Living a Risen Motherhood
Motherhood is lived in a million tiny moments. A moment with hot coffee in our favorite chair before rising to tend to a newborn’s cry. A moment to admire the laughter among siblings. A moment to sneak a square of chocolate in the pantry or to laugh at an eight-year-old’s joke. Like an old-fashioned photo reel, the moments flash by in our minds: holding her against your skin for the first time, sharing the same slide at the park, rocking him in that old chair, seeing her blow out five candles on the cake. The highlights hit us like little light beams, and the moments meld together to become the spectacularly bright thing we know as motherhood.
But not every moment is one we want to remember. Not every moment is good or joyful, silly or fun, nostalgic or mundane. Some of them are just plain hard. Or sad. Or painful. A moment of sobbing after a trip to the doctor. A moment of yelling after losing our cool from all the running and the noise. A moment of panic after an unexpected phone call. A moment of rumination and shame while we lie in bed and recount the day. All of us find moments of darkness speckled in among the light beams of motherhood, and we’re not always sure what to do with them.
Over a decade into motherhood, we (Emily and Laura) have lived our own montage of moments, and we understand how precious, varied, and complex they are. How some of them feel as if they are going to drag on forever (we’re looking at you, “little years”) and some of them feel as if they are flying by too fast. (Is ten the perfect childhood age? Seems pretty close!) And something we’ve learned is that every one of those moments—good, bad, or in between—matters.
We don’t say this to give you a guilt trip or one more thing you need to worry about trying to maximize, capture, or enjoy. (Moms have plenty of that!) No, it’s not as if every single second is high-stakes and you have to get it right—or else. But every moment matters because you matter. And your children matter. And all the people who you come in contact with—for that matter—matter! The moments of your motherhood are important because God knew every one of them before you were born.[1] They matter because you have a sacred mission and purpose to love God, worship and serve him above all else, and love others.[2] They matter because if you love God and follow him, your steps are established by God.[3] He looks over all the earth, and nothing escapes his notice or control.[4] They matter because God says they matter.[5]
Feel a little heady and overwhelming? It takes time to understand our lives through this lens, but it’s not impossible. It takes growth and practice. But if we can do it, you can do it too. We want to point you to look beyond your moments to the One who holds all your moments.
We want you to know that you were created good, as God’s image-bearer. But because of the Fall, things in life and motherhood (and especially in our own hearts) won’t always be good, understandable, or honor God. But there’s good news for all of us—when we recognize our own inabilities and insufficiencies and put our faith in Jesus Christ, trusting him as our Lord and Savior, we have new life, new hope, and new purpose. This, all of this, is the gospel. Through it, our moments take on a whole different meaning, and that changes everything. Because in Christ, we’re not just living for peace and quiet, surviving until becoming empty-nesters or looking back at nostalgic memories, our kids’ special awards, or epic family vacations (though all of those things are probably awesome). We’re living for Christ himself.
Mom, the million tiny moments that make up your motherhood are given to you by God for his glory and your ultimate good.[6] There is no moment outside of his sovereign control. No moment too small to matter. No moment too difficult or shameful. The gospel matters for each and every one of them. God wants you to turn from your sin and trust in Christ for eternal life. And when you do that, the meaning behind the million tiny moments of motherhood changes. Now they aren’t just lived for the momentary happiness they can provide—they are lived for Jesus. You live a risen motherhood.
[1] Psalm 139:16
[2] Matthew 28:19-20; Isaiah 43:7
[3] Proverbs 16:9
[4] Job 28:24
[5] Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
[6] Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:4-6
This adapted excerpt is taken from Emily and Laura’s new book, A Million Tiny Moments, which releases on March 4, 2025 (Harvest House Publishers). In this beautiful collection, you’ll find many of their bite-size writings from the Risen Motherhood years, covering topics like “When Motherhood Feels Heavy,” “When You Want to Know You’re a Good Mom,” “When You’ve Lost Who You Are,” and many more. Pick it up at your favorite book retailer today!
