We recently had another wedding in our family: our son Danny, the fourth-born of five, married the woman of his dreams, Lexie. As we all know, weddings take a lot of planning, and as time inches closer and closer to the big day, almost every conversation ends up being about that long-awaited event. Are all the RSVPs in? Did we order enough food? Does the wedding party have all the information they need? What is the weather going to be like? Have we missed any important details?
But when it’s all said and done, the important goals of the day should be to honor the Lord in every way possible and to ensure that the bride and groom enter the celebration with great joy and thankful hearts, surrendering every aspect of the day to Him. By God’s grace, I believe these goals were accomplished, and it was truly a beautiful day.
“And this fact—that time is a thief—is the exact reason that I started my ministry, “Joyful Mothers.””
As with the two previous weddings of our other children, Danny and Lexie’s wedding was a day filled with many emotions. On this day, like the others, I felt a sense of comfort among the other mothers attending, as I knew they resonated with the strange mix of joy and sadness we experience when our children get married. It felt like a dream as I watched my handsome son beaming and holding his soon-to-be wife’s hands at the altar—all grown up and not an ounce of childhood left in him. It was a breathtaking, emotional experience and a reminder that time is a thief.
And this fact—that time is a thief—is the exact reason that I started my ministry, “Joyful Mothers.” At the time, I had no idea it would become a ministry. For years as a mother, I had read many parenting books and heard countless teachings and encouragement. I always felt stirred up and inspired by it all, but sensed that I needed daily—actually, CONSTANT—reminders of truth that pertained specifically to motherhood. I’d seen how even a little drop of encouragement or a little sting of admonishment could go such a long way in my life. I’d also seen how quickly time was flying and knew how important my job was as a parent. I had a window of opportunity to pour into these precious souls, and I didn’t want to waste a day by losing my focus on the responsibility that God had given me.
There are often seasons in the motherhood journey where a woman feels pulled in a thousand different directions. There are unbiblical pressures from the culture that should be fought against, as well as pressures within Christian culture that can cause her to feel like she is not doing enough. Not to mention, the everyday basic needs of her children and a home that always requires attention. It’s a challenge to hold fast to the priority of the Christian parent: teaching God’s Word and modeling a Christlike life.
Still in the thick of parenting, with all these thoughts weighing on me, I woke up one day and decided to create a private Facebook group where I would post encouraging, convicting, and inspiring quotes and Scripture about parenting. This group would primarily be for my own accountability to keep me solidly on track, but I was excited to find that many of my friends were wholeheartedly on board with joining. I named it “Joyful Mothers” because that was one of the first names that came to mind. I never thought that lack of joy would be an issue for me in motherhood because I so deeply loved my children. Still, the daily challenges and fatigue were a struggle for me, and I knew the group’s name would be a constant help and reminder to me to keep up a consistent fight for joy in the Lord’s strength.
Word of mouth led many women to request to join my group, and eventually, I made my Facebook group public so women could share my posts; I created an Instagram profile as well. I started sharing more content that was based on my own experiences, what I had found to be helpful in parenting and in my own growth towards spiritual maturity.
By God’s grace, my account has grown over the years in ways I had not anticipated. Because I have a deep passion for being a woman who cheers on and comforts other women in the Lord, it has been an incredible gift to me. My prayer is that Joyful Mothers would continue to be a source of encouragement for mothers everywhere; that it would put wind in their sails and fill their hearts with hope as they seek to redeem the time they have with their children and to glorify God in their homes.
