We can practically prepare our hearts for family tensions or conflicts that may arise during the holidays, while resting in the ultimate hope of belonging to Christ’s family.

Foster moms need many types of tools and support, but the gospel is what ultimately equips and encourages them for the challenges of serving vulnerable children.

The gospel redefines our expectations as we choose to approach our in-law relationships with prayer, believing the best, intentional listening, and a heart to serve.

We can point our kids to God’s comforting promises, even when we don’t have all the answers.

There’s a long list of reasons we may not be doing family devotions, but here’s one reason to start—the power to make family devotions effective doesn’t come from us, it comes from God’s word.

As moms we spend a lot of time caring for our nuclear families, but what a blessing that we’re part of a much larger spiritual family! In the church, we get to love and be loved by our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Whether our earthly family is a place of joy or heartache, it can point us to God’s eternal family—the place we all belong.

Through Christ, God gives us the peace, love, and joy we need to celebrate the holidays with the ones we love, even when loving them isn’t easy.

Because of Jesus, we are set free from the cycle of childhood abuse. This means that we as moms can look to God as the example of the perfect parent, rather than looking to the broken, earthly one we experienced.

I claim I would do anything for Him. I profess that I would suffer for him - even to the point of death. But if I'm not careful, I treat him like an old trinket, cast off in a corner, gathering dust, only coming out on Sunday mornings or when I suddenly have a need.

It's a simple question really, "Do you love Jesus more than anything?" And if the answer is "Yes," then wouldn't we bring him to the forefront, bubbling over with excitement and joy over what he has done for us? Displaying him prominently in the most central place in our lives? Wouldn't we tell our friends, family - our children - about him?

When it comes to toiling in the call of motherhood, I often shift my focus from the upward call of Christ (Philippians 3:14) onto my self-constructed image of the "perfect" mom. Instead of working with the energy the the Holy Spirit provides for the work God has put before me, I clench my fists and drag the weight of "not good enough" as I press on to attain my idea of godly motherhood.

If you're anything like us, you've wondered, "How do I know what God has called our family to do in His name?" While the answer to that question is far more exhaustive than a short blog post, here are some thoughts that have helped us brainstorm: