Acts: The Mission in MotherhoodSample

The Mission in Motherhood

After becoming a mom, was there a point you realized you’d have to adjust your expectations of what might be accomplished in a day? When I reflect back on my 24-hour days with a toddler and a baby, often the only thing I felt I’d accomplished was keeping two little humans alive! My plans to see a friend, get a little work done, or organize the playroom quickly slipped out of sight and mind.

To be honest, I was drawn to study the book of Acts because it felt like a challenge. Acts narrates wide-sweeping missionary journeys, dramatic conversions, and disciples doing the work of the kingdom, stories that to me can feel like the opposite of the season I’m in.

While raising kids, it might seem like we’re not doing “big things” for God, but rather, we're just trying to stay afloat: paying the bills, feeding the family, and keeping the household up and running. However, as I worked my way through Acts, I came to realize that the point of the book is not to inspire us to do “big” things as defined by the world.

Rather than motivating us to aspire after “big things,” Acts encourages us to simply trust the power of the Holy Spirit so that we might be a witness wherever God has us. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is the very presence of God that dwells inside of those who put their faith in Jesus. As we continue to put our faith in God rather than ourselves, the Holy Spirit works within us to make us more like Christ and to empower us to live as God’s witnesses, testifying to others of God’s love and salvation. Throughout Acts, the phrase “full of the Holy Spirit” is often used. In this series, we’re going to study stories of those recounted as being "full of the Spirit" and what it is that characterized their mission and witness. This is the same Spirit working in and through us today.

The book of Acts was written by Luke, a co-laborer of the Apostle Paul, who also wrote the Gospel of Luke. In his Gospel, Luke shares the story of how Jesus, the Son of God, took on our humanity and lived among us. After years of His ministry work, Jesus was crucified on a cross and then raised back to life by God’s power! The book of Acts is Luke’s continued account of God’s work through His people after Christ’s resurrection and ascension to Heaven. In his book, Luke seeks to encourage readers to live as faithful witnesses to Christ, and he does so by opening our eyes to the story we’re a part of, to the God we follow, and to the Spirit that is within us!

When held up to the narratives in Acts, it might feel like our world is small and like our days are not full of much significance. But consider this: each missionary trip in Acts is about two to three years... two to three years of going to a town and doing the ordinary things of daily life among the same people as the Gospel is shared.

Instead of focusing on our daily output (or lack thereof), what if we instead viewed our life in seasons? Like the missionary journeys in Acts, what if we were intentional about witnessing - loving and sharing the Gospel - with the people around us in those first few years with a baby…then the next couple years of toddlerhood…then the set of school-aged years, and so on. Just as in Acts, over time, the impact of ministering to those around us compounds exponentially!

Even in that very first season of new motherhood, when isolation most likely feels at an all-time high, there is so much purpose. Research shows that 80% of a child’s brain is developed by age three. In those early years, the joy, peace, and love of Christ that you exude to your child will impact a human at a rate immeasurably greater than any you’ll ever encounter in another relationship or season.

The ending of Acts cements that Spirit-fueled mission is for all Christ-followers, even moms with young kids. After recounting the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul, Acts ends with Paul on house arrest, ministering to whoever comes by to see him. Now, I’m not saying motherhood is like house-arrest. But in so many ways, life most likely feels like it’s grown more limited and restricted after kids. Acts proves that both on world-wide missionary journeys and within a single home, God is at work to reach and save the people He loves. The power of God’s Holy Spirit is within us that we might be witnesses for Him wherever He has us.