When I look back on my own life, birthing four children, having three miscarriages, moving 20 times, and living through the seasons of their growing up years, I realize that most of my life was spent loving my family well in the midst of chores, character training, thousands of meals, and lots of cleaning up our messes over and over again while seeking to grow spiritually and intellectually along the way. I was hidden in the rich soil of shaping a great life.

I had promised to be faithful to Jesus, and I believed He had directed me to give my whole self to passing on a legacy of faith, training in character, living joyfully and intentionally, and caring for my family’s needs. Most of the giving of my life in worship of Him was invisible to the outside world.

I did not get an award for washing one more dish, lifting up one more prayer for a child’s decisions, or kissing one more forehead after a bad dream, or getting up at 4:30 a.m. to write what I was learning in my journal.

Yet I always had the desire to please God and be obedient to what He had for me to do, so that kept me going through the hidden years. What we do when no one is looking shows the integrity of our lives. To live by our convictions even when no one else notices becomes the most important work of all because that choice honors God and not ourselves. What we practice, we become.

Living the humble existence of a praying, teaching, guiding, and loving parent might not result in awards, but, believe me, there are many rewards. You will bear rich fruit in your life as you embody the story and purpose God has spoken into being for you. And you will witness the fruit in your child’s life again and again as they grow into their story. Your words speak life over your child, and your nurturing care and biblical discipleship give life to them as well.

Read more about this in Teatime Discipleship for Mothers and Daughters.