disciples us.

Our calendars disciple us because what we make time for is what we grow in.

So it all matters.

Hmm.

Absolutely.

And I'm sure that there are some moms out there saying, I.

I'm called to work or, or I am working right now.

And, and we obviously would leave that up to you and the Lord,

whether that's really something the Lord's put on your heart or whether

that's a choice that you've chosen.

And so we trust you to work that out in your own home.

I know for me personally part of me being faithful to my family

and to the Lord is to take on part of a provider role right now.

My children are getting a little bit older and I continue to homeschool them so that

the discipleship role is still a key area that I'm involved in, in their lives.

But I think when we really let the Lord order our days, it's amazing how

our to-do list becomes his to-do list.

And you can start out being so overwhelmed and thinking, how can I pour into my

children when I have this much to-do?

But if we're really doing what the Lord's called us to, I think it's

amazing how he provides teachable moments, those silver platter moments,

and you can really have their heart, regardless of your circumstance, because

you know that whatever the Lord has called you to, he will provide for

what's truly important and on his heart.

So if you're listening and you're thinking, oh, that's not

quite my situation right now.

We just would ask you to prayerfully seek the Lord about how to order your days.

I love in Psalms that it says, teach us to number our days, so we may gain

a heart of wisdom, and I really believe that's available to each one of us.

Regardless of the situation.

God is so faithful to meet us where we're at, and to help us invest in our children.

I'd to jump in and go

back to a thought

that we mentioned earlier.

Stephanie and about their

choice for homeschool and discipleship and,

Whatever route you choose

to educate your child, you need to always understand that education is discipleship.

They're, they're in the institution, whether

it's

at

home or at school and

they are being taught and discipled.

Whatever is

being.

Put into them daily

so you

don't surrender discipleship to the school that they go to.

Whatever your school choice is.

We do have our children in a

Christian school,

and a phenomenal school.

We love,

we love it.

However, we aren't

leaving the discipleship at the door of.

The Christian institution, we're bringing it home

and we're asking

them what they're school and what they're being taught, curriculum asking

them to explain it in their own words so that we can talk through that.

Whatever they're learning, we

can talk through it

together.

My daughter

came home

one day and she said,

mom, we're studying the book

of Revelation

and it

says in Revelation

that we just be in We be worshiping

All day

long.

And an

incredible opportunity then to just talk about it.

And so

we

often

miss

the

discipleship moments

because

we're too busy going to the

doing

laundry and putting the meal on,

on the stove.

And so

the opportunities

for

discipleship us.

But I

have loved this thought that education is discipleship and that we choose

what poured our children daily.

Yeah, that's a great word.

And it's neat to see how the Lord makes disciples.

He's so faithful to take children from every path, right?

And I'm sure sitting at this table, we've all had different experiences and

it's neat to see the faithfulness of God as you look back over your life.

So we understand that.

He certainly calls us to many different things.

In Colossians 3 23, it says, whatever you do, work heartily

as for the Lord and not for men.

Knowing that from the Lord, you'll receive the inheritance as your reward.

You are serving the Lord Christ.

what an honor we have.

To really serve our Lord with each, apple, you cut each shoe

you tie each diaper, you change.

We have so many opportunities to show the Lord honor.

And you know, I was struck recently, I was studying in First John and how many times

we are commanded to love one another, love

one another, Like, Lord, am I loving you?

Not if I'm not loving others.

And I was really struck by the fact.

That it's so frequently says to love others because by loving

others, we are loving God.

And it very infrequently commands us to love god

so we know that that is the greatest commandment to love God.

Right.

And that it says it often in the old Testament and that Jesus,

again, quoted it in the gospels.

But it was really amazed by the fact that that command is not repeated very

much after we have Christ's example.

And so I thought, you know, once we see the love of Jesus, And display

on the cross and how he loved on this earth we don't have to be commanded

to do it as much because it's such a delight and honor to serve the

savior who went before us by serving

And I think if, His service and his selflessness continues to be our

model for how we serve our children.

We will overflow with that delight in it instead of.

This hunger for affirmation in it.

We won't be looking at our children as walking progress reports.

Mm-hmm.

Please tell me, am I doing a good job?

Okay.

Maybe I'll feel good about it when they graduate high school.

Maybe I'll feel good about it when, you know, they start to read or ride a bike

then I'll feel good about what I've done.

That's not what we're to do.

We can go to sleep knowing we've done our best.

And I'm talking to myself right now just so you know.

We can go to sleep knowing that we laid it all out there and trusting the Lord that

we're faithful to do our part, but , he's faithful, to do so much more with it.

And so we don't need to be looking to our children either

to, to give us that affirmation.

So,

Yeah, for sure.

And I think even, it's interesting cuz you were talking about love

and and loving others and he asked the question, do you love me?

And well, yes, I love you.

Well then feed my Sheep, tend my lambs

the way that we can show him we love him is by bringing up that

next generation and tending to his flack and tending to them and loving

them and showing others the love.

I think that was beautiful.

We hope that you feel valued encouraged and renewed that your

sacrifices and your service in your home.

Truly matter to the Lord.

This is just part one.

Of the pep talk next week, we're going to return and we're going to dig

into a couple passages of scripture.

That show just how much are against matter

and just in case we came across a little bit too serious today.

We've put one of our favorite outtakes.

From recording at the end of the episode.

Enjoy

We know you're busy, Mama, so we are truly grateful you joined

us for this episode of Again.

If you're looking for more information about building your home on the

foundation of Jesus Christ, head to www.

EntrustedMinistries.

com to learn more about our study for moms, Entrusted with a Child's Heart.

This scripture saturated study has blessed families around the

world, and we want it for you, too.

Before you go, I want to pray this benediction over you

from 2 Thessalonians 1, 11 12.

We're rooting for you.

To this end, we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His

calling, and may fulfill every resolve for good, and every work of faith by

His power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in

Him, according to the grace of our God.

And the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Until we meet again.

All right, Emily, what is your drink of choice?

Coffee, tea, or something else?

Well, coffee in the morning because it's very necessary.

And I find myself drinking tea more in the winter.

So I guess I'm a seasonal drinker.

laughter laughter laughter laughter laughter laughter