Gloria Furman, On Being on Mission as a Mom

“You may have read it on a greeting card somewhere that motherhood is not for the faint of heart. Don’t believe it. Motherhood has to be for the faint of heart. Motherhood is mission: Jesus calls and equips women to discipleship – following him as he brings about the spreading of the glory of God in every corner of the earth. In his Great Commission, Jesus called you and every disciple to go and send, even if the farthest you go is to the nursery and back. You are on mission, and your labors are unto the Lord. Some women travel farther with the gospel and sacrifice even their own lives. If we take a peek into church history, we see that missional mothers are even among the elect martyrs of the church. Did you know what time would fail us if we were to speak of the testimonies of such women? Read about women like Lucia, Blandina, Perpetua, Betty Stam, and Betty Olsen, and imitate their faith. Even today, women are among those who lose their lives for the witness they bear, and their souls cry out from under the altar of God with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ (Rev. 6:10). May God strengthen our faith to proclaim his good news in the face of death and a million deaths to self.” (Missional Motherhood, pgs.196-197)