A Handful of Lessons Learned from Motherhood

Posted by Jamerrill | 0 comments

As a young woman I certainly didn’t know that my heart would turn towards home.  I wanted career and financial security. Who would have thought my greatest desire would become to serve my husband and children? Talk about going against the flow of everything this world screams at us women in our modern times.

I think many of us mothers find ourselves growing in areas as we journey along.  I’ve been thinking through my different mindsets that have been changing as our family grows—things I’m learning about myself.

About Home

I’m learning that I like being home. Not in a hide-behind-locked-doors kind of way that some onlookers associate with homeschooling. But I see home, and enjoying our home, as a gift. I desire to develop this gift as a safe nest for our children to grow.  Our home needs to be a launching point where world changing begins. In our world so many people run from thing-to-thing, only to use home as a crashing pad.  They never really enjoy it as a haven.  We’ve lived that life at times. When I had 1, 2, or 3 children I was the running mom, you know the one. Everyday was an outside activity, group, lesson, club or field trip. I did not want to be “just sitting at home.” Outside activities and commitments come now, but my goal now is to keep them to a minimum, and only participate in those that will truly build our family vision. 

Living on the run is not healthy.

I want to enjoy a slow pace.

I desire to develop our home into a sweet place for weary souls.

About Fun, Fellowship and Friends

Our ideas of fun have changed from a focus on entertainment, to a focus on relationships. When our children play with their friends we tend to not do so on an individual basis. We have fun gatherings with entire families. My friends and I like to share a “throw together lunch,” let the kids run and play, and fellowship the day away.

I trust in the Lord to bring me “divine connections” as far as friendships.  I pray for Him to give me the friends that He desires for me to have. I have several moms with growing families that the Lord has put in my life over the years. I’m thankful for these moms. (And I love my imaginary friends too.)

About Church, Ministry and Seasons

Before children, I thought I was in full-time ministry, as Minister of Outreach and Evangelism for an inner city church. I ran a bag lunch program for a housing project and senior apartments. I organized Christmas plays, special services, and Sunday school. I led nursing home, homeless shelter and community outreaches. On weekends my husband and I would fill two mini-vans full of youth and take these kids to his college football games, then hold BBQ’s on the beach afterwards. I taught bible studies, started and ran a college campus ministry, and spoke at other churches.  I thought “working in ministry” would always be our life.

Now I know that pouring into my children is a full-time living ministry. Just being a family that is TOGETHER in this broken world is “ministry.” When we’re out together people watch us. When we pray in restaurants people stare. Of course people comment on how many children we have. I’m o.k. with that.  In a world where babies are murdered for $250 a pop, children are shipped away everyday, and parents no longer live in the same house, being a growing family is showing the world something different.

Different is good.

Jamerrill Stewart is the daughter of the King, and wife to Travis of 13 years. They have five beautiful children so far, ages 6 months, 2, 5, 8, & 11. By dawn of the morning, she works out the joys, struggles, blessings and challenges while authoring Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling. When she’s not lost in a wonderful book with her children, taking them on a travel adventure or catching frogs by their pond, she likes to garden, write and collect stained glass windows.