HEY Reader,

We started potty training our three-year-old, Finnegan, this weekend…

If you’ve been there, you already know.

And when I say “we,” I (thankfully) mean my husband. My “job” was to take Maximus out of the house for at least four hours while Mike tackled potty training.

As a SAHM, I do a lot with the boys, especially now that we’re homeschooling. I’m teaching and guiding them through so many things that Mike wanted to take something on too.

So after church on Sunday, Maximus and I headed to Disney Springs with plans for lunch at Splitsville and a walk through the Lego Store so he could get some ideas to tell Santa when we visit him next month.

Our server, Joe, was so kind and attentive, and we got to talking a little about life. You know how that happens with some people!

He asked if I worked at Disney, and I said, “I used to, but now I’m a stay-at-home mom.”

Joe’s entire demeanor changed. “What moms like you do, the sacrifice you make for your children, is really inspiring. I’m the oldest of four, and when I was born, my mom left her career to raise us. She gave up everything to be our mom.”

I had tears in my eyes. “Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I worry all the time that he’ll hate me when he grows up!” I said, as Maximus sat curled up in my lap eating the last french fry crumbs off his plate.

“Oh, never. I still visit my parents once a week. I love my mom.”

I don’t know about you, but I feel like a failure pretty often. Or I worry I’ll screw up my kids so badly they’ll never want to see me again. Or that I’m not doing a good enough job homeschooling.

Or.

Or.

Or.

The list goes on and on.

But as this man talked about his mom, it was clear he didn’t just see a woman who gave up her career to raise her kids. He saw someone who sacrificed everything she knew for the people she loved. He saw a hero.

It’s so easy for moms to get sucked into the world’s way of thinking: letting anxiety take over, feeling overwhelmed and overworked, hustling like there’s no tomorrow, falling victim to the doom scrolling we all inevitably do.

But when we stay rooted in our purpose and calling in Christ, we not only model true faith for our kids, we also get to live a much more joyful life because of it.

I didn’t say “happier” for a reason. Happiness is fleeting, and our kids don’t need us to be happy all the time. Nobody is happy all the time. That’s not a normal human experience.

But when we’re tethered to the Holy Spirit, we’re filled with a joy no one can take away. Jesus promised exactly that:

My dad taught me that, and it’s something I hope to teach my kids too.

Use this week to seek joy from the Lord, and let it fill you every morning.

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NEW PODCAST EPISODE

Does your preschooler run, cry or shut down when they're scared, no matter how much you reassure them?
Want to teach them faith over fear without teaching them to hide what they feel?

This episode I'll show you how to teach faith over fear before they learn it the wrong way. We'll look at Psalm 56:3, why even Jesus felt afraid (Hebrews 4:15), and the simple BAM family prayer you can use the next time your child is scared

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LESSON PLAN

This month's lesson plan is all about faith over fear. It won't make every scary thing disappear for your little one, but it teaches them that God covers them and carries them through it. Simple weekly activities help you Teach It, Act It Out, and Pray It together.

Here is the Faith Over Fear lesson plan for episodes 91-94!

Now, go be mighty mom!

P.S. — If you haven't already, make sure to download the Morning Faith Circle Time Printable to teach connection with God first thing.