{Feature Two}
The Seeds of Motherhood
Prodigal. Christ follower. Worshipper.
These are words that describe the current condition of each of my three children. I remember the early years when the mothers in nursery would compare notes. At what age did your daughter start to walk? What were your sons first words? How did your child do on their first day of school? An unhealthy competition began, each mother believing their child to be in the lead.
We measure rites of passage in baby books. Dedications, baptisms, prayers of salvation, first words, first day at school. But as the years pass on, we forget to document the really important dates; the first encounter with the Holy Spirit, the call into the ministry or the first day of college.
My eldest shows his love for me in the endearing way he calls me Mama. My middle child honors me with his whole life, serving God and the Body of Christ with His gifts. My girl, she brings me joy by worshipping our Savior with the voice of an angel. And though everything has changed. It is welcome. For the alternative would be to stagnate growth, and stagnation stinks.
Advisor. Spectator. Friend.
My role has changed. I am no longer Mother Hen, determining every detail in the lives of my children. Rather, I advise them on the hard decisions. I try to remain quiet in the small ones. And most importantly, I relish the moments that I can see the hand of God directing them towards His highest good in their lives.
There were moments of panic, when my first thought was, “What now? If I am not home schooling mother of three, who am I?” But my Lord wouldn’t allow me to stay there for long. He had bigger and better plans for me than I could have imagined. As I grow into all that He has for me, I continue to teach my children. I teach them with my life. They can learn that although I gladly gave them the most energetic days of my life, that it wasn’t all about them. It was all about Him and how I could best serve Him. And God loved them so much that they were His priority in my life for a season. Now He has continued His plans for me without skipping a beat. I have a ministry position that I didn’t go looking for, but came looking for me.
Do you know who my biggest fans and cheerleaders are? The ones whose snotty noses I’ve wiped. The one whose baseball games I half froze through. The one with whom I watched hours of homemade movies. The one who I gave standing ovations to at her every performance. And they convince me that it is true what Paul said, “Whatever a man sows, that also shall he reap.” For I reap far more than I have ever sown in watching them grow in grace, and in their confidence in me to do the same.
kd
The wife of the friend she could not live without, and mother of the three most wonderful children in the world, kd sullivan is always searching for overlooked lessons in life. As a recently retired homeschool mom, she is busy trying to figure out, “What now?” Journey Towards Epiphany, kd’s spiritual journal blog, is where she regularly bares her soul. She also has a second blog, What In The World R U Doing For Christ’s Sake?, which chronicles the stories of everyday people who are doing amazing things for the kingdom of God. But perhaps her greatest joy is found working on her first YA historical fiction book. She hopes to finish it sometime before her 80th birthday…She’s currently 44.
