When Dad has to work late (again) and the kids’ bedtimes are still hours away, is there a gracious response to give? Although long days might leave a wife stuck in cycles of comparison with other families and even anger, God hasn't left her without hope and help. No matter the income-producing work balance between mom and dad, it can feel challenging to navigate family life alongside work responsibilities. In this episode, Emily and Laura look at the ways we can honor our husbands through busy work seasons, inflexible schedules, travel, and missed expectations. When our hope is rooted in Christ, we can trust that even when our husband’s meeting runs long or he’s called into work on a Saturday morning, God is our sure foundation and our greatest help.

*This show is intended to address the typical strains of balancing work and parenting within the context of healthy Christian marriages. If you’re in a marriage that is experiencing these tensions within the context of unconfessed sin or neglect, we encourage you to reach out to a trusted mentor, pastor, or counselor for help.

Every mom does motherhood and work a little bit differently. A ton of factors are at play as each woman seeks to honor her own husband, care for children, serve the church, invest in the community, and glorify God in the marketplace. Instead of putting ourselves in another mom’s shoes, seeking to understand her situation or ask questions—we make a snap judgment, deeming her good or bad, faithful or unfaithful with little information. While there is a place for correction and tough conversations, left unchecked, our snap judgments about other moms can fuel pride and cause division. In this episode, Emily and Laura discuss practical ways to love moms in our lives, even when we make different choices. When our identity is in Christ and we’re seeking faithfulness in our own lives, we learn from other moms who might do things differently.

Note: Not all moms have the luxury of choice when it comes to balancing day-to-day work and motherhood, and we understand that the consideration to honor our husbands is not applicable for single moms. No matter your season or circumstance, we pray this episode is an encouragement to you.

Snow days and sick days, unexpected meetings, appointments, and skipped naps—motherhood is full of so-called “distractions” to our work. When these things happen, what is our next move as we seek to honor God in our day-to-day responsibilities? How can we be purposeful as we pursue the work God has given us to do? In this episode, Emily and Laura talk with author and Bible teacher Phylicia Masonheimer on practical ways to love the work of the home and manage daily demands. As we apply a right theology of work and motherhood to our lives, we can trust the Lord to give us the guidance and strength to run the race marked out for us.

Where do career dreams fit in with God’s calling on our lives as moms? For most of us, our capacity for income-producing work has likely ebbed and flowed as we’ve transitioned into motherhood, enrolled our kids in school, or added to our families. In this episode, Emily and Laura chat with Portia Collins, founder of nonprofit women’s ministry She Shall Be Called and Partner Development Specialist at Revive Our Hearts, on being faithful in full-time income-producing work, career ambitions, and motherhood. As we ask the Lord what he has for us in each season, we can view all of our work as an opportunity to serve, trusting that he is faithful to give and take for our good and his glory.

As moms, the work that fills our to-do lists can feel overwhelming. Schedules are tight, keeping the house clean is near-impossible, and the weight of meeting the mental and emotional needs of our families can put us in overdrive. In this episode, Emily chats with Jill Thomas, a mental health therapist focused on helping moms through the challenges of marriage and motherhood, on the ways work affects our mental health and how to step back and care for ourselves as we seek to faithfully do what God has placed before us. When our work feels heavy, we can rejoice that God has never asked us to do it alone, and his grace is sufficient to sustain.

*While Jill Thomas is a licensed therapist, this episode is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you resonate with any of the mental health topics discussed, please reach out to a counselor or medical professional.

How many hours can we clock each week, and still serve our families well? Should we take that job now that our kids are in school, or pull back as our families grow? Scripture hasn’t given us a one-size-fits-all answer in this area (which means Emily and Laura won’t be able to tell you either!), but we can find help for direction and discernment from God’s Word. In this episode, Emily and Laura outline a few questions to think through when considering turning the knob up or down on income-producing work, particularly if you have the privilege of choice*. To take this show even further, we’ve also created a free workbook filled with gospel-centered questions to help a mom think through their income-producing work. You can find the link to the workbook below! As we navigate these decisions, we can trust that the Lord is our Counselor and Comforter in every season.

*We know not all moms are afforded choice in this area and it's an enormous gift to have options in work. If you are in a season where you long for a change in how you spend your days, please know we've prayed for you, asking God to give you strength to trust him in every season.

It’s time to make the bed–again. Do the dishes–again. Sit in a meeting again. Answer an email–again. When we’re in a cycle of everyday, ordinary work, what is our reaction? Some of us dive head-first into busyness and box-checking, and some of us pull back, saving the hard work for “later.” In this episode, Emily and Laura examine our various sin tendencies when it comes to our work as moms. While we all will face challenges in our work on this side of heaven, God is gracious to help us work according to his principles and lead us in his ways.

As moms, we all want to be faithful in our work. Whether paid or unpaid, seen or unseen, mundane or exciting—God has given all of us work to do, and what he has given us matters. In this episode, Emily and Laura look at God’s good design for work and the variety of ways it manifests in motherhood. The work we do as moms won’t always be easy or exciting, but when we’re able to lay it before the Lord, we can trust that he is faithful to finish the work he started in us.

All moms have important work to do—work in the home, the community, and the church. But income-producing work can bring unique challenges. So, in this episode, Emily and Laura invite four women to share about what they’ve learned as they balance work and motherhood, seeking to honor God and serve faithfully in every sphere of life. No matter what kinds of work we do, we can reflect the image of God who is always at work in the world and in our lives. 

Whenever we ask the R|M community for questions, they range from lighthearted and practical to thought-provoking and theological, which makes the AUA show something special. In this one-hour episode, Emily and Laura answer listeners’ questions about the R|M pop-up shop and upcoming conferences, to things like spiritual slumps, attraction in marriage, and finding the right church for your family. We hope as you listen, you’ll see how the gospel applies to everything and how we have freedom in Christ to serve others in unique ways. 

Stretch marks, loose skin, and under-eye circles—oh my! Many moms stand a little awkwardly before the mirror, examining their postpartum bodies. We may know the world’s standard isn’t a true one, but how do we find peace with our new bodies? In this episode, Emily and Laura invite five women to share how the gospel changes their outlook on their postpartum bodies. While we’re tempted to focus on what we think our bodies should be today, the gospel reminds us that our hope isn’t in our flesh. Instead, these bodies reminds us that our hope is in Jesus alone—who willingly bore our sins, scarring his perfect body to give us life. This hope gives us grateful hearts, so we can care for and steward the body we have today as a vessel for good works.

Moms are no strangers to worry. We daily consider the possibility of danger, hurt feelings, or stressful situations. We turn hypothetical situations around in our heads, trying to find solutions, but it feels like everything is just beyond our control. And so we worry. In this episode, Emily and Laura discuss how the gospel changes our worry. As moms in a broken world, we know we’re going to ask ourselves, “What if?” and, “What then?” But what do we do when we start to dwell on those questions? We train our minds with the promises of God found in Christ. As our trust in God’s care deepens, our worry can become worship.

Oh and ps: We’re having our fall fundraiser through Friday! Instead of ordering pizza for dinner this week, consider giving $25 to help 19 women hear the gospel.