Gospel Minded Mama

Protection in the Pursuit of Truth As a homeschool mom, my mind is rarely still. When you take on the responsibility of leading your children toward Truth, you realize very quickly that you cannot simply hand them what you were told at face value. You have to know why you believe what you believe. This has led me down a path of constant seeking. I am not quick to believe everything I’ve ever been told; I want to see the roots. However, I’ve learned that the process of "pondering" is a delicate one. Sometimes, when we weigh the generally held consensus against the Word, it can be misinterpreted by others as being argumentative or even rebellious. If someone hasn't walked through the same thought process, or if they aren't in a season of humble patience, they might take a simple question as a personal attack on their own years of study. Because I know how easily these misunderstandings happen, I’ve often kept my deepest questions to myself. The Bible provides a beautifu...

  If you’ve been following me for a while—whether for two years or ten—you’ve seen me evolve. I’ve been blogging in some form for over a decade. I’ve moved from website to website, rebranded more times than I can count, and dabbled in just about every corner of the internet. I’ve sold workout shakes and subscriptions; I’ve co-hosted a podcast (that is no longer); I’ve even taken the courses and tried the "hacks" to go viral with Instagram Reels. But if I’m being honest? It was exhausting. The Trap of the Screen For a long time, I felt like I was constantly performing. Putting myself in front of a screen always felt a bit inauthentic, like I was acting for views rather than sharing from conviction. I was always chasing the next "viral idea," and it left me drained. Along the way, I had a deep conviction about my home. I realized that my children were never meant to be "content" for strangers. My family is a gift to be protected, not a product to be marketed...

 After church today, I was talking with a friend who is about to have a new baby about our pastor’s message. He mentioned how important it is to have people in your corner—a group of about three people you can turn to. You don’t have to know everyone in the church, but you do need those few. It made me think about how we prepare for babies. Most women spend so much time on their birth plan and making the "perfect" registry for a baby they haven't met yet. We always hope and pray for a lovely 4th trimester—that the mom bonds with the baby, the baby is calm and restful, the mother’s milk comes in, and she heals easily. But as we know, things don’t always go according to our plans. When the Meal Train Isn't Enough Our church offers a meal train, which is wonderful, but sometimes a meal doesn't lend to true emotional help when you really need it. You need to prepare for who is in your corner for the transition into motherhood, not just the birth and the nursery. You n...

 We’ve all had those days. You know the ones—where you wake up with a plan, a "divide and conquer" strategy, and a heart ready to serve, only to have the day unravel thread by thread. Yesterday was that day for our family. It started with a sick child, shifted into a flat tire for my husband (who accidentally left his phone at home when going to get it fixed!), and culminated in me driving the kids to a birthday party just to drop off cupcakes and head back home. But the "cherry on top" of this chaotic sundae? A car pulled out abruptly in front of us. I slammed on the brakes, and the cupcakes. The three boxes of my daughter’s hard work—cupcakes she had baked with so much love—went flying. The Beauty in the Mess My daughter was devastated. She was embarrassed and ready to give up on the delivery entirely. In that moment, I had a choice: I could lean into the frustration of a day gone wrong, or I could show my children what it looks like to trust Jesus when the plan f...

 The other day, I found myself deep in the digital trenches. I was reading headlines about wars, political conflicts, and heavy questions about our faith and how it has been impacted by the modern world. Naturally, I did what many of us do: I sent a flurry of texts to my husband, unloading all the "big news" I had just uncovered. When he called a little later to ask if I was okay, I realized I had accidentally stressed him out! I assured him I was fine, but it made me pause. It is so easy to get overwhelmed by the "macro"—the things happening across the ocean or in the halls of government. But as a Christian homeschool mom, I am quickly brought back to the "micro." I have four hungry children who need to be fed, instructed, exercised, and cared for. I realized that while I may have zero control over what happens in the White House, I have a tremendous amount of control over what happens in my house. From Rabbit Holes to Reality As women, we want to know t...

  If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve likely seen the explosion of "self-diagnosis." It seems every other post is a video asking if you might be "neurodivergent." While there are certainly genuine medical conditions and neurological differences in this fallen world, I find myself increasingly concerned by how quickly we as Christian women are adopting these labels to explain away our daily struggles. The world tells us that our "quirks" are just "how we are wired." But the Bible tells us that we are called to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). When we label a behavior as a "disorder" or a "condition" before we examine it as a matter of sanctification, we often stop looking at it as a discipleship issue. We trade the transforming power of the Holy Spirit for the temporary comfort of a clinical term. The World’s Label vs. The Word’s Instruction The world uses many modern terms to describe wha...

 If you scrolled through social media this morning, you likely saw a dozen posts telling you to "put yourself first," "protect your peace," and "let go of anything that doesn't serve you." The world calls the duties of a wife and mother "drudgery" or "limitations." But the Word of God calls them a vocation. I’ll be honest: I didn’t always see it this way. I entered marriage and motherhood with a heart heavily influenced by modern feminism. I was told my "worth" was found in my independence, my career, or my paycheck. When the realities of housekeeping, midnight feedings, and the constant needs of a husband and children hit me, I didn't just feel tired—I felt resentful. I felt like I was underprepared, and conflicted between what I was told, and what I was trying to live out. But then, the Holy Spirit began to ruffle my own feathers. I realized I wasn't losing myself; I was losing my idolatry of self. The "Inco...