How I Became a Wealthy, Successful Mama

A golden glow lay over the sandy beaches like a blanket of warmth. The sun was slowly making it's decent beyond the horizon, deep orange and growing larger the further it sank into the calm ocean. The roar of waves crashing on the beach filled the air as every creature soaked up the last rays of sunshine before the dark night set in. The grass in the sandy dunes danced in the warm breeze. The steam rolling from the coffee in my hand met my nose as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I wanted to soak in every last moment of this peaceful place.

In just a few short hours, my husband and I were headed back to “real life” in the beautiful fields and pastures of central Nebraska. I love where I live and honestly don’t believe I would enjoy living anywhere else as much. Yet, it is always fun to visit places so drastically different than the place we call home.

As we made our way back to Nebraska, I was wrestling with excitement to see our kids, and disappointment that we couldn’t stay on the beaches of Fort Morgan, AL, any longer. I already missed the freedom of an open schedule, no one demanding my attention 24/7, and the serine beauty of the beach. I was also going to miss my husband’s full attention and the way he loved me without distraction the last three days.

As our plane glided through the air I was pondering why I didn’t feel such peace and joy at home. I am surrounded by the things I love most at home, and yet it was draining me rather than filling me. I was so confused as to why the very thing the Lord had called me to do was exhausting every aspect of my life, and the moment I “escaped” from it, I had energy and bounding happiness.

These questions filled my head and made my spirit uneasy for days. I longed to have that freedom and happiness every day. The pressures of home and the responsibilities and expectations I had placed on myself were looming before me like a life I could never fully succeed at. I love being a wife and mama, but somewhere along the way, the chaos had choked out my peace and joy.

Deep down, I knew that if I was living in the Lord’s will, then indescribable peace and joy would fill my soul. I would feel free. This truth is woven through scripture like a golden cord on a beautiful garment. I knew that God had called me to be a mother, because it was very different than my own dreams for my life at the time. At first, I did have peace and joy. I seemed to have endless patience I had never had in my life, and I truly loved putting my dreams aside to fulfill this mission the Lord had gifted to me. I felt freedom. Then as the number of arrows in our quiver grew to three in just four short years, my energy for being a mama faded, and I found myself surviving in the mission the Lord has gifted me. My mindset on motherhood had subconsciously shifted to a burden rather than a blessing.

Everyone told me motherhood is the most fulfilling and important job you could ever do. This IS true. What no one ever told me; was how hard it would be to watch other women pursue dreams and gain huge success while I watched them from my home with nothing to show for my endless efforts as a mother and homemaker. In a world where success is measured by this health, wealth, prosperity mindset, I found it discouraging to be a stay-at-home mama.

Examining my life coming home from the serein atmosphere of the beach, my escape from my reality, I knew somewhere I had gone wrong. I was still doing the exact same things I was three years ago when I had pride in being a stay-at-home mom, but it was like my calm, beautiful ocean of motherhood had turned into crashing waves trying to drown me.

Nothing had changed physically in my mission of motherhood, but my mindset around this mission had shifted. When we are not determined to live a life that Honors the Lord, pursuing things with an eternal mindset every hour that fills the rising and falling of the sun, then satin will creep lies into our mind without us even knowing. I had let the lies of the world’s definition of success fill my mind and I had begun to look at my God given mission of motherhood as a form of failure, like I was falling short of my potential.

This is a lie! I could pursue my biggest “dreams” and none of them could compare to the dream the Lord fulfilled in making me a mother. Any other dream could never satisfy what I longed for, because they are not the dream the Lord has called me to. They are not my mission. Those passions could never bring me indescribable peace and joy. If I pursued them, I would be a Jonah, running from what God had called me to do. By pursuing my earthly dreams, I would find nothing but unrest and want. I could have the whole world admiring my success, and yet I would feel empty and never satisfied.

I began this journey of a mental reset around my mama mission. I needed to become so passionate about being a mama, that all the world said it had to offer would fade to the background. The biggest shift I had to do was stop thinking temporarily and start thinking eternally. It is hard to envision something longer than our lifetime here on earth, and yet, the Bible over and over again describes this life as short, and only a fraction of what is to come. Beginning to have an eternal mindset changed the way I viewed everything in my life. All the sudden, building my earthly kingdom was not near as important.

Coming to the realization that my life could end at any moment, I began to look at what I was doing with my life and pondered what I was treasuring. Anything I treasured or prioritized with earthly value only, would be gone the moment I took my last breath. The very things I had begun to dread, would be the only things that would last beyond my death. My focus had veered off the path the Lord had chosen for me, and by doing so, I had lost my joy and fulfillment in my mission of motherhood, this beautiful, life changing mission. My freedom had been robbed.

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Colossians 3:17) Whether that be doing dishes or laundry, cleaning the toilet or mowing the lawn, wiping buns or spanking them, cooking meals or reading stories, I must do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Only then will I experience true joy and peace. The mundane tasks of running a home may not appear to have eternal value, but everything has an eternal value if you are focused on doing it for the honor and glory of the Lord. Even sleepless nights and never-ending tasks will hold eternal value with the right mindset.

I have been studying through Proverbs 31 discovering what it means to be a Godly woman. I was challenged by the very first verse I studied, Proverbs 31:10

Jewels were known for the scarcity and value in Bible times. Israel had no natural deposits of precious stones, so all the stones they had were acquired during war or trade. They were rare and valuable.

A virtuous woman is rare because striving to be a virtuous woman is hard! It means giving up what the world says a treasure is and striving for what God says a treasure is. The world will see your success as a failure, falling short of your potential, but a virtuous woman knows that she is building her treasure to last for eternity, and that all the world’s treasures will fade away.

Pursuing virtue is far greater than pursuing riches. This is a truth that is easily drown out by the passions of the world. I let the world steel my peace, joy, and freedom. I let the lies of health, wealth, and prosperity fill my mind instead of the promises of God and His word. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21) I had begun treasuring earthly, temporary things. Things that will burn. My heart was no longer in tune with my mission, and this was causing unrest in my life. My calm, beautiful mission of motherhood which I once treasured more than any dream, had seemed to turn into a crashing wave trying to drown me. What had really happened, is I had lost focus on eternity and had allowed the world’s lies of success to drown me. Temporary, meaningless success that could never satisfy, was distracting me from my radical mission of motherhood. Satan had succeeded for a time. Not anymore!

I must maintain an eternal mindset in everything that I do! Only then, will I experience joy, peace, and freedom in what the Lord has called me to.

This is my radical mission, and I choose to accept it!

An eternal focus is like a golden glow laying over the sandy beaches like a blanket of warmth. I long for my eternal treasure to grow larger with every sinking sun. The roar of waves crashing on the beach can fill the air, but they will not overcome me. “For His power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9) I will dance in the warm breeze of His blessings and promises, and enjoy my coffee soaking up the peace, joy, and freedom I have right here, right now, amidst the fields and pastures of central Nebraska, surrounded by the things I love most. This is wealth. This is prosperity. This is success!