Latest / The Rooted Family / Ep 38 | Can You Be a Good Mom and Still Have a Calling Outside of the Home?

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Ep 38 | Can You Be a Good Mom and Still Have a Calling Outside of the Home? · The Rooted Family

• Christian Cornish: there's really just no perfect formula for balancing motherhood and work. But we can seek the Lord. We can steward what He's given us. And we can remain willing to change as He leads us. Your job isn't to become the woman who can do it all. Your job is to faithfully tend the life God has entrusted to you. I want you to be able to build a life that supports what God has called you to do. And if you in your heart really feel like God is asking you to write that book and raise your children, or start that ministry and raise your children, or go build your career that you went to college for and raise the children. If you are feeling like that is what God is asking you to do, like this is not my place to judge whether or not that is what you're supposed to do. But I do want you to feel like it is it is possible to be able to have peace and joy. While doing the things God is calling you to do. Well, hey everyone. This is Kayla here, and I am going to be sharing from my heart about what my journey has looked like as a mom, a working mom, and a mom who has had something, whether it was business or ministry or something, to do outside of the home and how I have maintained peace through all of the different seasons and also just the things that I've learned. And so if you're a husband listening, I would encourage you to share this with your spouse And of course, husbands, you are allowed to listen to this message too. I know there are many husbands, dads who work. and full-time parent as well. And and perhaps today's message will encourage you. And so I think that what inspired this episode was my own reflection on how there were different parts of my mothering that I really wrestled with the feeling of guilt of being both a full-time mom and also desiring to do something beyond my mothering. And I'm just wondering today, have you ever felt guilty for wanting something beyond your motherhood, beyond being in the home, being a home keeper and raising your children? Maybe you want to work or build a business or lead a ministry or pursue something creative. But you wonder if wanting those things means you're taking something away from your family. And I think a lot of women are quietly asking this question: can I be a good mom if I also want to do something else? I don't know if you've been there or if you're experiencing this, but I'm sure in your deepest of deep emotions, you have wondered. If you are a good mom for fill in the blank. I think that is a genuine concern for us as moms. And I don't believe every woman has the same calling. For example, I do think that there are some women who are called by the Lord to be fully in the home, perhaps homeschooling, raising their family, and they are not feeling led to, you know, start a business or work outside of the home or have a career. And at the same time, I believe there are women who who are called by the Lord to do these other things. And it's not like one path is better than the other or one is less than the other. And I don't believe that wanting to work or run a ministry makes a woman less devoted to her family. Absolutely not. I in fact, I I believe that we as mothers are going to be asked by the Lord to do other things beyond our children because our children are gonna grow up one day and they're going to leave the home and we will still continue on with life. And The Lord has a purpose for us even in those stages of our life when we're empty nesters. And so I've just been navigating motherhood and working my entire journey as a mother since day one of being a mom. I have been doing other things and I've experienced burnout along the way. I've built a successful business, multiple businesses. I've surrendered a career that I loved. I've started over. And I've learned that being a devoted mom and having a calling outside of the home aren't automatically at odds with each other. And so today I want to share what that journey has taught me and the lessons along the way. My biggest hope in this conversation today is just to encourage you. You know, wherever are in your own motherhoodhood journey, whether it's you're a brand new mom with a little baby and you're trying to navigate you know, your career that you've built already and what it looks like to care for this new one. Or you are many years into your mothering and you have littles and you have teens and you're trying to balance, you know, the different stages of your children. Or maybe you're a mom listening in who has older children, maybe older teens or your kids are grown and moved out. No matter where you are in the journey, I just hope that this episode encourages you. And really just meets you where you're at. But I do think that for those of you who have kids in the home, this episode will be most relatable because these are the very things I'm working through as a mom with littles. So what hats am I wearing these days? So if you are new to me, here's just a little bit of my background. I am a mom of seven. and we have kids ranging in ages from 12 all the way down to one and a half. They're all about two years apart. And I am also a very proud wife to my husband, Christian, who is also the co-host to this podcast. And together, we lead a company called Legacy Roots Co. And I have a lot of different roles in that company, but a few of them are writer and being this podcast host. And we also Teach people how to slow down through watercolor. And so I am also a watercolor artist. I teach local watercolor classes here in my hometown of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. And I also sell my art all over the world. so I have my hands in a lot of different things and it's changed over the years. I'll share my my working journey in just a moment. But did I ever imagine my life would look like this when I had my first baby? heck no. I I never for one intended to have seven children. That was not the plan. I I think that being a mother was always the biggest desire. I always wanted to be a mom, but I like Christian and I did not set out to have seven kids, and people ask us that all the time. We just honestly had one kid after another, and we loved it so much. We loved having children that It was just take each kid at a time and we were open to more. And so the Lord so graciously blessed us with all these babies. And our seventh baby actually has significant medical needs. And so not only am I mom of a big family, but I'm also navigating this new chapter of my life of being a mom to a baby who requires a lot from me on a daily basis. She feeds mostly through a G tube and she is also hard of hearing. And so our whole family is learning how to communicate with her. We're all learning American Sign Language. And so those things are also very present in my daily life. And you might even be wondering listening to all these things, like how the heck is she doing it? How does she even have the capacity or the energy or the time to do anything outside of raising children? I'll hash through that here in this episode and give you some thoughts on how I navigate all of it. But I think the biggest thing I have realized is that the Lord truly does increase our capacity as we are in the new seasons of our life. So whatever you need capacity for, he has been so faithful to give that capacity. And I never knew I could handle seven children I've never even babysat seven children before by myself. And so I can honestly say though that as we've had each kid, it is amazing how he increases our heart and gives us more love. He gives us more energy. He gives us more wisdom. I mean, all the things for for what is required to raise a large family. And I would say when we had five kids, I couldn't imagine having seven. And now that we have seven, it just feels like a very natural part of my life because he has so graciously increased my capacity for it. I would say that, you know, I didn't become a multiple business owner and have seven kids and, you know, run all these different things overnight. This has been a very slow progression and growth from when I first became a mother. And I am very mindful now of where my limit is and what I can handle and what I cannot without going crazy. I've become like a master time prioritizer. I just know what Margin I have, and I try my best to not fill that margin with something every single moment of the day. with all that being said, I am still navigating on a daily basis what it looks like to have all these different roles and be super present for my kids, be a a solid wife for my husband and and not go crazy. And I I don't have it all figured out. But I I feel like I'm I'm honestly moving into this new part of my mothering where I am able to handle multiple roles with peace. And it wasn't always that way. And so just taking you back to when I first became a mom, I found out that I was pregnant with our first daughter, pretty soon after we got married, actually. And we had not planned that. And I was in the middle of a dietetics internship so that I could get my credentials, become a dietitian. And so she came in the middle of that internship and immediately I was thrown into finishing schooling essentially and then being a mom. And I had six weeks off and then had to get right back at it and take my, you know, huge exam to become a dietitian. And I was offered a job right out of that internship. And so I worked part-time while having a new baby. And that reality for us was immediate. And I knew in my heart that I wanted to be home for a lot of my kids' days. I knew that I didn't want to be a 40-hour-a-week career woman. And there are some women that are listening that that is your path. And so there's no judgment there. It just truly was not my desire. And so I took a part-time dietitian role at a hospital. And it was during our pregnancy of our second baby that I started to feel in my heart that I really wanted to have flexibility, especially during my younger kids' years. And I had just recently started a Mary Kay business, which was my very first experience with business. And that business really took off. I was putting a lot of energy and time into building that business. And I was really loving it. And so it was pretty obvious that I wanted to give it more. And I would say that this is the season where I experienced significant burnout. Not because of Mary Kay, but because I just had so many things on my plate. I was a dietitian, I was a new mom, pregnant with my second. My husband and I, we were co-pastoring a new church, like a new church plant that we took on. He was still working full-time at this this stage. And then I was building this business. And so I personally had just taken on way too much. And I I really could not give my best to any of it. And so the Lord definitely made it clear to me that I was to simplify. And he, through a lot of prayer and counseling, realized that I wanted to give my business my full attention. I didn't want to be divided between being a dietitian and running this business and being mom and all the things. And so I ended up surrendering my career as a dietitian pretty early on. And I gave my my energy to my Mary Kay business. And that was a very good decision for us. It it gave me total flexibility and freedom to be present with the girls and to build this thing that I really, really loved and was learning so much from. And it was Through building my Mary Kay business, that God really started to teach us about how to rest well as a family. And we we really didn't have any rhythms at this point. we were pretty loosey-goosey actually on pretty much everything. And it was around our third baby, which we had also very quickly, that I just had this very strong conviction from the Lord that we needed to start. Sabbath thing. And I I knew that we could not sustain our current lifestyle the way we were doing it. I could see my marriage was being neglected. I could see that he and I were both burning like a candle on both ends. And it was almost like the Lord opened my eyes to the gift of Sabbath. I felt like It almost seemed like impossible at the time because we just had so much on our plate. We were, like I said, we were pastoring this church that was taking a lot of energy and time. And I was trying to maintain this growing successful business. And I was still working as a dietitian. My husband was still working full-time. So all these things. And when I sensed that the Lord was asking us to Sabbath. It was a total game changer for us. So we began Sabbathing, we begin resting, and I moved up miraculously into the top 1% of Mary Kay and earned our Pink Cadillac, which is just a monumental moment in building a Mary Kay career. And it was during this time that I realized in my mothering journey that I cannot do it all. And For those of you who are working outside of the home or running a ministry outside of the home or building a business, if you're doing something outside of the home in some capacity, you will eventually burn out if you don't get help. And this was that time where I was like, okay, I need to, if we're going to move in this direction where I'm raising kids and I'm building a business, I have. Got to get help or else I'm going to go crazy. And so that's when we hired a mother's helper for the first time. And we had help in the home with just cleaning and folding laundry and helping me prep meals. And because I was bringing in such a significant income at that time, we were able to afford that. Now, I would say that if you aren't able to get help in some way, shape, or form, and you are working outside of the home, that is a very tough place to be because essentially your role in the home is not being filled. Like no one's cleaning, no one's preparing the meals, no one's cooking. And so it can become very stressful when both parents are working and yet the home front is not being managed. After I moved into Mary Key Sales Director, became a leader in the company. It was a few years into that that I started to dream. My husband and I both started dreaming about Legacy Roots Co. And that's a whole nother journey. You can read about that on our blog. But a few years into dreaming about this company, it was very clear that the Lord Through lots of prayer, through lots of advice and counsel and discernment and all the things, really felt like the Lord was asking me to surrender my successful business with Mary Kay. And not entirely. I still actually run a small Mary Kay business in with my clients, but I I really sensed that the Lord is asking me to step down from directorship, which was the leadership position I held, and then commit. my time and energy to growing Legacy Roots. So today I run Legacy Roots Co. I give most of my energy to this company and we continue to raise these babies. And I'm so grateful today for the foundation of Mary Kay for what it has taught me. But also I just appreciate that this journey has been just this unraveling process of Teaching me, humbling me, and showing me what does it look like to be able to balance, quote unquote, being a mom, being a present mom, and a peaceful mom, while also, you know, leaning into these different desires and passions that I have. looking back, I can see that these different seasons have taught me so much more. Than just how to build a business. they've taught me how to discern God's direction, how to care for my family through abundance seasons, how to even recognize my own limitations. my journey obviously has so many more layers and nuances to it, but I want to share three lessons that I've learned along the way. And your story might look totally different from mine. You might be working, in a completely different field, or you might be balancing a different kind of ministry or whatever the case is. But if you feel called to doing something, outside of raising children, the one thing I want you to know is that You don't have to feel guilty about that, especially if the Lord has called you to do that. if you feel a very strong prompting from the Lord to pursue an endeavor, that is not something to have any guilt over. God has made women differently. And that really is my first lesson that I've learned in my journey is that you can be called to more than one thing, but not everything all at once. I think it's important that we don't look at another woman's journey, another mom's journey, and even hold that as the golden standard because every mom is doing it a little bit differently. We're all wired differently, and God is going to call us to different things in our lifetime. Some moms feel called to focus primarily on the home front and their family. And then others feel called to work, create, build, or even lead. And I think that one of the saddest things we can do in our mothering is hold guilt over the thing that God is asking us to do. Because if He's asking us to do it, there's no condemnation. I do think there is a difference between guilt and conviction. And there is a time where God might ask you to slow down your endeavor. Or to give up your endeavor. he asked me to give up my role as a dietitian at one point. And he asked me to give up my Mary Kay business, my leadership in Mary Kay. there are times where he convicts you to go in a different direction or perhaps surrender something. But I think there's an entirely different thing when the enemy is just creating guilt and he is speaking, you know, guilt over you. Because in that sense, it's just this feeling of not good enough. And your calling, you are enough for your calling. God calls us all to different things and he's going to equip us for that calling. And there is there is really no guilt with that. And just because something is good, it doesn't always mean it's right for that season. And so there will be seasons where you will sense, is this the right opportunity to take, or is this something that has to wait? And there will be times where your thing, your endeavor, your ministry, your work, or whatever you're chasing, it will also require time away from your family and your priorities begin to shift, not necessarily as a mom, because I do believe that as a mother, our kids and our husband, that is first and foremost priority. But just because you spend time away from your husband or time away from your kids does not mean that they are not a priority anymore. And so, like when I think about my season of building my Mary Kay business and co-pastoring at the same time, that was too much. And like I shared, my limitations were reached. You can tell when your endeavor is too much because you will be sacrificing your marriage and you will be sacrificing the quality of relationship with your children. And so I think that's probably part of this lesson is that even though you can be called to doing more than one thing. If you are not giving your best, and what I mean by that is how you're showing up, if the fruit of the spirit is not present in how you are being a wife and being a mom, then the other endeavors and what you're called to, they could be growing at a rate that's too fast for your family. You could be giving too much time to those endeavors and you're supposed to. I just don't think that the thing that God is calling you to should ever take away from the quality that you're giving to your utmost priority, which is your marriage and your children. This is my big takeaway from this lesson, is just knowing yes, you can be called to more than one thing, but sometimes it's not right now. And sometimes it's knowing the limit to what you're doing. So maybe you are feeling led to building a career, but perhaps it's 20 hours a week instead of 40. Or maybe you're building a business, but you're not gonna build it as fast as the other person that you're watching on social media because you know that if you build it that fast, then it's gonna take away from the quality and the presence you can give at home. if you are feeling led to doing something else outside of the home, really asking yourself, am I pursuing this thing because I'm called to it or because I'm just feeling the pressure to prove myself? And is this the right season for it? Can I ask you something? When was the last time you actually felt at peace? Not just productive, not just caught up, but settled. Because most of us aren't lacking desire for a slower, deeper life, we're just stuck in the busyness that keeps us rushing right past it. That's why we created the Slow and Savor Society. It's a snail mail club. Yes, it comes straight to your mailbox. It's a simple, tangible way to slow down each month with a piece of art, a cozy recipe, and a letter designed to help you reconnect with what actually matters, with God, with your family, and with your own soul. if your life has felt full, but not meaningful. This is your invitation to begin again. You can learn more or join us at legacyrootsco.com slash Mel Club. And right now, if you use Code Podcast, you'll get 50 % off your first month so you can try it out. Now back to the episode. the second lesson I've learned in in my whole mothering. Journey alongside working is to not confuse ambition with the calling. And so what I mean by this is that you don't have to chase every single opportunity that comes your way. And not every opportunity, even if it's a good one, is from the Lord. just because you may have some time for it or you may have even a passion or desire for it doesn't mean that it is something that you're supposed to do right now. This is the opposite side of it. You don't have to abandon something meaningful just because motherhood makes it harder. there's been so many times in my days of working in business building that it has felt very hard to to essentially balance both. But I didn't automatically take that as a sign from the Lord that I'm not supposed to do that thing. Sometimes life is just hard. I mean, oftentimes life is hard. We are thrown so many things. for example, this last year in 2025, my life consisted mostly of living in a hospital with my very sick child because she was born with so many complications. And I sat at her bedside for months and painted. I could have said, you know what, this season of my life is so hard. I can't even think straight. I'm emotional all the time that I'm not supposed to do anything except just be right there next to my baby. But I really felt a very strong pull to watercolor. And I know that was from the Lord. He was asking me to be creative. And it's amazing to me how God He grew my watercolor side of our business out of that Nikki room. And if I would have just rejected that creative part of me because, you know, life is just too hard right now, I would have missed out on so many beautiful blessings that I get to do now by sharing my work with people in my local community and also with people. All over the world through the Slow and Saber Society. And so that's just an example of how it can be hard to do both, to be present with your family and to do this other thing that God is asking you to do. And that doesn't necessarily mean that it's not the right thing. it's important to distinguish between wanting something. Feeling pressured to pursue something and just genuinely discerning God's direction. And that really comes down to each of us in our own walk with the Lord. I think it comes down to praying and being a mom who commits to praying through everything, being a mom who makes space for prayer and quiet time with the Lord. And also being a mom who is willing to seek wise counsel. There are people in our churches. There are people in our communities. There are people around us who have gone before us. And as young moms, especially moms who have kids in the home, it is a beautiful thing to reach up and reach out to people, to other women who have gone before us. Maybe you know somebody who also is doing this endeavor and raising kids at the same time or who has done it. very well with peace and joy. And it's good to go to those women and ask for advice and to know how did you do this? And do you think this is a good decision for me? Now, caveat with seeking wise counsel. Make sure that you're seeking counsel from people who one are life-giving and two are people you would trade places with. It's really important that you are very careful. On who you, are seeking counsel for on this stage of your life. Because there are going to be the Debbie Downers that just hear your thoughts and your dreams and they're like, no, you can't do that. how would you even have the time for that? How would you even have the capacity for that? there's also people who probably judge, prejudge our situations. They don't necessarily have Our best in mind, and they're almost just projecting their own fears, their own life circumstances, even their own preferences onto you. And I think there are just straight up dream squashers who who really maybe don't know your deepest desires or are even seeking the Lord about it. And so they're just giving you advice based on what they think is more. morally correct or morally incorrect. And this isn't a moral situation. I mean, if you're wanting to do an endeavor outside of your motherhood, it's not like the Bible is clear around what endeavors we can do and what we can't do as mothers. I mean, Proverbs 31 is is pretty clear that a woman that is good for her family and her home is also doing things to help contribute to her home and serving her home. And so it it's not like this is a moral issue. I do think though that it requires a high level of discernment to know what is the right opportunity and is this the right time. And I do think that seeking wise counsel is part of that. I think assessing the costs is part of that. I think looking at your practical reality and Really taking the time to think through this kind of thing is important before making a major decision as to taking on something outside of your home. And reminding yourself that sometimes the faithful choice is to build, and sometimes the faithful choice is to surrender something. And I can't tell you what that is today. Like you are the one. Between you and the Lord ultimately to make that decision. And so for my own example, when I decided to leave my dietetics career and build my Mary Kay business, I made that decision not in the heat of the moment or on feelings. I had actual proof that this business was sustainable, that it was successful. And so I knew that by stepping away from my dietitian career and going into Mary Kay, I had a level of logic that said, okay This business is going to give me the flexibility that I'm desiring. It's going to give me more of the freedom that I'm hoping for in my mothering. And it felt like the next right decision. And so I want you to ask yourself if you're deciding, you know, whether or not to increase your endeavor or to pull back a little bit. Ask yourself, am I pursuing this because I believe God is leading me? Or because it's just a good opportunity? Or maybe just because I feel pressure to to prove myself in it. I just don't think we should jump at every opportunity, especially as a mom of young children. But I don't think that we should walk away from something just because it's hard. I think the biggest lesson here is just really not confusing like your drive to produce and your drive to make money or your drive to achieve a calling or achieve a career ambition with the calling that the Lord has for you in this season. And the last thing that I have learned this, I mean, there's so many lessons I've learned along the way, but how to determine is this a good time to have something outside of your mothering, is to really ask yourself, Are you building a life that supports your calling? So if you really feel the Lord is asking you right now to have this job, have this career, have this ministry, have this business. You also need rhythms and rest and support to truly sustain this thing. Because the reality is you cannot do it all. I cannot do it all. I think we want to, like as women, I think we we pride ourselves in how much we can handle. And then at the end of the day, we get to bed. And if we've been trying to handle it all, we are so simply exhausted from making a million decisions all day, strategizing the home, trying to finish our business stuff or our work things, getting kids to, you know, music lessons and sports and making sure they have their homework done. there are so many things that require our attention throughout the day. And if you're gonna give your attention and energy to something else outside of the children in the home, I personally feel like having the right rhythms in place to support you mentally and emotionally and physically and to support your home life is so critical. And for those of us who do have an endeavor outside of raising children, That calling that you feel led to doing doesn't mean that you're gonna just have unlimited time or energy. Yes, I did say at the beginning, God is gonna increase your capacity. And I I have seen that to be true in my own life, but it's not like we just get more hours in the day because we're a mom who is also doing another thing. We have to intentionally budget our time and energy on even a more intentional level so that we can show up for our family with our very best. And I have seen this in my own mothering there are seasons where I feel like I'm giving my husband and my kids my leftovers and my business or my creative work is getting more of the better parts of me. And that's how I know I'm overdoing it. if I can't show up for my first calling for me, that is being a wife, that is so foundational to me. if our marriage is rock solid in our home, I feel like I'm winning. And then second, if my kids are not getting the best of me and I'm showing up without the fruit of the spirit, like I am not patient with them, I am, you know, yelling more than normal, or if I am not gentle, I'm harsh with my words. that to me is an indicator that I am leaning way too much into this endeavor, into my business. And it's actually not supporting the life that I really want, which is a peaceful and joy-filled home. And I think that if both spouses are working, and you both feel led to doing that. Then it also requires a contribution on the home front from both. this episode is not to hash all that out. You could actually, if you want to, go back to our first couple episodes about being a team in your marriage, because my husband and I talk quite a bit about what that looks like. We are huge proponents about sharing the workload at home, both like mentally and physically, because we both are giving our energy and our time to working. And we both want to be present and very intentional parents. And so we both feel very strongly that we are to hold those responsibilities. so just know if let's just say your spouse cannot contribute to the home front. Maybe your spouse works like crazy amount of hours and you're also working. This is where asking for help is is very important. So that you can build this life that supports your calling as both a working mom and a mom. And I want to encourage you that just establishing some simple rhythms in the home, like a simple meal planning rhythm, a simple laundry rhythm, a simple, even like a quiet time rhythm for yourself. These are things that are going to help you in the long run to sustain peace and joy as a working mom. And I I just don't subscribe to the mindset that it's all or nothing. I don't think you have to be fully at home without any way to contribute financially to the home. And then that's the only way to have peace as a mother and joy as a mother. And I don't also subscribe to the mindset of a mom who works so much where she is not able to give, you know, presence and attention and care to the home. Like she's fully outside of the home. I think there has to be a middle ground where if you feel led to having a business or a ministry or a job. Where you can have peace and joy and contribute to both your mothering and this other thing. the rhythm that has been a game changer for us in sustaining peace and joy, as both of us have been working, is establishing Sabbath and rest in time with Jesus. You know, Christian and I protect this time. We protect it because it is so valuable. There's no way I could be sitting here today as a businesswoman a mom of seven children, and still be saying, I'm doing this with joy and peace. I can't say that if I did not have that daily time with the Lord. And I do not do this perfectly. Please do not hear that. I mean, even in the last month, I have had times where I have even questioned, like, am I doing too much outside of the home? Am I doing too much in my business and feeling torn between the two. And so just because you have your time with the Lord doesn't mean you're gonna do this perfectly or that this is going to feel like everything has just fallen into place and now you're just this super zen, super peaceful mom. that's not what I'm saying. But I am saying that you cannot pour out to your family if you are not first filling up with Jesus. if you can prioritize that time with the Lord and just make it a consistent rhythm for yourself, you will start to notice how much more peace you're gonna have in your mothering. How much more joy is going to be in your home because you are prioritizing your rest in Jesus. He says that his yoke is light, his yoke is easy. And if we feel like The burden is heavy. If life is heavy because we are doing both our ministry and our mothering, or we're doing our business and our mothering, like there's something that has to change. Every day should not feel like a rat race where we are just trying to get through the day. We're just trying to survive. If you are going to be a mom who does something outside of your home, I do believe that the Lord has peace and joy in that for you. But something may have to simplify. or maybe it's getting help, or maybe it's recognizing that you need rest rhythms, or maybe it's recognizing that you are building too fast. But I do a hundred percent believe that you can become someone who, if you feel led, can do both. And so a question you could ask yourself is what could I simplify? What could I delegate? What could I release to make this season more sustainable? Because the goal isn't to become a woman who can do it all. that is not what I'm talking about today, I want you to be able to build a life that supports what God has called you to do. And if you in your heart really feel like God is asking you to write that book and raise your children, or start that ministry and raise your children, or go build your career that you went to college for and raise the children. If you are feeling like that is what God is asking you to do, like this is not my place to judge whether or not that is what you're supposed to do. But I do want you to feel like it is it is possible to be able to have peace and joy. While doing the things God is calling you to do. Now, if the Lord is convicting you to let go of that dream right now, or to pause on your business right now, or to set aside that vision that you have right now, or that ministry, then I want to encourage you to do that. I want you just to do what you feel like the Lord is calling you to do. And I am here to encourage you that you can live a life of peace and joy in that. You do not need to be stressed out or feel guilt doing the things God has called you to do. If you have ever felt guilty for wanting that thing beyond your motherhood, I just hope today in this conversation that you don't have to compare your life to someone else's. if you're in a season when your family needs more of you, you can make those adjustments without viewing them as a failure. I have made changes in direction more than once, as you can hear from the brief story I shared of my journey. I've had to ask for help. I've had to learn how to rest. I've had to surrender things that I love. And I'm still learning. there's really just no perfect formula for balancing motherhood and work. But we can seek the Lord. We can steward what He's given us. And we can remain willing to change as He leads us. And so here are the three questions I want to leave you with today. What has God entrusted to me in this season? Am I confusing ambition, comparison, or pressure with God's direction? And what is one change that would help my life better support my priorities? Your job isn't to become the woman who can do it all. Your job My friend, is to faithfully tend the life that God has entrusted to you. I'm going to say that again because that's something I personally need to hear. Your job isn't to become the woman who can do it all. Your job is to faithfully tend the life God has entrusted to you. You don't have to figure out the next 10 years. Just take the next faithful step. And so if this encouraged you today, I just want to ask that you share it with another mom who might need to hear this message. Follow or subscribe to the Rooted Family Podcast. Leave a review. Your reviews help us so, so much. they help other families discover this show and be encouraged by this message. And you can also find my story if you are interested in hearing about my career. when I step down from leadership in Mary Kay and into the season of building this business, you can click the link in the show notes and that will take you to that blog episode. Thank you so much for being here today, for listening in. I I hope that you are able to see yourself in my story. And even if your story is so different from mine, we are all going to be called by the Lord to do different things in our life. And I just Hope and pray that you have the courage to do the thing that God is asking you to do, whether that is giving more of yourself to the home front or pursuing something that he's asking you to do right now. And my hope is that you can just release the guilt for whatever that choice is, that you can fully embrace and step into what he's asking you to do with confidence, knowing that he's the one that is leading you. We'll see you next week.