Learning to Love Godly Motherhood

Hannah Hughart shares about how godly motherhood is a calling she’s learning to love in this post on Candidly Christian.

I didn’t grow up dreaming of being a stay-at-home mom. I still wanted to be married and have kids, but I didn’t see my whole day caring for little ones. I’d seen myself a bit more of a career woman — not the ambitious climb-the-ladder kind, just a get-out-of-the-house kind.

After my daughter was born, I returned to my (very) part-time job a few months later. I took her with me until she became too wiggly of a distraction, and then I had babysitters so I could keep working. My own mom played a huge role in babysitting for me.

Don’t get me wrong: I love my daughter more than I thought possible. She is truly a blessing to our lives, but her clear want of constant companionship can be very tiring.

When we learned that I was pregnant again (our daughter was only eight months old), I very quickly realized that I wouldn’t be able to keep working — at least not at the schedule I was currently keeping — after Baby 2 was born.

I always knew that my family and household were my priority, and I’d agreed with my husband that I would significantly lighten or let go of my job when the time came. I’d assumed “the time” would be another couple of years down the road. So the shock of realizing that time was less than a year away hit me hard.

I loved my job and selfishly didn’t want to give it up completely. Thus, I started to rationalize and justify how I could keep even 1-2 days per week. I believed it would work. 

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Godly Motherhood

A friend told me how sanctifying it was to have two kids close in age. I knew this process of being made more holy and like Christ was not easy; in fact, it usually proved the reverse. The expectant joy of another baby was quickly overwhelmed by the hard truth of “you’re going to have to die even more to yourself every day if you have any hope of finding joy in your new normal.”

I had to remind myself that my new normal was actually part of one of God’s many promises: abundant life (John 10:7-10). That life — the one God knows is best — only comes through the sanctifying “pruning” of daily challenges.

If motherhood isn’t the epitome of a woman’s pruning process, I’m not sure I want to know what is. Each challenge in a day, each opportunity to reflect Christ, is God shaping me to be even more fruitful in that particular phase of life.

I was slowly letting go of the vision of what I thought my life would look like, each day a step closer to stay-at-home motherhood. But part of me was still holding onto a shred of bitterness.

Surrounded by Blessings

One afternoon, I stood at my kitchen counter shaping the latest loaf of homemade bread. Baking was a fun outlet for me and knowing that my husband appreciated the homemade (rather than spending $4-5 at the store) helped me feel accomplished in the task.

I looked across my dining room space to where my daughter sat on her playmat in the living room, babbling to herself as she played with her toys. Sunlight poured through the big picture window, and I couldn’t help but smile. I had so much to be thankful for just in that moment: a warm house, a healthy daughter, a healthy baby on the way, my own health, ample supplies to make my own bread, a perfectly working oven, clean air and water, beautiful sunshine… the list went on.

I acknowledged to myself that not everyone had all that. Some women could only dream about having such a luxurious life, and here I was silently complaining about it. I should be loving this life, this calling from God. 

When God Made You A Mother

On a day when I was particularly struggling to love the calling before me, a friend sent me an Instagram reel that brought me to a new depth. With the calm song When God Made You My Mother (Riley Roth) playing in the background, this is what I read.

“Something I wasn’t prepared for in motherhood was how holy and sanctifying the work is. Because just as Jesus laid down His life for you, you lay down your life for your family. 

Just as Jesus broke His body, so you break yours to bring beauty into the world. 
Just as Jesus raised up disciples, you teach and disciple every day. 
Just as Jesus fed the hungry, you’re given mouths to feed and little bellies to fill. 
Just as Jesus healed the sick, you get to help those little bodies get well too. 
Just as Jesus expressed His unconditional love, you display that every day as a mother.

Stop downplaying your role as a mother, because every single day you are an image of God to the next generation. You are a reflection of who Christ is. Every dish; every fold; every kiss; every meal. It is holy work.”

(@northcherishprayer; Awaken Cherish Prayer | San Marcos)

I don’t always see the sanctifying holiness while my daughter is wailing because I told her I wouldn’t pick her up at that very moment. My response in moments like these pushes me to be more like Christ.

As long as I step up to the next task God lays before me — whether that’s sitting on the floor reading the same book for the tenth time, starting yet another load of laundry, or prepping the dinner I know my husband will appreciate after a long day of work — I am being sanctified through a holy work. Through prayer, surrender, and probably another cup of coffee, the joy and love will continue to come… and that is something to be joyful about.

About the Author

Hannah Hughart

Hannah is a Midwest-born and raised Christian writer, wife to a former First Responder, and mother of (soon to be) two. When she’s not caring for her home or reading books to her 1-year-old daughter, she works part-time as a college planner for high school students. With a Bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing, she loves writing and blogging about different elements of her life… almost always with a cup of coffee nearby.

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