There is far more work to be done
"The Holy Spirit connected me with other mothers in our loneliness"
This week on Mothering Spirit
Laura Johnson speaks to the loneliness at the heart of motherhood and Jesus’ own calling:
“There’s a loneliness peculiar to motherhood, and I didn’t see it coming…
It was a loneliness unlike any I had previously encountered. It wasn’t a loneliness fueled by the absence of people or support. This was a loneliness fueled by purpose, by vocation. My child needed a mother—a consistent, reliable person set apart to nurture and protect and comfort and unconditionally love her—and I vowed in those early days that I would wholeheartedly dedicate my life to that call.
The mantle of motherhood fell upon my shoulders like a heavy yoke, a well-worn stole, and I shouldered the weight of its responsibility as readily as I embraced the babe in my arms. I would set myself apart for her forever, to infinity. Here is my body given for you, little one. Here is my heart, it’s yours.
There’s a loneliness peculiar to motherhood, and it’s the shadow side of love.”
Read the full essay here: Loneliness, Jesus, and My Mothering Spirit.
Jennifer Magnano offers us a surprising twist in her prayer-poem on what our kids need most this school year:
Arm the children.
Arm them with a passion for life and each
other. Arm them with gorgeous humans
who consistently show up. Arm them
with some sort of relationship to the Divine.
Arm the children with beautiful experiences
and honest ones, too. Arm them with
gratitude, an ample dose of optimism and
hope, the ability to ask for help, a village of
support, an appreciation of mystery and
magic and art. . .
Read the rest here: Arm the Children.
This Week’s Recommendation
Each Friday we feature more work from our writers. This week we're grateful to share an essay on the tensions between work and motherhood by Anne Marie Brannigan that originally appeared in Common Horizon, a publication from From Here Media:
"What will it take for us to step up like Elizabeth, running out with haste and excitement to help her kin? What will it take for us to recognize the strength and skills of working moms? When will we notice that women are being forced to fight for their dignified work, physically bumping against lower standards?
In that instant, I am looking at my reflection in that locked bathroom, smells of disinfectant and stagnant water, tastes of salty sobs and bad office coffee, the whirring noise louder than ever. I ache for young me and for any woman who has walked this path. Those who have no maternity leave. Those who cannot return to their work. Those who cannot stay home.
My work is not a perfect career. My motherhood is far from the fantasy I long it to be. It is hard work and it is worthy work and it is good work and there is far more work to be done."
Read the full essay here: No Breaks In A Broken System.
Substack Spotlight
is a community of mothers exploring how we can connect with God right in the everyday of dishes and diapers, by understanding that God mothers us, even as we mother our own children. 
In my monthly newsletter, you'll find an essay exploring the image of God in motherhood (along with mental health, faith shifts, and a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor), as well links to what I'm loving, and a few memes that every mama will relate to.
A few of my favorite posts are Broken Red Pens, an essay about how Jesus helps us set down the damaging red pen of perfectionism, and The Other Mothers, a reflection on just how badly we all need each other, spanning baseball bleachers to PhD classrooms.
Subscribe to the Back of the Flock here, and don't miss the latest post: In the Waiting.
Want to feature your Substack newsletter here to have it reach more readers? Contact laura@motheringspirit.com for more information.
In Your Words
We know social media is a place where mothers of all ages and stages share from the heart about their joys and challenges. Each week we hope to bring you a glimpse into one mother’s life—in the hopes that her words might resonate with your own story.
This week’s post comes from Kate Lab (@kategoescreating):
“Remember as you pray
For the future of your kids,
Don’t forget that they were made
For such a time and place as this.
For their pain, their joys, their whole lives,
They have been uniquely designed and equipped
By a God who is wise and good and kind
And unlimited.
…
“Don’t forget.”I have had four conversations this week about the joys and fears of a new school year for moms and dads. Sometimes the decisions feel impossible to make about how to educate your kids, where to send them for school, how to protect them from the inevitable suffering of life, how to equip for this brave new world we live in. But don’t forget as you are praying for your kiddos how big and powerful God is. They were born the right year and the right place in the right family for His glory. And as we pray for our kiddos’ salvation and sanctification, we can’t forget how God uses suffering and trials to produce both those things. Let’s you and me both be encouraged and secure in God’s power and goodness, continue to pray for wisdom, and then rest in the hand of God.
‘The things we pray for our kids—things like character & hope—are often forged through the things we pray away—like suffering.’
(Jamie Finn @fosterthefamilyblog)”
Want to share your words here? Tag @mothering.spirit in your post on social media & we’ll let you know if we’d like to feature it in a future Substack.
If you like what you read at Mothering Spirit, we’d love if you’d share this with a friend! Maybe someone who needs encouragement in her mothering journey—or a place to pray in the midst of her busy days. Thanks for supporting our writers by sharing their work, following us on Instagram or Facebook, or supporting us on Patreon.