“Are you truly praying for thy will to be done,” the preacher asked a rapt congregation, “Or for my will to be done?”

My church recently hosted a missions conference where our international and national partners shared their work for God’s Kingdom around the world. For five days, I listened to stories from missionaries and church planters about smuggling Bibles into closed countries, preaching the Gospel to those who had never heard it, and experiencing persecution for the Christian faith. I sat on the edge of my seat as they recounted God’s faithfulness to them in suffering, needs, and endurance. Their testimonies both encouraged my own faithfulness, and yet, caused some discouragement to rise up. I wondered how serving my own little community in the center of the Bible belt could make the same difference in the Kingdom of God. How could I, a mother who works in the home, make an impact on the Kingdom?

On the final Sunday morning, one of our international church planters shared an exhortation for our faith family to live on mission wherever we are. He ended with the question above, challenging whether we truly were living our lives for the Kingdom of God. He encouraged us to submit our will to the Father’s by daily praying, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

We’re all kingdom builders. In my home, my primary mission field, I often want to build my kingdom, rather than God’s. I build routines that protect my own comfort rather than provide opportunities for Gospel proclamation. I use my discipline to point to my own control rather than God’s sovereign rule. I create all day long—meals for my family, words for others, activities for my children—expecting to receive glory rather than point to my glorious Creator. I steward my home and family to establish my own kingdom, rather than to further God’s Kingdom.

The question is not whether you and I are building a kingdom. It’s whose kingdom are we building? Because we all are part of the story of the Kingdom.

________________

Practical Takeaways

1. Begin memorizing the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. You can even invite your children to join you!
2. Brainstorm different ways you can go out of your comfort zone to share the Gospel with others. It might be inviting your children into your Bible study time or striking up a conversation with another mom at the park.
3. Read through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 where he describes what the Kingdom of God is like.

1. Begin each day by praying Matthew 6:10 over your planner and to-do list—that God’s Kingdom would come to earth through your work that day.
2. Pray through the different areas of your life and ministry right now. Ask God how you can join his Kingdom work in each of those areas.
3. Confess ways that you have been seeking to build your own kingdom rather than God’s.

___________________

Momma Theologians Contributor

Bethany Broderick

Bethany Broderick lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, three-year-old daughter, and one-year-old son. A recovering perfectionist, she writes about resting in God’s grace in the everyday moments of life as a woman, wife, and mother. She is on the blog contributor team at The Joyful Life and has featured articles at Risen Motherhood, Coffee + Crumbs, and Kindred Mom. You can find her words on her personal blog (dwellingword.com) and on Instagram (@bethanygbroderick).

Responsibility, exhaustion, and distraction often overshadow the joys of motherhood. Quiet and solitude remain as elusive as the Loch Ness monster. As we pour ourselves out for our children, we struggle to find more to offer our spouses, friends, and God.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if the solution consisted of doing less rather than more? What if being mindful of each moment enabled us to refresh our souls and glorify God?

__________

• As he was now getting near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!”
• Some of the Pharisees from the multitude said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
• He answered them, “I tell you that if these were silent, the stones would cry out.” – Luke 19:37-40 WEB

______________

1) Start your morning by reading Psalm 148 and 150 and carry that spirit into your day. Actively look for moments of beauty, write them on your heart, and give praise to the Lord.

2) Read and meditate on Psalm 103 and/or 136.

3) Find a few moments to marvel at God’s creation around you. Consider these songs to accompany your solitary worship:  Chris Tomlin’s “I Stand In Awe” featuring Nicole Serrano or “Beautiful Beyond Description” performed by Soul Survivor and Momentum.

4) Challenge yourself to spend time outside each day this week. Try to experience God with all five senses and turn the time into a prayer of praise. If you can’t go outside, marvel over prerecorded sights and sounds from nature.

_______________

Momma Theologians Contributor

Leslie Klosterman

Leslie Klosterman has savored more than a decade as a stay-at-home mother and volunteer. However, she recently took a leap of faith and completed her master’s degree in Christian Spirituality and Formation at Regent University. God has blessed Leslie with three lively sons (a teenager and twins who are eight). Leslie loves God, reading, writing, K-Dramas, dessert, and taking pictures. She also has a passion for ministering to women and children. You can find more of her writing at her personal blog. 

My parents modeled spiritual disciplines, read to us, taught us how to think, and demonstrated repentance. They did this in small, daily moments of faithfulness as well as after intentional planning. It wasn’t complicated, but these four areas became powerful patterns in my life that shaped me and are now shaping my parenting.

1. What are some of the things your parents did well in how they raised you? How might you implement them in your own life?
2. If your parents were not believers and/or didn’t raise you well, how has God led you in your parenting already? How can you grow still further in these things?
3. Brainstorm ways you might apply my four points in your unique family circumstances. Select one or two ideas to try out this week.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DEVOTIONAL NEWSLETTER TO STAY CONNECTED WITH OUR MINISTRY

Go to www.mommatheologians.com 

Find articles and essays written by mothers just like you as they share stories and reflections about how they grow spiritually in Christ in the midst of motherhood.

Join our community on Instagram @mommatheologians

__________________________

Momma Theologians Contributor

Kyleigh Dunn

Kyleigh Dunn is wife to Ezra and mother to three young girls. She reads obsessively, enjoys playing oboe and piano, and seeks to spread awareness of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in the church and apply theology and biblical encouragement to moms experiencing them. Kyleigh blogs at www.thesojourningdunns.wordpress.com and can be found on Instagram @kyleighrdunn or Facebook @thesojourningdunns.