A Note from Chris Adams: As women’s ministers, we can lose sight of the challenges facing moms. Helping moms to see mothering as an act of worship will help them refocus from the bumps along the motherhood road. To gain insights into the lives of moms, read the story of Lenora Grayson, pastor’s wife and mom of 3.
By Lenora Grayson
I’m a mom of three littles with a preacher husband who leaves for the church on Sunday mornings before the roosters start crowing. It’s Sunday morning. The alarm goes off, and after pushing snooze several times, I jump up out of bed in a frenzy to get myself and my kiddos dressed and ready to walk in the church looking at least semi-presentable.
Maybe your dream for Sunday morning resembles mine—to enter a worship experience with your heart fully surrendered to receive all that He has for you. I’m talking about the kind of worship experience that you had back in the day when it was just you sitting on the pew, or with your sisters in Christ at that women’s event. How sweet it is to sit at the feet of Jesus with a heart full of praise, ready to worship our Savior!
As we headed to worship on Good Friday for communion, I entered the worship center with one hungry, crying child, one child who found it impossible to sit even remotely still, and one with a not-so-pleasant attitude. Which in turn killed the atmosphere of worship for me and caused frustration to set in. Fast forward to Easter Sunday. Sundays are often the most stressful days of the week. This is inevitably the morning that Satan always attacks with a vengeance. Before 6:30 a.m., I already had two who were crying as I attempted to prepare my heart for the day. Again, frustration sets in. Can’t we just have one Sunday when no one cries, whines, or complains? Thank goodness for a 20-minute drive to church in which I have what I refer to as my “worship detox”—worship music blaring so loud that it drowns everything else out so that I can again attempt to prepare my heart for worship. We walk in most of the time looking like we have it all together, but in reality, this mama is many times not in the mood to worship after the morning of chaos.
But God, in His goodness, began to speak this to my heart during this season: my mothering is my worship. My effort to get everyone dressed and to church is my worship. My not-so-perfect patience in answering my kids’ 5 million questions during the sermon is my worship. They won’t remember your being frustrated, they will remember that you made the effort to allow them to come to a knowledge of a good and holy God. So don’t be discouraged mama of little ones! One day there will be the stillness of worship again. And that will be the day when they will be all grown up, and we will wish there were still those little wiggling bodies beside us. Oh but in the meantime, God is doing a great work of sanctification in this mama’s life!
Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. —Psalm 90:12 (NLT)
So what can women’s ministers do to encourage moms?
- Encourage opportunities for moms to chat with other moms about life’s challenges.
- Don’t be perfect. Be honest about your own struggles.
- Talk about worship as a way of life rather than a playlist of songs in church.
- Share inspiring Scriptures on social media and through texts.
- Enlist prayer warriors for moms.
Be the encourager your moms need!
Lenora Grayson serves alongside her husband, Chad, Senior Pastor at Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Springfield, MO. She has a deep passion for teaching 9th grade girls small group and discipling young women to follow hard after Jesus and take serious His call to holiness. She leads in the Women’s Ministry at Ridgecrest as well. In her free time she enjoys traveling with the family, running, and reading. Lenora graduated from the University of Mississippi Medical Center with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Lenora has recently stepped away from part time work as a therapist to focus on her family and serving alongside Chad in his ministry. She delights to be called Mommy by Annlee, Deuce, and Asher.
