I really struggled with the constant interpretations when my kids were little. Just let me finish my task!! When reading through the gospels I started to notice how much Jesus was interrupted in His ministry, it was a comfort knowing He understood what it's like.
“Instead, God has been reminding me that in this season, my child’s interruptions are my ministry—opportunities to model the patience and presence of an unhurried God, in a world that’s starved of time.”
So good.
Getting a glance into motherhood is a very different perspective that I don’t often get to see into. So that’s very interesting and respect for all mothers out there!
At least in this season, I feel the most unhurried and content in my life. And because I chose to do less things and because the things that I choose to do more align with an eternal purpose.
There’s been seasons in the past when I would work the same hours but feel like a chicken with its head cut off and exhausted after. But these days, even though I work fast at work, it feels unhurried.
Anyhow, very grateful for this season and I hope to press into it more 😊
Thank you for another incredible piece and the encouragement!
This piece is full of wisdom, Heidi, and yes to the invisible struggles and unthanked moments! I often say I don't like how society sometimes puts mothers on a pedestal. I'd rather we find ways to come around mothers more. It's also so true that just because work is invisible doesn't mean it's not valuable.
Oh Heidi. So many quotable golden nuggets in this piece. It makes me ponder on the slow, unhurried soul of Jesus and how people's "interruptions", much like the bleeding woman, were the very makings of his ministry. Breathtaking. The idea of interruptions reminds me of one of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes: "The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own,' or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life—the life God is sending one day by day." Hoping that you are at the tail end of the Flu season and that your little family is in better health ❤️
Thanks for sharing that quote, Kathy! I have never heard it before but it prompted me to reflect on God's providence for all of life - including our day to day schedules!
I love this piece, Heidi! You encapsulate the dichotomy of motherhood brilliantly. How you can love your kids more than life itself, yet sometimes need a break from it all. How you can be both bored with the repetitiveness while simultaneously overstimulated. I appreciate your gentle encouragement to forgo this compulsive need to be ‘productive’ like our pre-mum selves. Thank you for the reminder that parenting is valuable and our children are blessings ❤️
How can you grit your teeth through the bedtime routine and then scroll through their photos the moment they are asleep? 😂 Thanks for reading this Ruhie, I’m glad this speaks to other mums and that you relate to the parenting paradox!
Oh there's so much here to learn from and ponder on! I'm gonna have to reread this to really let it sink in. I love your poem and I love the encouragement that our children ARE our work and not an interruption. Paul David Tripp in his Parenting book calls them 'Providential Hindrances' - when they 'interrupt' it's not an accident, it's also orchestrated by our sovereign God.
So grateful this has encouraged a fellow mum! I love how Paul points us to God’s sovereignty in all of life. I should have recommended his book in this post as so much of his teachings have shaped my perspectives on parenting!
Heidi!!! Your entire piece just made me weep...both for the joy and reality that you share...but also the sorrow I feel at not following through and becoming a Mom. I aborted my two children back in 1973 and that was one of so many bad decisions I made. I write about the sorrowful mistakes of my own youth (Boomer) and how I want to be an example of "what not to do ", from my 35 years as a Prodigal from God and His Son and from the awful price I have paid for fleeing from God. While I cannot change what I did, I can pray for others (I am an Intercessor in the intensity of the world right now) and I can bless others. Your heart is so real in all this writing piece. Your phrase "refuge for truth seekers, deep-feelers, and the homesick searching for Eternity" just slammed me. I LONG for Home so deeply ( I will be 72 in Nov. 2024) and live for Eternity right now. God bless and keep you, dear Heidi and your sweet family. Wendy
Hey Wendy, thanks for stopping by to read this piece and for sharing your story of sorrow and regret which makes you long for Eternity. I’m encouraged that you’re using your story to point others to the hope we have! There is no condemnation for those in Christ (Romans 8:1) 🤍
I laughed out loud at the comparison of a park visit to Castaway - hopefully on that park trip you came across an abandoned volleyball to befriend? And thanks for the shoutout, Heidi - honoured to be included with some incredible writers!
Ooof. I feel this, “There is a difference between demanding generosity and kindness from your child, and patiently (and prayerfully) pointing them to the One with the power to transform a greedy and unkind heart.”
Loved your depiction of an extroverted Mum in flu season. That’s me haha thanks for the shout out 🙌🏼
It’s so tempting to focus on the immediate results of external behaviour management. Heart change take so much time and patience 🥲. Haha I’m glad there’s other extroverted mums who can relate to my “Wilson” moment 😩
I love this perspective ... even motherhood is part of God's story of redemption - our disruptions, our hurts, our pains, our griefs, our failures, our unmet expectations, even tragedy - "The story of motherhood may start with a curse, but God promises that it will end with renewal and redemption. Green pastures await—a Garden free from thorns and thistles, tears and sickness, futility and impatience. This is my hope on hard days. I persevere because I am certain that the moment I step into Eternity, I will breathe a sigh of relief for any effort I ever made to embrace interruptions with patience and presence; to have walked in love with faith and endurance. This isn’t just a truth for motherhood, but for all of life."
I have these questions as a parent also, I especially liked
“I am learning that every tantrum is an opportunity to image God—the perfect parent—who is patient, slow to anger, gentle, and compassionate to our earthly needs. Therefore, my daughter’s interruptions are opportunities to show her God’s heart.”
I really struggled with the constant interpretations when my kids were little. Just let me finish my task!! When reading through the gospels I started to notice how much Jesus was interrupted in His ministry, it was a comfort knowing He understood what it's like.
My biggest takeaway is this quote:
“Instead, God has been reminding me that in this season, my child’s interruptions are my ministry—opportunities to model the patience and presence of an unhurried God, in a world that’s starved of time.”
So good.
Getting a glance into motherhood is a very different perspective that I don’t often get to see into. So that’s very interesting and respect for all mothers out there!
At least in this season, I feel the most unhurried and content in my life. And because I chose to do less things and because the things that I choose to do more align with an eternal purpose.
There’s been seasons in the past when I would work the same hours but feel like a chicken with its head cut off and exhausted after. But these days, even though I work fast at work, it feels unhurried.
Anyhow, very grateful for this season and I hope to press into it more 😊
Thank you for another incredible piece and the encouragement!
Glad that quote spoke to you - it’s certainly something that can be applied to all of life, not just parenting.
So good you’re enjoying a slower season filled with eternal purpose and contentment as a result! That’s such a gift! 🙏🏻
This piece is full of wisdom, Heidi, and yes to the invisible struggles and unthanked moments! I often say I don't like how society sometimes puts mothers on a pedestal. I'd rather we find ways to come around mothers more. It's also so true that just because work is invisible doesn't mean it's not valuable.
Thanks for the mention, too!
Thankful that these words resonated with your own motherhood journey, Tiffany!
Oh Heidi. So many quotable golden nuggets in this piece. It makes me ponder on the slow, unhurried soul of Jesus and how people's "interruptions", much like the bleeding woman, were the very makings of his ministry. Breathtaking. The idea of interruptions reminds me of one of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes: "The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own,' or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life—the life God is sending one day by day." Hoping that you are at the tail end of the Flu season and that your little family is in better health ❤️
Thanks for sharing that quote, Kathy! I have never heard it before but it prompted me to reflect on God's providence for all of life - including our day to day schedules!
I love this piece, Heidi! You encapsulate the dichotomy of motherhood brilliantly. How you can love your kids more than life itself, yet sometimes need a break from it all. How you can be both bored with the repetitiveness while simultaneously overstimulated. I appreciate your gentle encouragement to forgo this compulsive need to be ‘productive’ like our pre-mum selves. Thank you for the reminder that parenting is valuable and our children are blessings ❤️
How can you grit your teeth through the bedtime routine and then scroll through their photos the moment they are asleep? 😂 Thanks for reading this Ruhie, I’m glad this speaks to other mums and that you relate to the parenting paradox!
Oh there's so much here to learn from and ponder on! I'm gonna have to reread this to really let it sink in. I love your poem and I love the encouragement that our children ARE our work and not an interruption. Paul David Tripp in his Parenting book calls them 'Providential Hindrances' - when they 'interrupt' it's not an accident, it's also orchestrated by our sovereign God.
So grateful this has encouraged a fellow mum! I love how Paul points us to God’s sovereignty in all of life. I should have recommended his book in this post as so much of his teachings have shaped my perspectives on parenting!
Heidi!!! Your entire piece just made me weep...both for the joy and reality that you share...but also the sorrow I feel at not following through and becoming a Mom. I aborted my two children back in 1973 and that was one of so many bad decisions I made. I write about the sorrowful mistakes of my own youth (Boomer) and how I want to be an example of "what not to do ", from my 35 years as a Prodigal from God and His Son and from the awful price I have paid for fleeing from God. While I cannot change what I did, I can pray for others (I am an Intercessor in the intensity of the world right now) and I can bless others. Your heart is so real in all this writing piece. Your phrase "refuge for truth seekers, deep-feelers, and the homesick searching for Eternity" just slammed me. I LONG for Home so deeply ( I will be 72 in Nov. 2024) and live for Eternity right now. God bless and keep you, dear Heidi and your sweet family. Wendy
Hey Wendy, thanks for stopping by to read this piece and for sharing your story of sorrow and regret which makes you long for Eternity. I’m encouraged that you’re using your story to point others to the hope we have! There is no condemnation for those in Christ (Romans 8:1) 🤍
Heidi, Romans 8:1 is one of my life verses!!!
I laughed out loud at the comparison of a park visit to Castaway - hopefully on that park trip you came across an abandoned volleyball to befriend? And thanks for the shoutout, Heidi - honoured to be included with some incredible writers!
Hahaha I admit it’s a bit dramatic 🎭 and happy to have included you! ☺️
Ps. Flu season is where voice texting with your friends through WhatsApp is a lifeline!!
Ooof. I feel this, “There is a difference between demanding generosity and kindness from your child, and patiently (and prayerfully) pointing them to the One with the power to transform a greedy and unkind heart.”
Loved your depiction of an extroverted Mum in flu season. That’s me haha thanks for the shout out 🙌🏼
It’s so tempting to focus on the immediate results of external behaviour management. Heart change take so much time and patience 🥲. Haha I’m glad there’s other extroverted mums who can relate to my “Wilson” moment 😩
I love this perspective ... even motherhood is part of God's story of redemption - our disruptions, our hurts, our pains, our griefs, our failures, our unmet expectations, even tragedy - "The story of motherhood may start with a curse, but God promises that it will end with renewal and redemption. Green pastures await—a Garden free from thorns and thistles, tears and sickness, futility and impatience. This is my hope on hard days. I persevere because I am certain that the moment I step into Eternity, I will breathe a sigh of relief for any effort I ever made to embrace interruptions with patience and presence; to have walked in love with faith and endurance. This isn’t just a truth for motherhood, but for all of life."
Love to you and Pauline. Thanks for modelling this to us too. 🤍
Wonderful work.
Thank you, Alexander! Your encouragement means so much!
I have these questions as a parent also, I especially liked
“I am learning that every tantrum is an opportunity to image God—the perfect parent—who is patient, slow to anger, gentle, and compassionate to our earthly needs. Therefore, my daughter’s interruptions are opportunities to show her God’s heart.”
It’s such hard but valuable work…and oh so humbling!!
Beautifully written, Heidi! Thank you for sharing ❤️
Thanks Kezia, for giving these words your time! Have loved learning from you as well!