Hey friend, are you feeling weary in your work?
I know that being a mom (especially when the kids are little) can often feel like never-ending serving and giving...
✔️house maid
✔️boo boo kisser
✔️chef
✔️taxi driver
✔️professional story reader
✔️referee
...the list goes ON and ON!
You can feel like a SLAVE to your children and to all the daily work it takes to keep a house afloat. Often being a mom is a thankless job and you can even feel taken advantage of at times.
BUT my question for you is…” is that such a bad thing?”
In this episode, Let’s get a better perspective on the sacrifices we make in the home so that we can see things the way God sees them. We need a heart shift. We need to feel FREE in our service to others.
If you are working unto the Lord and serving your family, you can feel confident that you are honoring the Lord as you honor the sacrifice.
Growing and GIVING is essential to success in our homes and businesses. Let’s dig in and discuss a few tips to help you have God’s heart as your work and serve.
LET’S STAY CONNECTED
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Michelle5Hiatt
Email: hello@nourishingmichelle.com
Full Episode Transcription:
0:03
Hey Mama, are you feeling like a zombie, pretty much just exhausted all the time? Okay, that was me. After I had my fifth child. I felt a mess physically in every way but more than anything, I was just so stinking tired. I needed sleep. Anyways, there is a product that changed everything for me, made a massive difference in the quality of my sleep.
0:24
I think as moms we never get enough sleep but the quality makes all the difference I have learned and that product is CBD oil. The reason I want to bring that up right now here today is because my favorite CBD oil ever is about to go on sale. Not just any sale. This is the biggest sale of the year. Last year they were selling out. The Internet crashed. I mean it's crazy how much activity, it's just such a good price and such a good deal. So if you are feeling exhausted and you would like some rest, some deeper quality sleep, just needing support in this area, maybe your kids need some too just saying, it's good for the kids. Let's try this. It is amazing, but I don't have the details of the sale yet. I've heard it's going to be even better than last year. I just don't know, but I would love for you to be the first to know as soon as this product is launched with this price, this awesome price point.
1:21
Go to NourishingMichelle.com, join the email list and I will send you an email immediately. As soon as I have all the details. I don't want you to miss this. The awesome thing is there's a 60 day money back guarantee on the product so you cannot lose. It's just a win-win, you can experience this product, see what you think is the best quality that I found ftom my research. I love it. It's made a massive difference for me. In fact, I wouldn't, I wouldn't do without it. So anyways, I'd love for you to learn more. I'll drop a link in the show notes. If you want to educate yourself I highly recommend that feel free to reach out if I can help you in any way if you want to know more about my experience, but as a friend I just got to fill you in on what is coming up 4/20, but get on the list today so that you don't miss out on this opportunity. If you want to try it if you want to restock with it, if you know somebody, friends, family that are using this product and loving it and what a really great deal. This is for you. Alright guys, enjoy today's episode.
2:17
Welcome back to The Nourishing Mompreneur Podcast, where we get encouraged and empowered as we pursue our greatest potential within the walls of our home. Hey Mama, my name is Michelle Hiatt, and I'm so thankful you're here. Do you feel like your life is good but something, in you feels unfulfilled? Do you feel stuck in the trenches of motherhood, exhausted and working so hard but feeling like you're getting nowhere? Do you have big dreams you hold in your heart, but you've been living small? Are you motivated for more, but don't have the clarity or the courage to do anything about it? Do you want to discover God's best and see if it's really possible to be an excellent wife, an intentional mother, and be successful in business, all for the glory of God? As a wife of 16 years, a homeschooling mom of five, and an entrepreneur, I know exactly how you feel. Every bit of it. I truly believe that the most important work you will ever do is within the walls of your home, and that there is purpose in every season. If you are a fellow business minded mama, with a heart for home and a love for Jesus, let's process this journey and grow together.
3:38
Hey, Mama, are you feeling a little bit worn out exhausted? Maybe feeling like a slave. I know that being a mom, especially when the kids are little and you're doing so much can often feel like you're a slave. All you do is work. It never ends. It feels like you're never getting anywhere. Maybe you're the house maid, you're kissing booboos, you're making meals as the chef, you're the taxi driver, you're the professional story reader, the referee, I mean, the list could go on and on about all the things that we do as mothers. You can feel like a slave to your children and to all the daily work that it takes to keep the house afloat sometimes. Often, usually, being a mom is a thankless job and sometimes you can even be left feeling taken advantage of.
4:21
I really know how you feel in that I don't know I'm a stay at home mom work from home mom. I have five children as you guys know, and so I get all of that, but my question for you today is feeling like a slave in some capacity, is that really such a bad thing? I want to talk about this a little bit more. But I want to also just be real with you guys and say listen, everything that I ever share with you. I can have a mirror right here in front of me because I'm always talking to myself. I'm only sharing the things that I'm learning and I'm growing in the experiences that I've had. I'm not here because I have all the answers. I'm here because I'm on the journey.
5:00
My oldest is 13, now my youngest is 3 and so I'm so proud of the family I have I'm so proud of the young men and women that they are just, they're just amazing kids. I'm so thankful for them and I'm so proud of them. But gosh, there's so much grace for the journey and I can only speak to the things that I know and experience. I'm not done raising my kids yet. You know, so everything that you hear from me just know like, this is me sharing my experience. Take it to the Lord. Don't hear from me, look to God first and always. And we can always learn from other people but I'm just here to share with you my journey and some of the things that I'm growing in. And right now I am entering like new uncharted territory as my older ones are hitting the preteen stage. We've got hormones kicking in, and it's a weird feeling in reality to see that wow, I think things are actually going to get a little bit harder. I feel like they're going to need me more and they already are. And a lot of the things that we're working through or just I'm seeing come up. It's more of like, mental emotional stuff. It's not, oh, I'm doing all of this for you like when they're little and you're doing everything physically. It's more of like, they need more of me of who I am and I want to be there for them.
6:16
I mean, even just last week, my daughter we had a little rough patch. We have a great relationship, but it was we were working on school and I you know we just had a little rough spot. This is life, and the first thing whenever there's a conflict or any kind of tension or situation is that kind of like you know what usually it's because you just need more time together. You need more quality time and so I was like we need it. We need some one-on-one time. Let me take this girl out. So I took my son to jujitsu, took my daughter on a date so we could just have some one on one quality time. There was nothing to it wasn't me trying to make things right or there was nothing really even wrong. I just needed that quality time with her because in that communication in that connection, quality is the key word here. That one-on-one quality time. So many things are just made right. She just needs to know that I see her, I love her, I'm there for her and that's all I wanted to do is just laugh with her and love her well. So we sat down at dinner, and I'm here thinking I'm just I'm gonna bless this girl. I can't wait to spend time with her. I can't wait for a conversation. I'm all here for it. And she's like, Mom, I have something to give you. I'm like really you have something for me? And so she pulls out of her purse. This most beautiful, she gave me several drawings, but she gave me this beautiful letter.
7:34
Oh my gosh guys, I'm looking at it right now. It is a heart with roses on it and it says "Best Mom" and then there's three little blurbs and she wrote happiness is having the best mom in the world. And then another part she wrote I love you Mom, thank you for loving me. And then at the bottom, she wrote I love you, the older I grow, the more I realized that my mother is the best friend that I ever had.
7:59
Oh my gosh, I can't hardly read that without crying. You guys and the reason why I share that is because this is not about being perfect. This is about God being gracious and using imperfect mothers. I am not a perfect mother. But I'm an intentional mother and I'm always going to do the best that I can, the best that I know how I'm never going to stop growing and I'm never going to stop learning and I know that you're listening because you feel the same way. And we've got to connect and lock arms and do this together.
8:30
So I'm going to share with you the things that I'm learning and growing in. But I just share that experience to let you know that God is in your life, your children love you more than you know, and God's grace is covering those failures or maybe the areas that are lacking, and this is the journey for the real mom, the imperfect mom.
8:50
I also took my kids to an art museum this week and the whole theme of this exhibit was motherhood. It was love and compassion. So it was all pictures of mothers and their children and then there was this abstract art series on the wall. It was four pictures and they looked almost identical, but if you looked really closely, you could see that the eyes were a little bit different. Some moms were a little bit sad looking, some were a little more happy. And if you looked at their mouths, you could see just slight changes, you had to look really closely. The mindset behind that artist that did these four pictures that from the outside almost looks identical but they weren't, was that motherhood is something that many experience but it's not the same experience for everyone.
9:32
We are all on this journey. We are all in the season, experiencing motherhood, but it looks different for everybody. The one thing that is for sure is that there's a lot of sacrifice that has to be made, and there's challenges that we all have. And there's challenges that we face in different points in time as our kids grow and have different ages but let's get a better perspective on the sacrifice that we make in the home so that we can honor the struggle. I love that phrase, honor the struggle. We need a heartship we need to feel free in our service of others.
10:05
The first thing I just want to remind you of is that God wants you to be successful. He wants you to thrive in your life, in your motherhood in your marriage and your season. I want to read Joshua 1 because I just love this so much, so let it speak to your heart whatever stands out to you, it says
10:22
"Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause these people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all that Moses, my servant commanded you." Just notice Moses my servant, alright. "Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written. For then, you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous? Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
11:11
I love that just totally popped out at me. The Lord called Moses his servant. Hmm. It's actually an honor to be a servant. That's what it looks like in God's eyes. The key to success that we just read is that it's being obedient to God's word. So as great as it is to share ideas and wisdom and principles. At the end of the day, take everything to the Word of God because that's what really matters and the other thing that stands out to me about this passage is how many times it says "Be strong and courageous." "Be strong and courageous." That is the attitude, the heart, the mindset, the fortitude that we need for this journey.
11:48
But let's talk about success. I mean, what does that even look like or mean when you can't see beyond maybe the mountain of laundry? My family just celebrated Passover and we love remembering and reflecting on the feasts of the Lord. The biblical holidays is what I call them. Well, why? Well, because they're in the Bible and everything points to Christ. Everything points to what he's done and what he's going to do. They're prophetic and they're just beautiful through and through. God also says, to teach your children from generation to generation, and I'm one of his chosen people. I'm not Jewish, but I am, I am chosen. I'm grafted in his family. And also Jesus celebrated the feast. It makes reference in the Bible many, many times that Jesus specifically celebrated Passover. You know, if it's good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me. So I'm happy to follow in that example.
12:41
But for many years, we focused on Passover dinner on the first Passover in Exodus when his people were setting being set free from slavery going into the wilderness and crossing the Red Sea and that whole story with the plagues and you know that story, I'll never forget the first few years that we celebrated Passover, it felt very kind of religious. We didn't really know what we were doing, snd there were a lot of a lot of rituals. But over the years, I've just kind of simplified things more and more to capture God's heart for Passover and what it really means at the heart of it. And one of the things that we've done recently in the last few years, is we've started bringing into some of the things that Jesus did when he had his Passover meal, his last Passover or you might know it as the Last Supper, the night before he was crucified.
13:32
One of the significant things that we started doing was washing each other's feet. Let me just read to you what it says in the Bible because this is so so important for us as moms to realize this is in John 13 Because it was just before the Passover festival.
13:47
"Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father, Having loved His own who were in the world. He loved them to the end. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God. So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with a towel that was wrapped around him. When he had finished washing their feet he put on the clothes and returned to his place. Do you understand what I've done for you? He asked them. You call me Teacher and Lord and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."
14:55
This just blows my mind that if Jesus knowing fully who he was, the Son of God, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, if Jesus Christ understood the importance of serving others, even in the most humbling ways, shouldn't we be honored to do the same like I mentioned earlier? There are so many ideas and thoughts that we could talk about, but at the end of the day, like everything has to go back to the Word of God. And I would encourage you to just check everything and filter everything through the Holy Spirit, no matter who you listen to, because that's so important, but I want to read a few other Bible verses that have to do with being a servant, being a slave. What does the Bible say about it?
15:41
Mark 10:44-45 "And whoever wants to be first, must be a slave of all, for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
15:55
Galatians 5:13-14 "You my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh, rather serve one another humbly in love for the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one commandment. Love your neighbor as yourself."
16:11
I'll just read one more Ephesians 6:6-10 "Obey them not only to win their favor when the eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. And masters treat your slaves in the same way, do not threaten them since you know that he who is both their master and yours in heaven, and there's no favoritism with him. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power."
16:45
There are many people that talk about how the word servant and slave are often interchangeable translation in the Bible. One of the source says that the word in the New Testament usually translated as servant actually means slave and refer to someone who is owned or controlled by someone else, not just as a servant hired to do a job. Serving and being a servant leader, it is a success principle. So when you feel like a slave in your home, like you're just serving, serving, giving, giving all day long, ask yourself is that really such a bad thing? When you look at it in light of Scripture and what we just read. If we want to be successful, and we know God wants us to be successful, and we want to follow His Word. We know that being a servant leader, it is a success principle.
17:34
If you're serving others as the first priority in your business, you are winning. We learned this all the time, this is business skills 101. It's so important to remember this, like if you want to be successful, help others be successful, help others get what they want, and you'll get what you want. If you know what your ideal client needs, if you know their pain point if you can provide the solution if you can help solve their problem that is absolutely key to success and business. But I want to talk to you more about our call of service with the focus in the home, because I don't know about you, but I spend a lot of my time in my home. I work from home, but I'm also raising my kids and I believe that the most important work we can do is within the walls of our home. But sometimes the work that we do on the day to day the most important work, it can feel meaningless. But if you are working on to the Lord and you're serving your family, even when it's a thankless job, even when it's gross and dirty and not fun, even when it doesn't seem fair even when it's hard even when you're exhausted. You can feel confident that you're honoring the Lord as you honor the sacrifice. You're following Jesus's example.
18:47
We all work every day our lives are gonna be filled with some kind of work, but you can be competent and successful and all that you do. Even when it's not what you want to do if you keep serving others as the main focus. Just the other week I was getting ready. We have a homeschool Co-Op on a Monday morning, so it makes Sunday nights a little tricky because I've got to do that the school mom thing I got to pack backpacks and check for homework and make lunches and it was just a few weeks ago I'm making lunches and it's probably eight o'clock I'm trying to get the kids to bed trying to get ready for the next day and I'm just like grumbling in my spirit. I'm just annoyed. I'm like, Why do I have to do this stuff? Oh my gosh.
19:25
Okay, let's just talk about school for some for a second. This is so funny about motherhood there is let's just be clear, there is no easy way. It's just like giving birth. Some people have C sections. Some people get epidural. Some people have natural birth. It doesn't matter. At some point that baby is coming out of your body. And there's not an easy way it's just got to happen. That's the way I feel about education. You know, some people send their kids to school or some people have, there's just so many different ways to go about it. Whether you homeschool or you do the school thing. You've got to go through it. There's not just an easy way, but you have to do what's best for you. I'm used to homeschooling so in some ways in a lot of ways it's harder, but in some ways, it's easier, and one of the things I feel like it's so much easier in is every week when I get ready for our Co-Op I'm like oh my gosh, if I had to do the homework and the lunches and the backpack every day, oh my gosh, it seems so hard.
20:17
So I was in the kitchen I'm kind of grumbling and just frustrated at what I have to do because I don't really want to do this to Sunday night. Like I'm just over it. And the Lord just kind of convicted my spirit and I was like, wait a minute- it's not about what I'm doing, my attitude is wrong. I need to change. I need an attitude shift. I need a heart shift. We have the opportunity to change those "I have to's" to "I get to's". But isn't this really the call of Christ dying to ourselves daily, doing the hard things in faith for a greater purpose?
20:54
The things in our life sometimes the things that feel meaningless, the mundane are actually the most meaningful there is purpose in everything. We just need fresh eyes and the right attitude. To see that I one of the things I pray every day, I'm like God give me eyes to see and ears to hear in a heart to obey because I know that if that is the truth, everything's gonna be okay and everything's going to be in order. But at the end of our lives, I want to hear "well done good and faithful servant." That is a high high honor in the Bible when the Lord calls you his servant. So why do we resent it almost when we feel like a servant in our home? We need to understand that we have it is a privilege to be a mother. It is a privilege to work from home. It is a privilege and honor to be a wife. And yes, there's work and yes, it's not easy. But wow if we honor the struggle and honor those sacrifices. We are blessed. We can walk and so much purpose and fulfillment in that. So my question for you is to ask yourself, what can you do to serve your family with God's heart today? Knowing his heart his perspective around the word slave and servant, it may feel one way to you but in God's eyes he sees a different. What can you do to serve your family with God's heart today? No matter what season of motherhood there's going to be struggles. There's going to be sacrifices made, but you can only do what you can do and the common denominator no matter what that we can control is we can always control our faith and our mindset and what we do with it. Everything flows from that place. Understand the example of Jesus and when you wash the disciples feet, but don't so don't feel bitter and resentful about all the things you have to do or where you have to serve, shift your perspective and feel honored to serve your family and those in your business. I really believe that that changes everything. And guys, I'm telling you I am like speaking to myself over here because I know the struggle I know it you know, I think one of the things that I feel is sometimes I just feel inconvenienced there's so many interruptions in the day I'm trying to work and the kids interrupt, I'm trying to do with the kids and then, you know, business interrupts or there's just so many interruptions. The inconveniences are what frustrates me sometimes the most. But if my heart, my attitude, my faith, if those things are in proper perspective then things are going to be okay. I'm going to be okay. I'm not going to feel frustrated all the time.
23:29
But let me just give you a couple tips on how you can actually have God's heart. Okay, so practically speaking, one thing that I would really encourage you to do is get some clarity around this get some clarity on what you're willing to sacrifice and what you're not. Your family will thank you for the sacrifices that you make. Your friends probably will too, unless they were the sacrifice. Cling to your values. Don't cling to your rights, but know what you value, know what your priorities are. Know what you're willing to sacrifice and know what is sacred. And those things that are sacred. Your children. That quality time, that family dinner, that read-aloud time, whatever it looks like for you don't sacrifice that for anything. And the biggest thing again, let's just keep life simple. It's not that complicated, but one of the most simple ways that I'm learning to change our attitude is offer a sacrifice of praise. There's a reason why the Bible says sacrifice of praise because we may not be feeling it. It's a sacrifice. But when we do that, it changes everything when we worship and we put our eyes on God and we take the focus off of ourselves. It ushers us into a place of gratitude, and you can't be grumpy and complaining and resentful if your heart is full of gratitude and thanksgiving. So flip on some worship music and when you start to feel frustrated at the daily tasks that you have to do. Remember be honored that you get to do that. You don't have to do it you get to do that. Be thankful. Offer the Lord your praise. Put your eyes on him and get them off of you. When your heart is thankful you can walk in victory. So stay faithful. I'm gonna say that all the time. Stay faithful, because in God's eyes when it comes to your marriage when it comes to your children, when it comes to your business, success is found in serving and loving others. That is the ultimate call on our lives to love God and love people. And if you keep your heart and your mind on this, no matter what the task is at hand, you will be victorious and you will find success. And I believe success will find you so I am claiming that for you today.
25:51
Father, I pray for the mom that is listening today that you would give her eyes to see the way you see, that she would feel purposeful and privileged to do the work that she is called to do. That she would honor the sacrifice and be willing to die to herself for the sake of serving others, even when it's hard. I pray that you would be greater than her emotions, that you would be bigger than her circumstances and that she would trust your character above all else, to follow your lead your example in washing other's feet and how she lives her life. Lord, I pray that you would be with all of us, Lord, that You would shift our spirit to surrender, to surrender to all that you have for us even when it seems small, that we do remember that we're working for an audience of one God. Lord, I thank you that we can trust you that our faithful work and obedience will bear fruit and in faith that it will create a ripple effect and an influence that is beyond ourselves, God. We trust you and we honor you, in Jesus name I pray.
Hey Mama real quick, before you run off and do all the things, if you found value in today's conversation it would mean the world to me if you left a review on my podcast. I know you know how precious time is. The biggest thing that you can give me for taking the time to share on this podcast is to leave a written review. This helps me on my mission to encourage and empower others who are pursuing their greatest potential from home.
Head over to iTunes and scroll down to the bottom of The Nourishing Mompreneur Podcasts to rate and leave a super quick review to let me know what spoke to your heart. AND if you're feeling a little extra today, take a screenshot of today's episode and tag me on social. I value your time so much and appreciate you connecting with me, find me at NourishingMichelle.com/connect
