The Spiritual Value of Motherhood

This month I finished reading two beautiful books that have each impacted the way I feel about my motherhood, specifically the spiritual value of my motherhood. One of these books demystifies spiritual disciplines in a way that brings depth and purpose to those things that we do day in and day out for and with our kiddos. The other book elevates our role as mother and nurturer freeing us daily into a life of mission with Jesus through serving our families and those around us.

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How Do I Even Read as a Mama?

So, you may be asking with 4 little ones how did I even finish two books this month. Well, actually, I finished 10 books this month. How? I LOVE to listen to audiobooks! Like even with the caps and exclamation point, that is probably an understatement of my enjoyment of them. So far this year, it’s June, I’ve read 59 books with 57 of them being audiobooks.

Seminary Reading

I fell in love with them in the fall of 2017 and my passion for them has just grown exponentially since then. I spent fall 2008 to spring 2017 in seminary, slowing plugging away at my Master’s in Youth, Family, and Culture.

That time in my life lead to a lot of great, but deep and required books in my life. I’d read on average 30-36 intense textbooks a year. The only fun books I remember reading during that time were The Little Prince because I love it, the Twilight series because I was a youth minister and I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about and the Narnia series, but I actually did that for ministry, too.

So, when I finally graduated I wanted to get back into reading for fun again. But, it is HARD to sit down and read as a mama. Even on bed rest while pregnant with my twins, books were met with high levels of distraction.

Driving Two Babies

Then a few months later, I began weekly trips to our closest Costco about an hour away. Or, driving my newborn twins around for a nap. What better way to fill hours in the car with sleeping babies than by listening to books?

Busy Hands

I also love to listen to audiobooks while I am getting ready in the morning, IF my older girls aren’t awake yet. If they are awake, there is too much going on and lots of pausing, so I turn on music instead.

When hubby is home and can hang out with the kids while I am cooking dinner, I’ll pop on some headphones and listen while then, too. Mostly, I listen when my kids don’t need me, but my hands are busy and my mind isn’t overly preoccupied.

Finding Books

There are two main places that I listen to my audiobooks. First, I mostly use Overdrive, my library’s free app. My library doesn’t have every book that I want to read, but they have a pretty decent selection. Secondly, I will sometimes listen to books using Audible.

Audible Free Trial

If you wanna give Audible a try, check out this 30 day free trial. Here’s what you get:

• Up to 2 audiobooks plus 2 Audible Originals to start 
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• Cancel any time during trial to avoid charges
• After 30 days, Audible is $14.95/mo for 1 audiobook and 2 Audible Originals every month.

What are These Books?

Alrighty, here it is. The moment you have been waiting for. What are these two powerful books on the spiritual value of motherhood?

• Catherine McNiel’s Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline
• Gloria Furman’s Missional Motherhood: The Everyday Ministry of Motherhood in the Grand Plan of God

The Spiritual Value of Motherhood in Long Days of Small Things

So, while I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE audiobooks, one of the things I miss about not having my hands on actual paper is highlighting, underlining, and taking notes in the margins. And, since I am never just sitting while listening to audiobooks, I can’t often take notes. I will occasionally pull over the car, rewind the book, and jot a quote in my Google Keep app.

So let’s look at how Catherine McNiel changed my understanding of the spiritual value of motherhood.

I feel like a slacker…

As a woman that loves the Lord and strives to follow Him, I can sometimes feel like I am not doing enough for Jesus. And as much as I cringe at the word “should,” I can feel like I am not pursuing Him in all the ways I should.

I mean, I went to seminary. I’ve studied the spiritual disciplines. There are sooo many benefits of seeking God in these really impactful ways called the spiritual disciplines.

I know that in my heart, God cannot love me anymore no matter how many of these disciplines I practice. He will also not love me any less. But, the disciplines are not for Him to love me more, but for me to love Him more. So, it is a challenge. These are things that I desire to do, but are not practical for me right now.

                                    

She gets it…

Catherine McNiel gets that. She shares in my desire to want more for my relationship with JC, while understanding the limits within this stage of mothering. Yet, she also sees the potential in mothering. She writes, “I cling to a deep and certain conviction that motherhood is in and of itself a spiritual practice–that the Creator of wombs and breasts placed deep spiritual fruit into the seasons and tasks of motherhood.”

Then, she strikes right at the place Satan lies to me the most and says, “That we’re not meant to add more ‘shoulds’ to our schedule, more work to allow us into God’s presence. That instead our Father beckons us to simply awaken and see the spiritual disciplines we already perform each day.” Amen!

McNiel’s Spiritual Disciplines of Motherhood

Here are the disciplines she recognizes in the things that we already do as mamas which add to the spiritual value of motherhood.

• Redemption
• Consecration
• Creation
• Incarnation
• Nurture
• Service and Solitude
• Sacrifice and Surrender
• Perseverance
• Celebration

Wow! What a list! Can you believe you already do this list of powerful spiritual disciplines? McNiel goes on to write how we already do these things. For each of them she then offers three practical ways to become more intentional in practicing them.

The practical ways are, like, really practical. I mean, for example, there is breathing, nursing, eating, driving, and diapers. Does it get any more practical than that for mamas?

Yet, what I love is that it isn’t just “dumbing down” the spiritual disciplines and making them fit into the things we do as mamas. She brings life and spiritual value to these things in ways that opened my eyes. I mean I have never thought about the way Jesus cleansed me of my sin while changing a diaper. Yet, there is beauty her description that might make that task a little less daunting the next time your little one needs a change.

From one to many

For many years I have recognized a spiritual value of motherhood. I spent my years in ministry trying to encourage mamas (and daddies) to be their child’s “pastor” and take on the primary role of introducing their children to Jesus. But, I mostly saw the value for the children and their faith.

I know that God grows us a lot through our parenting, but I mostly expected that in my practicing patience, sacrifice, and prayer. McNiel’s book helped me to see that God can use the tasks of motherhood in new ways. She opened my eyes to see places that God could pour into my life and my faith without my doing anything differently. I only need join Him where He already is and He will show me a much deeper spiritual value to motherhood, for me and for my family.

The Spiritual Value of Motherhood in Missional Motherhood

This is a book that I found through reading another book earlier this year, but unfortunately, I can’t remember which book suggested it. Almost any biblical book on motherhood peaks my interest. It had a pretty long waitlist through my library, but it was definitely worth the wait.

Although I felt like I connected with Catherine McNiel more, in Missional Motherhood: The Everyday Ministry of Motherhood in the Grand Plan of God, Gloria Furman still inspired me to view a new dimension in the spiritual value of motherhood and my role in God’s plan through being a mama.

                                    

What is Missional Motherhood?

Instead of looking at what we do each day and showing how God fits into motherhood, Furman looks at God’s Word and shows how motherhood fits into what God has done, is doing, and will do. Here is how Furman summarizes her book: “Jesus invites women to missional motherhood: to follow his pattern, to trust his promises, and to nurture others by the power he provides.”

She defines missional motherhood as “a strategic ministry designed by God to call people to worship the One who is seated on the throne in heaven.” Notice here that she doesn’t limit motherhood to a ministry to one’s children, instead it is a ministry to all people.

Furman does not believe that mothering is simply for those who have children, whether biological or adopted. She uses mothering and nurturing almost interchangeably and believes that all women are designed and called to nurture others for the Kingdom “because mother is a verb too.”

The Old and New

One of the things that I loved about this book was how she not only used the Bible as support for her argument, the Bible is her argument. She walks us through the entire Bible, Old and New Testaments showing us the ways in which “Jesus has written us into His story.”

Part 1 is an overview of the Old Testament and offers ways that mothering is a way that God intends for His mission to be fulfilled here on earth. There is such beauty in the way she relates our mothering to the ways that God loves and nurtures us.

“Every kind of nurturing work is an intervention of sorts- stepping between a child and destructive habits, between a friend and her discouragement, between a refugee and homelessness, between a helpless person and neglect. This has been our story since the fall. Not a single one of us has any hope apart from God’s gracious intervention.”

-Gloria Furman

The person and work of Jesus is the focus of Part 2, which has us active in the New Testament. I love her chapter titles in this second section of the book.

• 7~ Christ, the Creator of Motherhood
• 8~ Christ, the Redeemer of Motherhood
• 9~ Christ, Every Mother’s Prophet
• 10~ Christ, Every Mother’s Priest
• 11~ Christ, Every Mother’s King
• 12~ Christ, the Resurrection Life for Mothers

I mean, how deep is that, right? How much does that make your mama soul cry out for more of Him? Just those chapter titles make me crave more Jesus. It reminds me of the Living Water that makes all things possible.

It helps me to feel like the cooking, the kisses, the dressing, the peace making, the opening fruit leathers, the tying shoes, the pony tails, the apologies, the tantrums, the night time prayers, the tears, the giggles, all of it has some bigger purpose.  None of it is done alone.  God is present. My motherhood is my calling and God could be doing more through me than I often give Him credit for.

Final Thoughts on the Spiritual Value of Motherhood

While Catherine McNiels brings down the spiritual disciplines from lofty #lifegoals to realistic mama tasks, Gloria Furman elevates motherhood in a deeply biblical way that allows us mamas to do what we do best (albeit imperfectly) in a way that allows us to join Jesus in His mission. Both of these impactful books describe the spiritual value of motherhood and demonstrate how it is a powerful and unique ministry serving God through the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ.

Do you know a mama in need of some encouragement that her long hours are not fruitless? Please share this post with her today! Then, comment below and tell us what books have impacted your motherhood.

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