Biblical Motherhood And Why It Looks Different To What You May Think

Ever feel like women can't win? Too focused on motherhood or not focused enough? This week, Sharon Edmundson explores what the Bible actually says about motherhood - and it challenges both the Pinterest-perfect pressure and the career-first narrative.

In this honest conversation, Sharon shares four biblical principles that ground motherhood in something bigger than cultural expectations, and three practical roles that show how motherhood reveals God's character. From vulnerable stories about mum guilt to addressing childlessness and difficult parent relationships, this message offers grace-filled wisdom for wherever you are in your motherhood journey.

[08:00] When Cultural Messages Leave You Exhausted

Sharon names the reality: "We are seen as either being too focused on motherhood or not focused enough, and it can be exhausting."

She shares stories from her own life - friends with complicated relationships with their mothers, friends desperate for children but unable to have them, and her childhood friend Jane who spent years wondering about her birth mother after being adopted.

"Whatever your motherhood story looks like - whether you're honouring the mum who raised you, grieving the one that you wish you had, or figuring out how to be the mum your kids need - God's grace is big enough for you too."

What we explore:

• Why neither the 'perfect mother' nor 'career is everything' narrative satisfies
• How cultural pressure creates impossible standards
• Why God's perspective on motherhood is refreshingly different
• The reality that motherhood touches all of us in different ways

Key takeaway: You don't have to choose between the Pinterest-perfect mother or the career-focused woman - God offers a third way.

[08:00] Four Biblical Principles That Change Everything

Sharon walks through foundational truths from Scripture that transform how we view motherhood:

Principle 1: Motherhood is God's Good Idea

"God could have designed humans to just appear, fully formed. No nappies, no sleepless nights, no teenage years. But he didn't. He chose the messy, relational way. Why? Because He's relational."

Principle 2: Children Are a Blessing, Not a Burden

Sharon unpacks Psalm 127's imagery of children as arrows: "Warriors don't just keep their arrows permanently in their hand. They aim them, they release them, and they trust them to hit their target."

Principle 3: God Gives Children Value

"There's a God-given dignity in motherhood. But it is not the underlying basis of our value or our worth. Our value is in that we are made in God's image. So a woman without children is as valuable as a woman with children."

Principle 4: Motherhood Isn't the Most Important Thing

"If we make children the most important thing in our lives, we're putting them in God's place, and they aren't designed to handle that kind of pressure."

Key takeaway: These principles free you from cultural pressure whilst giving motherhood profound purpose.

[16:00] Three Roles That Reveal God's Heart

Sharon explores three specific roles mothers play:

Authority Exercised Through Serving

"If you're a parent of small children or teens and you're trying to be their friend, you might be missing part of your purpose as a parent. They don't need you to be their friend. They need you to take your God-given role of authority over them for their good."

But she quickly adds: "God's way of doing things is that authority is about serving."

Love Characterised by Delight

Sharon gets personal about seeing a photo of her child in a giraffe costume: "You know, those flashbacks of like, oh, that was just so cute and lovely. And just that warm affection thinking about it."

"How amazing to think that God delights in us like a mother delights in her children."

Teaching Woven Into Daily Life

"When our kids were little, we used to have Bible reading and prayer at breakfast. That worked for a time, and then it didn't work. But as the verse shows, learning can take place anywhere, just in daily life."

Sharon shares how picking her daughter up from school became their most meaningful conversation time - even though her daughter could have made her own way.

Key takeaway: Biblical motherhood is about serving authority, delighted love, and everyday teaching moments.

[28:00] Conversation Street - The Real Questions

Can I Be Both Career-Focused and Faithful as a Mum?

Sharon's honest: "I'm not sure I totally have the answer. I think the key thing is to know what is God asking you to do? Are you doing all the things you're doing because you are giving in to pressure from other people or because of some sort of insecurity?"

Anna adds crucial wisdom: "Motherhood isn't one season, it's lots of little ones. It's about knowing the exact season you're in and how much you can manage in that season, and being realistic."

What Do I Do With Mum Guilt?

Sharon gets vulnerable about years of guilt over sleep training that didn't work with her daughter:

"For years, I looked back at that going, I don't think I got that right. Have I damaged her? Then I felt God say, 'Apologise to her.' So I went and apologised to her. I think it was only last year. She was like, 'Oh yeah, it's fine.' And I've been able to let it go since then."

Anna reinforces: "Nobody gives you a manual. You just learn as you go. So there has to be grace - asking God for wisdom, but also having grace when it goes wrong. There's another day, clean start."

How Can Childless Women Live Out Spiritual Motherhood?

Jan speaks powerfully: "It's clear in the Bible that to be a mother is not just to be a biological mother. A 20-year-old can be mothering a teenage girl. It's about caring, giving time, investing in. That's what being a mother is."

Anna recommends Ruth Corden's podcast for more on this: "She talks about having a mother's heart but empty arms. She's a social worker dealing with vulnerable children - that's part of what she believes God's called her to do."

How Do I Trust God When Motherhood Feels Hard?

Anna gets brutally honest: "A lot of motherhood is just Groundhog Day. Clean the hamster, make the dinner, make sure everyone's done their homework. A lot of nagging, a lot of cajoling. It's a bit of a slog, and it can be tedious."

Sharon shares her approach: "I think being able to be honest before God and just go, 'I'm really not enjoying this right now.' Then choosing to be thankful even when we don't feel it. 'Thank you, God, that I have a kitchen floor to clean.' Sometimes that was through gritted teeth."

How Do I Honour a Dishonourable Parent?

Sharon uses David and Saul's example: "David drew the line - 'No, you are not killing me. There's a line you're not going to cross.' But he wouldn't harm Saul because God had put him in that position. He put boundaries in. It was this far and no further."

Jan adds practically: "Sometimes it might mean keeping your visits short, having boundaries, protecting yourself."

Key takeaway: These aren't easy questions with simple answers - but God's grace meets you in the complexity.

Matt Edmundson`````: Hello and welcome

to Crowd Church coming to you live

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from Liverpool this Sunday night.

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My name is Matt Edmundson, and whether

this is your first time or whether

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you've been part of our journey since the

beginning, it's brilliant to be with you.

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We are a community of people figuring

out what it means to follow Jesus.

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In real life, not the polished,

perfect version, but you know, the

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messy, genuine, brilliant reality of

this whole thing called Christianity.

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So let me give you a little

roadmap of what's gonna be

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happening over the next hour.

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We'll have a talk last about 20 minutes

looking at the topic of relationships,

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which is the section of our series

becoming whole, that we are looking

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at exploring how Christ makes us

whole across every domain of life.

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After the talk, we've

got conversation streets.

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Oh yes.

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This is where we dig into what

you've just heard, and you get

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to be part of that discussion.

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So if you're with us live, jump into

the comments, share your questions,

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your thoughts, and your stories.

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And of course, if you're watching on

Catchup or listening to the podcast, then

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thanks for being part of the Crowd too.

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Right?

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Let's meet your hosts

and let's get started.

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Anna Kettle: Good evening

and welcome to Crowd Church.

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Uh, I'm Anna Kettle and it's

great to be here tonight.

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Um, I'm joined by Jan Birch, who

until earlier this afternoon,

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we didn't think was coming, so

I'm excited to have you here.

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Welcome, Jan.

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She wasn't feeling that well, so

we weren't sure, but you've made

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Jan Burch: it.

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I've made it.

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Thank you.

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Hi everyone.

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Hello.

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Hello.

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That's it.

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Hello.

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Anna Kettle: Short, but Sweet John.

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Well, it's good to have you here.

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Thank you.

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Um, so tonight we're carrying

on our series, uh, we're talking

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about, uh, motherhood tonight.

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Um, so just carrying on

our series about, um, yeah.

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A biblical wholeness.

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And, um, so I'm excited about

this theme and we've got Sharon

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Edmundson talking to us tonight.

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And so I'll pass over to her in a second.

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But just to remind you all, if you're

watching live at home, just to, um,

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while you're listening to her talk, just

um, feel free to post your questions,

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put 'em in the chat bar and send them

through and we will try and unpick

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them at the end, won't we, John?

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Yeah.

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Great.

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Well, without further ado,

I will pass over to Sharon.

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Sharon Edmundson: Hello and welcome

wherever you are joining from today.

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Um, sorry, technical problems already,

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so, okay.

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Yeah, just trying to get my notes here.

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Okay.

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So, as Anna already said, here at

crowds, we're in a series about biblical

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wholeness, exploring what it means

to be whole in every area of life.

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And we've defined wholeness as

nothing missing, nothing broken,

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and we've looked at spirit.

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Soul body, and we've made a start at

looking at relationships, recently

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focusing on marriage and fatherhood.

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And today we turn our

attention to motherhood.

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So motherhood is a subject that

touches all of us in different ways.

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So however our families are

currently shaped, each of us has

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been influenced by the present.

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Or the absence of a biological mother.

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And for some, this brings gratitude

and joy for others, pain or questions.

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And for many, a mixture of the two.

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I remember one, uh, childhood

friend who was adopted.

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I'll call her Jane, though,

that's not her real name.

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So Jane's adoptive parents were

fabulous, but Jane and I often

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talked about her birth parents.

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We wondered about her birth mother.

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Who was she?

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What was she like?

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Why had she given Jane up for adoption?

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And one day Jane was snooping in

her parents' bedroom as children

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often do, and came across some

documents about her adoption.

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And she quickly copied down all the

details and gave them to me to keep safe.

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And to me it was this like really exciting

mystery that went through my childhood

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and teenage years, and I wondered if

we would ever have the answers to our

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questions, but more on that later.

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And I've got other friends with

complicated relationships with

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their mothers, such as a friend

whose mom really loved her, but just

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tended to be critical of her all

the time because of her own hurt.

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And I've got friends who've

lost a mother too soon.

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Friends who are mothers themselves,

friends who've lost children

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to death or estrangement.

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I've got friends who are desperate

for children, but unable to have them.

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And other friends who've

adopted or fostered.

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And I'm also a daughter and I'm a

mother to three adult children myself.

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Can't quite believe that

they're adults, but there we go.

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So sometimes I've done a great job.

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And other times I've got it really

wrong and I've had to go and apologize.

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But all these experiences have

given me like a little glimpse into

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the complex emotions and questions

that can surround motherhood.

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So I wonder what is, or was your

relationship with your biological

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mum, did you grow up with her or

did you grow up like my friend

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with someone who took on that role?

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Did you get on well with your

mom or were things tricky?

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And what are the effects

of that relationship?

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Relationship on your life now?

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Wherever you find yourself, whether

that's someone who's reflecting on

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their own mum and their upbringing,

or someone who is a mother or hopes

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to be, my Prayer is that God would

speak to you through today's talk, so

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we'll look at some different cultural

views of motherhood, but importantly.

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What the Bible has to say.

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Now, there's a lot from the Bible that

I could say, as usual, we've picked

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this massive subject and just tried

to condense it down into a short time.

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But I'm gonna look at just, uh, four broad

principles of biblical motherhood and

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then three specific roles and look at how

those show something of God's character.

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'cause in his book, um, Jesus

Through Middle Eastern Eyes,

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Kenneth Bailey says this.

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We know that God is spirit and

is neither male nor female.

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Yet in scripture we are told

that the believer is born of God.

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That's in one John three verse nine.

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Here, John uses female language

to describe the relationship

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between God and believers.

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Similarly, when Jesus addressed God as

Father, he was using a male metaphor to

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help us understand the nature of God.

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Scripture uses male and female images

to enrich our understanding of God.

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Who is spirit?

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And thereby beyond male and female.

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It's quite a long quote.

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Um, anyway, but so in Conversation Street

afterwards with Anna and Jan, we can get

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into the trickier questions of how this

all works when things don't go to plan.

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'cause the Bible's great at giving the

ideal the way God intended things to be.

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But it also gives us so many

examples of people whose lives

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didn't reflect the ideal, but they

did reflect God's grace and mercy.

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And none of us are perfect in

either how we relate to our own

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moms or in how we bring up our kids.

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So no matter where you are in your

spiritual journey, it's full of

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faith, full of doubt, or just curious.

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My Prayer is that this space will

be open for you to reflect and

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for God to speak into your life.

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So why not grab a notebook and a pen?

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Uh, write down any thoughts or emotions

that come to you, um, as I speak.

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So let's start with a Prayer.

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So, Lord, yeah, we just invite you

into, um, our, our lives Now, uh,

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I pray for each of us, wherever

we're at, that you would speak

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to us about our own relationships

with our moms or our relationships

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with our kids if we are moms.

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Um, yeah, speak to us Lord.

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So.

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Do you ever feel like women can't

win in some circles if you're

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older and you're not a mom?

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Let's face it.

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People look at you as if you're a

bit funny and in others, if you give

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up paid work and choose to focus on

raising your kids, you are seen as

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wasting your potential and your life.

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Your work as a mom is seen as inferior

to those who develop their career.

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And if you are both bringing up

kids and working or continuing with

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your career, you can feel like it.

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You're not doing either of them

well, we were talking about that

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before we went on air earlier.

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We can, we are seen as either being too

focused on motherhood or not focused

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enough and it can be exhausting.

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And of course, between these extremes,

there's a wide spectrum of views.

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Many people are trying to be a bit

more honoring now of both those

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who choose to be mothers and those

who pursue other paths as well as

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those who juggle the two roles.

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So let's take a look at how the Bible

addresses the topic from motherhood and

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what insights it might offer us wherever

we find ourselves on this spectrum.

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So firstly, four broad principles.

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So principle one, motherhood is God's good

idea and part of his plan for humankind.

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Think about this for a second.

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God could have designed

humans to just like appear.

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Fully formed, no nappies, no

sleepless nights, no teenage years.

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But he didn't.

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He chose the messy relational way.

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Why?

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Because he's relational.

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The first book of the Bible says this

in Genesis, so God created mankind in

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his own image, in the image of God.

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He created them, male and female.

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He created them.

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God blessed them and said to them,

be fruitful and increase in number.

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Fill the earth and subdue it.

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So we see, um, him create, uh, we

see God create a man and a woman, and

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the very first instruction he gives

them is to multiply and be fruitful.

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In other words, go and have kids.

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So motherhood is God's good

idea and part of his design.

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So God's plan for the world was that

each new person coming into it would

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come from a loving covenant relationship

of a father and a mother, each with

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their own role in the process of

creating and bringing up a child.

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So he created this really relational way

to both bring children into the world

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and to bring them to maturity because

he's a loving, committed, relational God.

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But here's where it gets more interesting.

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So we've also seen in the book of

Genesis how human beings turned away

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from God and we started doing things

our own way, just leaving God out.

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Um, and our relationship with him

became broken, but he had a long-term

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strategy to make a way for us to

be back in relationship with him.

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And a key part of that

plan was motherhood.

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How you may ask.

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Well, in Genesis we see a prophecy.

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God gives that one day a savior would

come through a woman as Christians.

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We believe that that woman was

Mary, a virgin at that time,

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and the savior is Jesus Christ.

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So I know that a virgin birth sounds

farfetched, but if you look out to,

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to space and imagine God creating

all that vastness, it's really

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not a big deal for him to create

one baby without a human father.

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So God came to earth as a

human through a Mother Mary.

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So mother isn't just part of

his plan, it's central to it,

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which I find like amazing.

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So principle two children are,

are a blessing and not a burden.

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Psalm 127 says, children

are a heritage of the Lord.

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Offspring, a reward from him, like

arrows in the hand of a warrior,

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and children born in one's youth.

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Scripture consistently, um, presents

children not as burdens or accidents,

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but as a heritage and a reward.

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Now I know that's a challenge, um,

when you're hearing it in the midst

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of poverty or exhaustion or just the

sheer relentlessness of parenting.

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Some days kids can definitely

feel like a burden, but here's

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what the Hebrew is getting at.

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The word for heritage implies

something precious being passed

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down through the generations.

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While the word for reward suggests wages

earned, children ought to be valued.

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And then there's the bit about, um,

arrows in the hands of a warrior.

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Warriors don't just keep their

arrows permanently in their hand.

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They aim them, they release them,

they trust them to hit their target.

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And maybe that's saying something

about how we are meant to raise kids,

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not to keep them close forever, but

to prepare them and to send them out.

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So this all challenges one of the

modern views that children are just

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obstacles to personal fulfillment

or to career adv advancement.

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But it also challenges when

we're tempted to see children

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as a burden rather than a gift.

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So principle three, God is

involved and gives children value.

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Psalm 139 says, um, and this is

I think, a beautiful psalm, and

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this is just a small portion.

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It says, for you are, um, for you

created my inmost being you knit

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me together in my mother's womb.

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I praise you because I'm

fearfully and wonderfully made.

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Now, I know this is poetry, but the

poetry in the Bible points to deep

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truths, and these verses show us that

not only the mother and father involved

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in are involved in the creation of

a new person, but also God himself.

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There's something sacred about a

new life forming inside its mother.

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In the broader Roman context of Jesus'

time, children were placed near the bottom

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of the pecking order and they only gr

um, gained any value as they grew older.

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But Christian teaching advocates for

the dignity of children, and it was

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counter-cultural and led to the gradual

protection for children after Jesus' time.

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So there's, um, a God-given

dignity in motherhood.

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But it is not the underlying basis

of our value or our our worth,

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nor is having an amazing career

meant to be the basis of our value.

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Our value is in that we are knit

together by God in our mother's womb,

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and that we are made in his image.

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So a woman without children is as

valuable as a woman with children.

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So principle four, motherhood

is important, but it's not

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the most important thing.

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Have you ever heard someone

say that family is the most

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important thing in my life?

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Or maybe you've said it

according to the Bible.

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Family is very important.

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It says that God adopts us into

his family, but it also says this,

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um, if anyone comes to me and does

not hate his own father, mother.

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And wife and children.

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And brothers and sisters, yes.

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And even his own life,

he cannot be my disciple.

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Wait, what?

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Jesus is telling me to hate people.

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Even my own children.

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I thought he was all about love.

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You know, this passage doesn't mean

to literally hate our families.

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He's using hyperbole to make a point.

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And that point is that although

motherhood is good, it shouldn't be

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the most important thing in our lives.

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God is the only one worthy

of that highest place.

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Motherhood's important, but

it's not meant to be more

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important to us than God himself.

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And if we make children, the

most important thing is in our

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lives, we're putting them in God's

place and they aren't designed

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to handle that kind of pressure.

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So we look at, um, we've

looked at four principles.

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One was motherhood is God's

idea and part of his plan.

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Two children are a

blessing and not a burden.

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Three, God is involved

and gives children value.

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And four, motherhood's important,

but not the most important thing.

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So what does biblical motherhood

actually look like in practice?

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Let's talk about three

roles and fair warning.

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The first one might make you uncomfortable

because as role one, I've got a mother

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is to be in authority over her children.

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Ephesians six says this, children

obey your parents in the Lord.

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For this is right, honor your

father and mother, which is the

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first commandment with a promise.

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That it may go well with you and that

you may enjoy long life on the earth.

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Now, I know that authority is a

bit of a loaded word these days,

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and for good reason because we've

all seen it abused, haven't we?

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But here's the thing, kids actually need

parents to be parents, not just friends.

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They've got friends.

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What they need is someone who loves

them enough to set boundaries to say no

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and to guide them even when it's hard.

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Um, love is not just love in the Bible.

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Different relationships have

different types of love and

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different roles and boundaries.

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And the mother child

relationship is not primarily a

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friendship, it's of leadership.

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Uh.

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So if you're a parent of small children

or teens and you're trying to be

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their friend, you might be missing

part of your purpose as a parent.

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They don't need you to be their friend.

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They need you to take your God-given role

of authority over them for their good.

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And that does change an alter over time.

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But the basic principles the same.

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And many times in society, and sadly

in church too, we've seen those in

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authority get a bit of a power kick,

and the role becomes about people

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serving them and making them feel good.

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But that's not how authority

works in God's kingdom.

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Jesus said this on the matter.

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Um, you know that those who are regarded

as rulers of the Gentiles Lord, it over

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them and their high officials exercise

authority over them, not so with you.

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Instead, whoever wants to become

great among you must be your

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servant, and whoever wants to

be first must be a slave of all.

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For even the son of man did not come

to be served, but to serve and to

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give his life as a ransom for many.

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So God's way, God's his way

of doing things is, is that

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authority is about serving.

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And Jesus demonstrated this

himself by taking the place of a

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servant with his closest followers,

even like washing their feet.

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And ultimately he gave his own life

for them, but he wasn't a pushover.

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You knew who was in charge.

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And in relation to your own

mom, how is your attitude?

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Is it one of honor or something else?

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If you, if you are a mom and you

have children, do you correct them

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if they're not respectful to you or

do you let them get away with it?

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And not long ago, one of our kids was at

the home of another family and was shocked

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by how the kids talked to their mom.

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And no one seemed to

bat an eyelid about it.

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He reflected that he was, uh, that she

wasn't being respected, and I think that

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made him feel a little bit like sad.

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Um, yeah.

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So roll two.

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Is loving with purpose.

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Titus two says, likewise teach the older

women to be reverent in the way they live.

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Not to be slanderous or addicted to

much wine, but to teach what is good.

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Then they can train the younger women

to love their husbands and children.

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Um, I think I've already said that.

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Um, in English, we just have the one word

for love and we use it for everything.

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Everything from loving chocolate to

a family member to a love interest.

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But the Greek and the Hebrew

of the Bible are different.

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There are different words to talk

about, different kinds of love.

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And the Greek word here is all

about fondness and delight.

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It's got this warmth and

this tenderness about it.

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It's a love that nurtures and protects

from a place of affection rather

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than just a self-sacrificing duty.

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Even the design of a mother's body

reflects this from conception.

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A baby is nurtured and

protected in its mother's womb.

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Now it's possible to love

someone without liking them.

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We possibly all have those people in

our lives, but I believe we all crave

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a love that kind of delights in us.

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Um, as I was in church earlier, um,

a picture came up on my husband's

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phone of one of our kids wearing

a little giraffe costume when

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they were younger, not recently.

355

And it just made me like, you

know, those flashbacks of like, oh,

356

that was just so cute and lovely.

357

Um, and just that like warm

affection, thinking about it.

358

And this is, this type of love mirrors

one of the ways that God loves us.

359

Psalm 147 says, the Lord delights

in those who fear him, who put

360

their hope in his unfailing love and

the fear we're talking about here.

361

It's not that being scared sought because

you know you've got somebody horrible.

362

It's this reverential,

awe, and deep respect.

363

It's about recognizing God for who he is.

364

How amazing to think that God delights in

us like a mother delights in her children.

365

And this type of love is also very

different to the love that parents

366

showed when my, when my parents were

little back then showing affection

367

for your kids was not the dumb thing.

368

You showed love by providing for them

and training them from this place

369

of duty, and that is part of love.

370

It's a good thing, but it kind of

misses that warmth that God intended.

371

Um, Psalm 37, I've got

loads of verses today.

372

Um, says, take delight in the Lord and he

will give you the desires of your heart.

373

So it's like delight breeds delight.

374

God delights in us and

we are to delight in him.

375

So we're starting from this place

of delight, nurture and protection.

376

But we don't stop there.

377

There's more.

378

So role three is a mother is to

teach and train her children.

379

Who would you rather learn from?

380

Someone who's not bothered about you

or even dislikes you or someone who

381

loves you unconditionally and delights

in you and wants you to do well?

382

The love we just talked about is the

foundation for teaching and training.

383

Deuteronomy six says These

commandments I give to you today.

384

Uh, I give to you today are to be in your

hearts, impress them on your children.

385

Talk about them when you sit at home

and when you walk along the road,

386

when you lie down and when you get

up, tie them as symbols on your hands

387

and bind them on your foreheads.

388

These verses show that both mother

and father to be involved in the

389

upbringing of their children.

390

In the past, in the UK long ago,

it was seen as just the mother's

391

job to bring up the kids and the

father's job to go out to work.

392

And the father's just like

no kids, is your, your work.

393

Don't bother me.

394

But these verses show that

it's both mother and father

395

together are to be involved in

teaching and training their kids.

396

And the faith isn't just for Sundays.

397

It's like woven into everyday stuff.

398

Breakfast conversations, car

journeys, bedtime chats, and so on.

399

So when our kids were little,

we used to have Bible reading

400

and Prayer at breakfast.

401

And that worked for time

and then it didn't work.

402

Uh, but we gave it a go.

403

Um, but as the verse shows,

learning can take place like

404

anywhere, just in daily life.

405

And I carried on picking up our youngest.

406

From school long after she could

have made her own way because, um,

407

when she, that was when she was most

willing to talk, it was when she'd

408

tell me the stuff that had wound her up

during the day, usually the teachers.

409

And, um, that was a time when we had

our most meaningful conversations.

410

But for other people, it might be

actually making your kids get to

411

school and back on their, their own

is, that's a good thing because it,

412

it's training them for independence.

413

So.

414

Yeah, you need wisdom, don't we?

415

Um, Proverbs one says, listen my son

to your father's instruction and do

416

not forsake your mother's teaching.

417

They are a garland to grace your

head and a chain to adorn your neck.

418

A mother's job is to teach her children

the ways of God in every aspect of life,

419

and that includes how to handle difficult

situations and uncomfortable emotions.

420

So the pre protective love

that I mentioned before.

421

Um, is to protect from actual

harm, not difficult emotions.

422

Um, I was talking to a friend who

works with kids and their parents in

423

a health setting recently, and she

told me she's seeing more and more

424

parents trying to shield their kids

from anything uncomfortable, which then

425

leads the kids being unable to handle

uncomfortable situations and difficult

426

emotions, difficult situations, and like.

427

And, and difficult emotions

are teaching opportunities.

428

So if a kid's upset by the loss

of a pet, it's an opportunity

429

to teach about how to grieve.

430

If a kid's anxious, it's an opportunity

to teach them how to go to God with each

431

anxiety and to, um, like to ask for help.

432

Our job isn't to remove all discomfort.

433

It's to teach them how to handle it.

434

It's to say, yeah, that feels rubbish.

435

Let's talk about, uh, talk about it

and find what God says about that.

436

Let's pray about it together.

437

So I remember Jane, the friend I

mentioned at the start, snooping

438

through her parents' bedroom looking

for answers about her birth mom.

439

Well, years later, after we'd

like lost touch for ages, she

440

actually found those answers.

441

She track down her biological family.

442

She met her mom who had been young

and unwell and unable to cope.

443

She met her siblings that

she never knew she had.

444

It wasn't a neat.

445

Tidy story, but it was her story and God's

grace was big enough to hold all of it.

446

The pain, the questions,

the complicated bits.

447

So whatever your motherhood story

looks like, whether you are honoring

448

the mom who raised you, grieving the

one that you wish you had, or figuring

449

out how to be the mom your kids need,

God's grace is big enough for you too.

450

And hopefully now we can get

into some of those nitty gritty,

451

more complicated situations.

452

Not sure.

453

I'll hand over to Anna.

454

Anna Kettle: Wow.

455

Thanks Sharon.

456

There was like so much packed into that.

457

I know, I know.

458

Motherhood.

459

I, I love that.

460

Um, the thing that really struck me

actually as you were talking was just

461

that whole idea of like, motherhood is

kind of part of God's character as well.

462

Like we often think of the father, heart

of God and Yeah, God as the father.

463

And we talk about that a lot, I think.

464

'cause, you know, God has thought of

us quite masculine, isn't he in, in

465

Christianity like God the father and.

466

Jesus' son, but actually we don't

talk about the mothering side

467

of who, who got us very often.

468

So I find that fascinating.

469

But yeah, the whole talk so much in there.

470

What did you think, Jan?

471

Jan Burch: Yeah, I, I agree.

472

Um, there was, you know, the,

the bits that I really enjoyed

473

or stood out was just about how

relational God is, um, what, what

474

Sharon said at the beginning about.

475

You know, God could have

just made humans appear.

476

Um, but he didn't, and even

Jesus himself was born naturally.

477

Um, you know, so I, I just love the fact

that God above all else is relational.

478

Yeah.

479

Hmm.

480

Anna Kettle: Well, we've had lots and

lots of, um, comments and questions coming

481

through you tonight, which is great.

482

So I'm just scrolling through

picking a couple out, um, that we can

483

discuss this, um, has come up a lot.

484

Um, so someone's asked, can I be both

career focused and faithful as a mom?

485

How do you do that?

486

How do you get that work

life motherhood balance?

487

Mm-hmm.

488

Have you got any thoughts, Sharon?

489

Sharon Edmundson: Yeah, I've,

I've purposefully not said.

490

You should do it this way or should

do it that way of just trying to

491

stuck to stick to the principles.

492

But in, um, there's the woman in

Proverbs 31 who's held up as like

493

this amazing wife and mother.

494

And she, she has a job and she's

got kids, but she also has help.

495

So she has people helping her with that.

496

Um, I'm not sure that I

totally have the answer.

497

I think.

498

I think the key thing is to know

what is God asking you to do?

499

Are you doing all the things you're

doing because you are giving into

500

pressure from other people or

because of some sort of insecurity?

501

Or are you confident that that's

what God's calling you to do?

502

And I think if, if it's what

God's calling to you to do,

503

then he can give you the grace.

504

But I think.

505

Then that does take like working

that through and K and saying, okay,

506

God, what does that actually mean?

507

Then what does that look like?

508

And not just, I know in the past, in

different situations, I've got the general

509

direction from God and then run off in

that direction, but not actually asked him

510

about, okay, how do I actually do this?

511

So I've kind of left him back there

and run off and done my own thing.

512

And then it's like becomes

doing it in your own strength.

513

In own strength.

514

So yeah, I think it's.

515

Know, know that you are doing what God

wants you to do as much as you can.

516

Do, you know, we can ask him.

517

Um, yeah, checking your motives

but then asking for God's grace,

518

uh, in every aspect of that.

519

Have you got any other thoughts on that?

520

Well,

521

Jan Burch: both Anna and I, um, have

been, moms who have worked as well, have

522

had careers, um, and I think we both.

523

Probably would, um, say that it's,

it is a juggling act at times,

524

but I don't think either of us

would, um, be able to do either.

525

Well, if it, if we hadn't

known what God's plan was.

526

Um, I, I reduced my hours, um, at various

points in, you know, in my career, um,

527

as the children ages, you know, uh.

528

Changed.

529

Um, so, you know, there was a flexibility

from my, my work, um, you know, to, um,

530

you know, organize my family life as well.

531

Um, however, um, you know, I

couldn't have done my job if I'd

532

not known that God was in it.

533

Hmm.

534

Um, you the same Anna?

535

Anna Kettle: Yeah.

536

And I think some of these things

are really seasonal, aren't they?

537

Yeah.

538

Like that's a really good point you

made, John, because I think, you

539

know, motherhood isn't one season.

540

Yeah.

541

It's lots of little ones.

542

Like life looks very different when

you've got toddlers in the home.

543

Yeah.

544

To when your kids are like

a bit older, aren't my son?

545

Ben's 10 now, but then it looks

like all different again when they

546

become teenagers and they're moving

towards adulthood and I think, yeah.

547

I think it's about knowing

the exact season you're in.

548

Yeah.

549

And how much you can

manage in that season.

550

And being realistic, like, I know I can

work, um, uh, but you know, I'm not, I'm

551

going to do motherhood well, I'm going to

do my best that I can at work, but I'm not

552

taking on the most difficult job on earth.

553

No.

554

You know, I'm realistic about what

kind of job I can do in this season

555

of life if I also wanna be present.

556

My son home.

557

It's close, of course.

558

And being a good mum too.

559

And I think for me, there's

definitely times I'm the same

560

where I've not taken the promotion,

I've not pushed on in my career.

561

'cause I've thought I'll do that later.

562

Right now I wanna be

around my son as well.

563

Yeah.

564

And that would swallow

up too much of my time.

565

So it is a juggle and it is a balance.

566

Yeah.

567

And I think you're both right.

568

It's really about being quite

in tune with the Holy Spirit

569

and listening to God about.

570

What's right and, and

what he's asking for you.

571

And, and there's grace for

every season, isn't there?

572

Mm-hmm.

573

This kind of links into another question

that's come through, which is, what

574

should I do with mum guilt or failure

and regret that I felt as a mum?

575

And I think it links in

because I think mum guilt is

576

a really real thing, isn't it?

577

And I, I don't know a mum that

doesn't feel mum guilt about

578

going to work or about just Yeah.

579

Times where they've got it wrong.

580

Yeah, what do we do with that?

581

Like, do you have any thoughts, Sharon?

582

Sharon Edmundson: Yeah, I've got

an example from recently, actually.

583

Well, it's kind of long-term and recent

in that, um, when one of our kids was

584

little, they, they didn't sleep that

well either during the day or at night.

585

And there was a lot of crying and

we tried the sleep training methods

586

that were done with the boys that

I've given it away now, who it was.

587

Um, um, yeah, and the sleep training

methods we'd used with two of

588

our kids worked really well, but.

589

With our daughter.

590

It just didn't work and quite

a few times, and I, it was a

591

time there was a lot going on.

592

I was so stressed.

593

In fact, I'm probably on the point of.

594

A bit of a breakdown to be honest.

595

And um, I was like, I

really couldn't cope.

596

So I ended up leaving her to cry a lot

and I, for years, I look back at that

597

going, I don't think I got that right.

598

Have I damaged her?

599

Is she gonna be scarred for life?

600

And it would just really bother me.

601

Like every now and then, it

would just really, really niggle.

602

And then I was in church one day and

I just felt God say apologize to her.

603

I was like, oh yeah, I could do that.

604

So I went and apologized to her.

605

I think it was only last year.

606

Um, and um, she was

like, oh yeah, it's fine.

607

And uh, and I've been able

to let it go since then.

608

Whereas before that it was

just like gnawing away.

609

So I think we do, we get stuff wrong.

610

And I think we just need to own up,

apologize and receive that grace.

611

Yeah.

612

Yeah.

613

Getting that emotional thinking about it.

614

Anna Kettle: Yeah.

615

I, I think you are right.

616

And motherhood, like any, you

know, you learn on the job.

617

No one teaches you how to be a mother when

you, you know, get a baby or whatever.

618

You know, you're sort

of learning on the job.

619

Yeah.

620

And you know, I was chatting to

my friend Laura, who's who we know

621

from church, and, um, she's about

to become a mom in a few weeks time.

622

She's adopting a little.

623

Baby girl.

624

And um, yeah, and I just think she

keeps asking me all these questions

625

like, how do you know how to do this?

626

How do you know?

627

I'm like, nobody gives you a manual

when you leave the hospital either.

628

Like you just learn as you go.

629

Right?

630

Yeah.

631

And so there has to be this kind of

grace we have with ourselves, which

632

is like asking God for wisdom, which

I think came across really strong in

633

your, in your, in your talk, Sharon.

634

But also just having

grace when it goes wrong.

635

Grace for ourselves.

636

Grace for.

637

Your children.

638

Yeah.

639

Grace, you know, accepting

that grace from God.

640

There's another day clean store.

641

Absolutely.

642

It's like everything in life, isn't it?

643

You're gonna make mistakes.

644

Jan Burch: I'm very glad I'm not the

first child in our, in our family.

645

I was the, uh, the second, so my brother

had all the, he was the Guinea pig.

646

Sharon Edmundson: I'm

647

Anna Kettle: an oldest

648

Sharon Edmundson: child.

649

I can't say that.

650

Yeah.

651

I think, I think another key thing

is teach your children how to forgive

652

because then any mistakes you can that

you make, they know what to do with it.

653

Anna Kettle: Yeah.

654

I think it's really healthy though.

655

You know, when you talk just then

about apologizing to your daughter,

656

I think that's really healthy.

657

I want my son to see that.

658

Me and his dad don't always

get everything perfect.

659

Mm-hmm.

660

But we hold our hands up when we get a

something wrong, we say, sorry, we keep

661

short accounts, we learn to forgive.

662

You know, those things can be

teachable moments, can't they?

663

If you, if you make death.

664

Definitely.

665

So there was another, um, great

question, um, that came through.

666

There was a few actually.

667

Um, this one is how can childless

women live out spiritual motherhood?

668

Like, this is one that's really close to

my heart because I've worked with a lot of

669

women who are childless or have struggled

to have the families that they want.

670

So, I mean, have either of

you got thoughts on that?

671

Jan Burch: Well, you know, um, first

of all, obviously some people are

672

childless because they, it's a choice.

673

Yeah.

674

Um, so I think this is not by choice,

like reading from the, but yeah.

675

If it's not by choice,

then you know, really.

676

You know, my heart goes out to you.

677

Um, so there's, I imagine a, a coming

to terms with, with some of that and,

678

you know, wrestling with God, um,

and coming to a, a peace about it.

679

I don't know, you know, I, I don't know

how long that takes or if you ever get

680

over it, but I think, um, it's clear that.

681

In the Bible that God has more than,

you know, to be a mother is not

682

just to be a, a biological mother.

683

Um, I think we can be mothers in, in our

eighties to younger women in the church.

684

You know, a a 20-year-old can be

mothering, um, you know, a teenage girl.

685

So I think it's about giving advice.

686

I think it's about getting

alongside other women.

687

Um, and being a mother in that way, as

in caring, giving time, investing in,

688

um, that, that's what being a mother is.

689

It doesn't have to be your

biological or your adopted child.

690

It could be a neighbor,

it could be a friend.

691

You know,

692

Anna Kettle: I think you are right.

693

There's like a lot of ways that you

can be a mother in the world, isn't

694

there to people like you, like you say.

695

It can be a natural mother,

but actually that kind of

696

mentoring, discipleship, yeah.

697

Being a spiritual mother to people, like,

I think that's a lifelong call that we

698

all have as women and we can all pick

up, and I think the seasons of life where

699

maybe your parenting children in your

own homes, but may, but maybe you're not.

700

But also, you know, older

women or much younger women.

701

You know, I, I was a

spiritual mother to people.

702

Who were you?

703

New Christians in my twenties, long

before I became a physical mother.

704

Yeah.

705

I, I, I believe, and, um, I, I think

it's, yeah, I mean there's, there's

706

a lot of ways you can mother, there's

a lot of ways to mother in the

707

world aren't there, like in, in the

workplace, in the home, in friendship.

708

In the church.

709

I, I mean, I, I think someone who's really

inspirational, if you want to know more

710

about this subject is, um, know the,

uh, comedian and actor James Cordon.

711

Oh yeah.

712

So his sister, Ruth Cordon, she has

podcast and she's childless not by choice.

713

Um, they went.

714

Through years of infertility,

her and her husband.

715

Um, but she speaks very

openly and she's a Christian.

716

Um, she speaks very openly about

being childless, but having a

717

mothering heart, but empty arms.

718

And she, she talks quite like

fluently about this, and she talks

719

about it a lot on her podcast

and on her social media feeds.

720

If, if you look for a record

Yeah, it's good to know.

721

And it's, but she's really

inspirational and she talks about how.

722

She mothers and how she believes God's

given her a mother's heart, but she's

723

not got children in her home, but

she's the social worker and she deals

724

with a lot of vulnerable children.

725

Um, so that's part of what she

believes God's called her today.

726

Um, but yeah, check out her stuff if

you're interested in that subject as well.

727

Just to,

728

Jan Burch: just thinking there, you

know, um, the very famous mother Theresa,

729

who wasn't actually a, a, you know,

a physical mother, a natural mother.

730

But she was a mother to millions.

731

So many.

732

Yeah.

733

Wasn't she?

734

So, um,

735

Anna Kettle: yeah.

736

Yeah.

737

Absolutely.

738

Um, another question, um,

is how do I trust God when

739

motherhood feels hard or lonely?

740

Whether that's sleepless nights

or estranged children when you're

741

older, like how do you manage those

times when mothering is just really

742

hard or lonely or just a bit of a

743

Jan Burch: slog?

744

It is, I mean, mine are, are grown up now

and my youngest is, uh, 16, nearly 17.

745

And it's, it's, you know, I don't

remember everything that I went through.

746

It's, um, you know, it's good that I

don't sometimes, um, I mean, at the

747

time I got through it, but, um, it used

to help me when I was up in the night.

748

Um, just a little tip.

749

Um, my brother at the time when I was,

um, having my, when my kids were babies

750

and I'd be up in the night feed and

I just used to remember that in New

751

Zealand where my brother was, it was

lunchtime or something and people were

752

doing normal things and all, all up.

753

So I just used to imagine or phone

my brother, um, in the middle of

754

the night and just remember what

the rest of the world is doing.

755

But that, that's just a, that's just me.

756

And that helped me at the time.

757

But, um, you know, God is always close,

even when we don't feel it, he's there.

758

Um, and it can be very lonely.

759

It can be, um, it's, it's a time I

think when you're feeding in the middle

760

of the night or where, you know, you

think over lots and lots of stuff.

761

I did anyway.

762

Um, and, and at the same time,

you're very tired and exhausted.

763

So I think because of that, you, you know,

you're at a low E anyway in the middle

764

of the night, but you know, God is close.

765

What would, what would

you say, Anna, Sharon,

766

Anna Kettle: I mean, I feel like,

as well as, as well as that, I

767

think like a lot of motherhood

is just a steady slog, isn't it?

768

It's just.

769

I feel like a lot of mothering

is just Groundhog Day.

770

It's just the ordinary,

boring, everyday tasks.

771

Hamster on a wheel.

772

Yeah.

773

Literally we've got a hamster in a home.

774

Clean the hamster, make the dinner, make

sure everyone's done their homework, make

775

sure everyone's ready for school on time.

776

Like it's a lot nagging, A lot of like

cajoling, a lot of like saying the same

777

things, like you're a breaking record.

778

Like a lot of mothering

is just the same old.

779

Yeah, not same old, same old,

but like it's a bit of a slog and

780

it, and it's, it can be tedious.

781

It's not, it's not all

sexy and glamorous is it?

782

Like, what?

783

What do you do?

784

What do you think, Sharon?

785

What do you do with like those?

786

Well, most of motherhood, which is like.

787

It's just the small moments, isn't it?

788

Oh yeah.

789

Sharon Edmundson: I can't remember.

790

Not specifically motherhood, but

like our kitchen floor being one of

791

those jobs that just came up again

and again and just kind of going,

792

Matt Edmundson`````:

ah, I hate this floor.

793

Sharon Edmundson: And getting

to that point and then kind of

794

going, oh, like getting that out.

795

I think being, being able to be

honest before God and just to go, I'm

796

really not enjoying this right now.

797

And to know that he knows it

anyway, so we may as well just

798

be honest about it, but then to.

799

Like get that out and then kind of be able

to get back to that place of choosing to

800

be thankful even when we don't feel it.

801

So be like, thank you God, that

I have a kitchen floor to clean.

802

And sometimes that was through GR teeth.

803

Thank you for that.

804

Um, yeah, so I think getting that, talking

it out with God, but then training our

805

thinking back when, when the feelings

aren't there, we can still have the

806

faith, like we can choose the faith to go.

807

Okay.

808

This child may not feel like a blessing

right now, but God, I believe that this is

809

a, this child is a blessing or, um, yeah.

810

And I think knowing that there are

seasons and the season will pass,

811

that the season you're in now is

not gonna be like that forever.

812

Also.

813

Very helpful.

814

Anna Kettle: Yeah.

815

That, that's really true.

816

And I think it's, you know, it's

remembering, it's keeping your eye

817

on the big picture as well, isn't it?

818

Like sometimes you can

be so in the moment.

819

That's just, yeah, a bit overwhelming

or a bit tedious or, but actually seeing

820

the bigger picture, like I always feel

like, you know, what is God doing in

821

my child, but also what is God doing

in me through this motherhood journey?

822

And I think a lot of those

lessons, they're not fun,

823

but they're really important.

824

Like we build a lot of character.

825

You know, this morning at church

we're talking about endurance

826

and perseverance and patience.

827

Gosh, like I, I parented.

828

Little boy with a DHD and I feel like

I am learning patience every day, every

829

minute of every day at the moment.

830

But it's good.

831

It, it shapes your character,

it stretches you, you grow.

832

And I think motherhood is one of those

areas that you really grow in if you

833

are open to God doing that throughout.

834

Absolutely.

835

Absolutely.

836

Jan Burch: Yeah, I agree.

837

Um, there've been times, you know, as

soon as mine used to come home from

838

school, there'd be, mum, what's tea?

839

And I'd go, are you hungry again?

840

And they'd go, yeah.

841

And I'd be like, so the thought of,

you know, what, what are we gonna cook?

842

What am I gonna cook?

843

And oh my word.

844

Um, but you know, the, the, the

fun I've had as well as a mom.

845

Just the laughter.

846

And I, I got banned from reading bedtime

stories because I used to make them

847

laugh so much and make them wake up and,

um, my husband banned me from doing it,

848

so, 'cause he used to talk like that.

849

But I, I had too much pride and I

wanted the story to be really good.

850

So, uh, I used to make them laugh,

um, and then yeah, suffer as a

851

couple and they were hit, hyped up

852

Anna Kettle: and not ready for bed.

853

Right.

854

Sharon Edmundson: Jan, I want

you to read me a story now.

855

Yeah.

856

I used to do all the voices and

I wanna experience go around a

857

Jan Burch: babysitter sometimes.

858

Anna Kettle: Um, this is a really good

question that's come through actually.

859

Um, how do you honor.

860

A dishonorable parent or, or

a parent relationship where

861

it's maybe a bit difficult.

862

Does anyone have any thoughts on that?

863

Like, I don't have any

personal experience.

864

Like I, you know, I'm blessed to have a

really great relationship with my mom, but

865

I know for a lot of people that's really,

it's really tough when you relationship's

866

not, not that great with a parent.

867

Jan Burch: I, um, have got a good, a

very good relationship with my mom.

868

My dad passed away several

years ago, but there was a.

869

Towards the end of his,

his before he died.

870

Um, there was a few arguments

here and there and disagreements.

871

I, I wasn't living at home at the

time, but, um, you know, there can

872

be, there can be stress in, in our

relationships with our parents.

873

Um, but I, I think the

fundamental thing is that we are

874

respectful, that we honor them.

875

The interesting thing that happens is.

876

When you become an adult yourself,

you see your parent as another, just

877

like another, another adult, and you,

I guess, you, you have a bit more,

878

you can relate to them a bit more.

879

You can understand what

they've gone through.

880

Um, but I just think, you know,

come into terms with who they are.

881

They, they may, you may have a parent

that's never been greatly affectionate or.

882

Um, hasn't always encouraged you, but I

think there comes a, as we mature as their

883

children, I think it's coming to terms

with kind of that's who they are and then

884

they're never gonna be that different.

885

And sometimes it might mean, you know,

keeping your visits short, um, you know,

886

having boundaries, protecting yourself.

887

Um, I think that's very important.

888

Um, you know, if we allow people

to walk all over us or to, um, hurt

889

us, you know, if we, if we sit there

and allow that, then I think there

890

are ways to stop that happening.

891

So, yeah, some of our parents

have been great and others aren't.

892

Um, but God, God is always faithful

and he'll help you with that.

893

Sharon Edmundson: I, I think there's,

um, a great example in the Bible

894

of, um, someone being respectful

of someone's position of authority,

895

but at the same time drawing a line.

896

And that's, um, king, Saul and David

obviously not talking about motherhood

897

here, but the principal's the same.

898

So for those who don't know this story,

so that Saul was king, but I think

899

at this point he'd, um, because he.

900

Wasn't doing well.

901

God was like, no, you're

not gonna be king anymore.

902

I'm gonna bring in this other guy David.

903

And David actually wasn't King yet.

904

Saul still was.

905

So it's this InBetween time and um,

Saul was just really jealous and

906

angry and was trying to kill David.

907

So David drew the line.

908

He was like, no, you are not killing me.

909

This is, this is not on.

910

There's a line, you're not gonna cross it.

911

But at the same time, when he had chance

to harm Saul, he was like, no, I'm

912

not gonna harm this guy, because God's

put him in this position of authority

913

and he's still in that position.

914

Um, and he wouldn't let

other people do that either.

915

So he talked well of Saul, even

though Saul was being really awful.

916

But he put the boundaries in.

917

It was like this far and no further.

918

Yeah.

919

And um, and I think that needs wisdom.

920

And again, Prayer.

921

Thank God.

922

Okay, what do you want me

to do in this situation?

923

How can I both be honoring, but also,

like Jan said, put those boundaries

924

in and go this far, but no further.

925

Anna Kettle: Yeah, I think that's

really, really good advice.

926

Um, yeah, I don't really

have anything to add to that.

927

I think you guys covered

that one pretty well.

928

Um, a slightly lighter question.

929

Um, this one came through from Matt Crew.

930

Um, it says.

931

What is your most embarrassing

story from being a mother?

932

Any thoughts?

933

Jan Burch: I dunno if I could even mention

it has to be like, you know, broadcast.

934

Uh, yeah.

935

Okay.

936

I'll let you go first.

937

I imagine I don't have one.

938

Okay.

939

I've got loads.

940

I mean, probably day, I

just have to think for you.

941

I, when I was pregnant with my

second child, I remember, um, the.

942

Oh, I can't, I think we only had one

bathroom in the house at the time.

943

Um, and I was absolutely desperate

when I was pregnant, heavily pregnant.

944

And, um, someone, my husband or

someone was upstairs and, um, I, I

945

used the potty for a week and my son,

who was two years old, was horrified.

946

He was like.

947

Mommy, what are you doing?

948

I was like, I just had to go.

949

And my husband was pretty horrified as

well, but I thought it was hilarious.

950

When you gotta go, you've gotta

951

Anna Kettle: go.

952

You do.

953

Especially when you're heavily pregnant.

954

I, you dunno if I can talk

about one to be honest.

955

John, if you got any, Sharon?

956

Sharon Edmundson: I dunno if I could

top it, but I think it would be to

957

do with leaving kids where like, um.

958

It's happened a few times in different

locations, but there's one time

959

we'd all gone down to my parents in

the car, we'd all got out the car.

960

So I thought and gone into the house,

and then after a while you could

961

hit, we could hear this strange sound

just going, oh, what's that noise?

962

And I was like, oh, it's

coming from outside.

963

I opened the door and there it stole.

964

Stuck in the car was one of the kids.

965

He's like, oh.

966

And that has, there's at least three

occasions when I can think of that,

967

where one of the kids has been.

968

Stuck in the wrong place.

969

Fortunately, they're all alive and

well and seem to be doing okay.

970

Anna Kettle: That's awesome.

971

Um, yeah, somebody's called, Ellis

has said, thanks, Jan for that

972

advice you gave about motherhood.

973

I thought it was really good.

974

Um, when you can't, about motherhood, when

you can't have kids was extremely good.

975

So there you go.

976

It's nice feedback.

977

Um.

978

Yeah.

979

Any other, any other sort of thoughts

that I'm aware we're kind of running

980

out of time rapidly, but any final

thoughts from you, John, on motherhood?

981

Just,

982

Jan Burch: it's a privilege and

it's an honor, however you do that,

983

you know, however you're a mother.

984

Um, I think it's, um, it's all, you

know, a big part of God's plan and

985

it's, it is just a real privilege.

986

Yeah.

987

Anna Kettle: Yeah.

988

Absolutely.

989

Thank I love.

990

Thank you Sharon.

991

Sharon Edmundson: I think for me, we

kind of touched on it about how, um,

992

mother, like different relationships

point to God and how there's just lots

993

of passages in the Bible where God

will take a mothering situation either

994

with like human mums or animal mums

and just say, kind of look at this.

995

That's how I am.

996

So I just wanted to read.

997

One of them.

998

So, um, Deuteronomy 32 says, like an

eagle that stirs up its nests and hovers

999

over its young God spreads wings to

catch you and carries you on opinions.

00:52:58,620 --> 00:53:04,230

Um, yeah, so just that lovely imagery

of like, when we see motherhood done

00:53:04,230 --> 00:53:09,000

well, whether that's either in ourselves

or, you know, the times when we do that

00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:12,910

or in other people just to be like,

I think to reflect and go, oh, that.

00:53:13,395 --> 00:53:16,665

That's how God is with or

how God wants to be with us.

00:53:16,845 --> 00:53:19,935

That, yeah, that loving,

nurturing, that teaching.

00:53:19,935 --> 00:53:20,805

Encouraging.

00:53:21,135 --> 00:53:21,435

Yeah.

00:53:22,850 --> 00:53:23,140

Anna Kettle: I love that.

00:53:24,285 --> 00:53:28,335

I, um, the only other thing that I

didn't, don't think we totally touched

00:53:28,335 --> 00:53:32,325

on, but I think it's quite important

in, you picked up on it and you talk,

00:53:32,325 --> 00:53:34,725

Sharon, it's just this idea of like.

00:53:35,654 --> 00:53:38,625

Our whole identity not being

and being a mother, like our

00:53:38,625 --> 00:53:40,424

identity ultimately isn't God.

00:53:40,424 --> 00:53:40,484

Yeah.

00:53:40,545 --> 00:53:43,515

And that, that has been a

real learning point for me.

00:53:43,515 --> 00:53:47,685

You know, like when we went through a

season of infertility like a number of

00:53:47,685 --> 00:53:53,115

years ago, just, uh, actually God loves

us 'cause he loves us regardless of

00:53:53,115 --> 00:53:56,955

what a motherhood status, statuses, and

regardless of what our own motherhood

00:53:56,955 --> 00:54:01,845

journey looks like with our own mothers

or with our own children, like ultimately.

00:54:02,460 --> 00:54:03,810

Our identity is in God.

00:54:03,930 --> 00:54:08,940

Um, that's our first and our most

important identity as his child.

00:54:09,000 --> 00:54:12,990

And I, I just love that point that you

picked up on as well, Sharon, I think

00:54:14,250 --> 00:54:17,654

such an important point to make when

we're talking about roles like motherhood.

00:54:18,075 --> 00:54:18,495

Mm-hmm.

00:54:19,924 --> 00:54:20,214

Yeah.

00:54:22,355 --> 00:54:23,295

So, um.

00:54:25,230 --> 00:54:29,340

I don't actually know what we're doing

next week because Matt didn't tell me.

00:54:29,610 --> 00:54:30,390

Do you know Sharon?

00:54:30,480 --> 00:54:30,780

No.

00:54:31,215 --> 00:54:31,435

No.

00:54:31,620 --> 00:54:32,075

No one knows.

00:54:33,675 --> 00:54:39,180

But we will be here next Sunday

as usual, um, at the usual time.

00:54:39,180 --> 00:54:41,280

So, um, join us for that.

00:54:41,280 --> 00:54:43,140

Yeah, we will let you

know what's happening.

00:54:43,260 --> 00:54:45,810

Um, hopefully there'll be some

information coming up on the screen

00:54:45,810 --> 00:54:50,010

in a minute as well, but if you want

to stick around and chat to us in

00:54:50,010 --> 00:54:54,660

chat room afterwards, um, feel free to

stick around or we're happy to dig a

00:54:54,660 --> 00:54:56,340

bit deeper into those conversations.

00:54:57,150 --> 00:54:58,530

If not, that's fine.

00:54:58,590 --> 00:55:04,710

Um, we're also round through the

week, so drop us an email or a text.

00:55:04,770 --> 00:55:07,320

Um, all of our details on

the Crowd Church website.

00:55:07,740 --> 00:55:08,190

Very best.

00:55:08,190 --> 00:55:09,870

So, best, yeah, always happy to pray.

00:55:09,870 --> 00:55:10,440

Yeah.

00:55:10,440 --> 00:55:10,450

Yeah.

00:55:10,560 --> 00:55:14,520

Um, and, and chat, uh, through

your questions further.

00:55:14,850 --> 00:55:17,250

So I think that's all

for us tonight, isn't it?

00:55:18,390 --> 00:55:18,720

Jan Burch: Yeah.

00:55:18,750 --> 00:55:19,620

Thank you Sharon.

00:55:19,620 --> 00:55:20,340

Thank you, Anna.

00:55:21,225 --> 00:55:22,575

Anna Kettle: It's been

a great conversation.

00:55:22,725 --> 00:55:25,065

Thanks for joining us,

and thank you, Sharon.

00:55:25,065 --> 00:55:26,625

That was such a great talk.

00:55:27,285 --> 00:55:27,705

You're welcome.