What is Anointed Motherhood?

An invitation to let go...

If you would prefer to listen, I have recorded this post for you!

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A number of years ago I was preparing to lead worship at our little home church. The presence of God was strong during pre-service prayer and I was feeling the Holy Spirit empowering me. I was excited. I could tell today was going to be good. We were going to glorify Him corporately and I was expectant. Lives would be changed.

I began walking up on stage to open the service when I heard a voice inside whisper in a loud way, almost like when a toddler tries to tell you something quietly. I couldn’t miss it.

“You know I can anoint you to be ‘mom’ the same way I anoint you to lead worship.”

I hardly had time to let that sink it. This was difficult to imagine. A tangible anointing that empowers me through an undeniable drenching of the Holy Spirit?

Motherhood was hard. I wasn’t content with my lot that many days would consist of children fussing about the food I made, resisting the fun things I had planned and then taking my sleep all night. I had to be created for something more than tiny people sucking me dry.

The idea of being anointed for this seemingly insignificant task that held the mystique of long term importance intrigued me. I decided I would try to have a “pre-service prayer” for my day. I had a consistent devotion and prayer life, but this was a bit different. I was now going to hold out my hands to the Lord and ask him to anoint me for the work of motherhood for that day. I was going to ask him to turn my tiny little loaves and fishes that I had - little loaves of faith and just tiny fish of joy, and ask him to turn it into something miraculous.

God is so good at meeting us with our childlike faith. That’s what I was like there. Standing in my kitchen that morning with my hands out, a newly home educating mama of three, trusting that if he could meet me in the church he could meet me in the home.

And he did.

It still isn’t an easy journey and I don’t always remember to seek his anointing, but his anointing for this call is now so much apart of my life and how I think about motherhood that if I begin walking in my own strength, it only takes a little whisper from him to remind me that I’m called to more.

This process is what we Christians would refer to as “the renewing of our mind”. He renewed my mind to see motherhood from his perspective. To understand its significance. To realize that this kind of work is not seen in the day to day results but in the long term investment into people who will one day be launched out from my home into this world.

Mama, Jesus wants to work with you to accomplish more than you could ask for imagine. He wants to empower you and fill your days with a joy that goes beyond the tantrums, the laundry and the diapers.

I now stand in a season of motherhood that stretches from teens to tots. What a place to be. What a divine experience. I consider myself to be one the most blessed women in the world. I don’t deserve it, and yet here I am walking with five children in the various parts of their stories.

On the day I called, you answered me;
    my strength of soul you increased.

Psalm 138:3 ESV

He desires to increase the strength of your soul. What is your soul? I have heard it described as your mind, will and emotions.

I believe these are three areas that mothers are specifically vulnerable to.

Our minds can buy into lies that our roles are not important and that we were made to achieve more.

We can resist surrendering our will to the Lord as he calls us to give our whole hearts to this task.

And our emotions…well those can take a beating.

And yet what does His word say? When I called, he increased the strength of my soul.

The New King James Version says “you made me bold with strength in my soul”.

The Passion Translation says

“At the very moment I called out to you, you answered me! You strengthened my deep within my soul and breathed fresh courage into me.”

And so dear, lovely, tired, desperate, feeling-inadequate, beautiful mama, I want to invite you to step into the anointing. The anointing of Jesus.

He will meet you right in the middle of your mess. In front of your piled-high-sink, rocking the baby for the fifth time that night, sweeping up Cheerios or maybe in that glorious moment when there is something hot in your cup.

Whenever it is that you finally call to him and admit you can’t do this on your own, I have experienced, that he will show up and anoint you.

Lord Jesus, I thank you for each woman reading this right now. I thank you for her heart to serve you and to love you. You know every burden that she is carting. You know the challenges of her own story and you care deeply about her soul. I ask that as she calls out to you, that you would meet her dramatically in her mind, will and emotions. Restore her mind to think about this calling of motherhood with the same high regard that you have. Empower her to surrender her will to you and allow you to use her as the living sacrifice you have called us to be. Strengthen her emotions today. In the midst of great chaos may she know a divine peace that does not let go. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.