The Echoes of My Heart is a quiet collection of soul-deep and spiritual reflections—whispers of womanhood, faith, and the sacred work of my motherhood journey. These words, questions and musings rise from the still places within me as I walk through life, learning to dream, accept, change, surrender and discover in each season of my becoming.

As a Christian mother, How do I find deep joy in early motherhood with four young boys, one currently being a 9 week old? I am homeschooling and it all feels so heavy. The overwhelm and overstimulation are at an all time high, and the fog feels truly thick.

I consider this journey that I am on- raising four kings a beautiful calling. A calling in which I feel so stretched, tired, and convicted. This path is deeply meaningful, and incredibly hard at the same time, yet I desire to build joy here. I know that I have to fight through this. Lean into the season, and the difficulty because it will build good lasting muscle within me. Some thoughts that the internet and the Word are helping me to remember:

1. Remember the eternal significance of ordinary days

It can and does feel like I am just cleaning, feeding, correcting, teaching, and repeating the same things over and over in just a 30 minute period. But the truth is that these small acts are moments of discipleship.

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:6-7

The repetition- daily and often shapes their souls. Character and God’s Word. I know what it feels like for the Law to be on our lips but not in our hearts, and to desire Christ to truly be a fragrance in our home, and life takes a breaking in me and my own will. Daily life is done with Jesus and I am encouraged to know that every prayer I whisper over them matters, every time I respond with patience instead of anger forms something good in them, and every time we open the Bible together, sing a song or talk about God plants lasting seed in their hearts. There is lasting significance to these “ordinary days”, making the days not so ordinary at all.

Train up a child in the way he should go;
    even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6