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Today on the podcast, I am joined by my angel friend (and one of my assistants!), Katie Haines. Katie is a wife, and mother of Ben (3 years old) and Emma (9 months old) and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Read below for a glimpse of our conversation that covers our sovereign role as mothers, the noble, the inspiring, and the beautiful.
In 1947, a young Princess Elizabeth gave a speech in Cape Town, South Africa, on her 21st birthday declaring her dedication to the British people and her role as their future monarch. She says:
“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.”
When the young princess spoke those words nearly 80 years ago, I wonder if she knew then just how long her reign would be, or just how many trials and troubles she would have to sort through as sovereign. But in light of the upcoming coronation of King Charles III, we talk about:
Serving God with your whole heart. When Queen Elizabeth was crowned during her own coronation, she was anointed with oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury in a solemn and sacred ceremony, where she took an oath before God. Throughout her life, Queen Elizabeth continued to serve God with her whole heart, as she was raised to believe the role of the monarch was to bring light, beauty, and truth to the world.
When a child is born, so is a mother. And while swaddling precious new life, we aren’t anointed with holy oil right there on the spot, but we are anointed with the holy spirit for the work ahead. Ephesians 2:10 says: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Just as Queen Elizabeth believed her role as a monarch was to bring light, beauty, and truth to the world, mothers were designed by God to do the same for our households.
Mothers were uniquely created to create goodness and calm chaos, to kindle hope, and foster faith. We are the beauty bringers and soul shapers of our homes and our communities. And the good news is, on the days that it feels like a burden too heavy to bear, the Lord has sent us a helper, the Holy Spirit. Scripture says that we were created to the good works, which he has already equipped us to do. We don’t need to try and push through in our strength but partner with the Holy Spirit in the work in which he has called us.
Excellence requires investment. When it’s finally time for our children to take those first tentative steps into adulthood, what do we want them to take with them? Do we want them to take years of feasting, fellowship, hero stories, Scripture written on their heart, and the story of God that has shaped their soul? If our hearts long for our children to be shaped by the good, the true, and the beautiful, we must invest in it today. We must make “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8) priorities in our home now to reap the good fruit of our faithfulness as our children grow into young adults.
Today, if you’re struggling to feel like any of it is worth it. Perhaps your toddler is wiggling his way through story time (been there!), or your teenager is struggling with difficult attitudes at the dinner table; pray that God will show a glimpse of the harvest ahead. Just a small taste of what is it come, an encouragement to your weary heart in the midst of a worn down day. Because what you’re doing today matters not only for these small moments but for eternity. You, my friend, are writing heaven on their hearts. You are bringing the realities and goodness of God to them when you give one more goodnight kiss, read one more story, and make one more meal.
Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
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