Elizabeth Santelmann A Devoted Mama
August 23, 2022 1 Comment
There’s such a wide range of “right choices” for family culture! Don’t lose your family’s unique culture and gifts in the middle of the noise.
Each mama has been uniquely gifted by God in his calling of motherhood. He has equipped each woman with a unique set of circumstances and with a unique personality and talents. While each life looks differently, what doesn’t change is the fact that he equips each mama who lives a life devoted to him! This Devoted Mama feature is meant to encourage you that while every life looks different, a life devoted to God will never return void. Motherhood is our mission field and we are in this together.
Our family life/dynamic is sort of unique in that we are a military family who also happens to have one medically fragile child. Our oldest daughter, Avalynn, was born with a severe Congenital Heart Defect called Ebstein’s Anomaly and, to-date, has had two major open heart surgeries with another projected within three years. Mix this with the fast paced and ever changing life of a Marine Corps family and it’s a recipe that requires lots of adaptability and positivity! Our youngest, Graham, is one year old and he is such a sweet, silly boy! Having him six years after Avalynn introduces an interesting dynamic into our household. Namely: Starting completely over! But, he was prayed for and anticipated and he is a true gift from God. One of the biggest blessings of the Marine Corps is that we have established such wonderful, long-lasting friendships with people, quite literally, all over the nation! Throughout our marriage, Patrick and I have lived in Tennessee and we currently live in Minnesota. It has been so fun experiencing a different region of our country and being able to live up north for three years!
A typical day for me starts with rising early, if I can. I like to wake before the kids just so I have a moment to enjoy a cup of coffee, read my Bible and/or devotional and pray. Having that alone time helps set the pace for our day. On a really good morning, I even manage to get myself completely ready before the day starts! Those days are few and far between but man, does it feel good when it all falls into place and I can start the day dressed for success. We don’t have a set “wake” time yet. I like the mornings to flow slowly. When the kids wake we “attempt” to do morning time over breakfast but perfection is definitely not always achievable. Some days it just falls into place and others include the kids eating at two different times and that’s okay! Avalynn has her own responsibility chart so she gets to work on that after breakfast and that includes her independent work so, while she completes that, I check off any cleaning tasks I had for that day, try to throw a load of laundry in and get some one on one time with Gray as well as get him dressed. By the time we’ve worked through all of that, it’s usually nearing lunch and after we’ve eaten, Graham goes down for a nap, Ava and I do our math and language arts lessons together and then she does quiet/reading time. I use this time to read or finish up any last minute things I wanted to accomplish. Some days, I even use this time just to sit and breathe for a minute! Afternoons are for hands on history/science projects, outdoor time when it’s warm enough, dinner prep; whatever life holds for us on that particular day! Each day varies, the schedule gets interrupted more often than not but this is the daily “goal.” I like to think of our homeschool as relaxed but scheduled. We have items we intend to check off each day but I’ve learned over the past few years to not stress if we don’t get to everything.
I like to consider myself a “Jack of all trades but a master of none.” I have honestly dabbled in everything from home decor to makeup, furniture refinishing to wood burning and everything in between! I’m crafty, I enjoy thrifting and antiquing, I love to cook, I sing and I play the piano by ear (mostly).
As a young child, I asked Christ to come into my heart but as I grew older I realized that my perception and understanding of salvation was not what I felt to be authentic. At the age of fourteen, I felt conviction from the Holy Spirit about my eternity and I knew that I needed to be truly saved. I was able to pray with my father alongside and I consider that to be the day that I truly came to know Christ. However, my faith did not really become as deep and meaningful until adulthood. Even as recently as the past ten years, I’ve had to do a lot of deconstructing of “religion” and really grow in the Word. This has changed everything for me! I am so grateful that God opened my heart to the truth that can only be found in the Bible. Religion is emotional and flawed and will mislead. God’s Word never fails. I’m so grateful for that! I have made and continue to make so many mistakes but I have experienced God’s redeeming love. He is so good and kind to me!
On a practical level, one of my favorites tricks for trying to make it easier to be in the Word is laying out my Bible and devotional books the night before, much like we would lay out church clothes! Seeing it out and not having to remember to pull it out of a drawer or off of a book shelf makes it more accessible and I’m less likely to forget! On a realistic level, I love spending time in God’s Word, listening to praise and worship music throughout the day, meeting Him alone in prayer but I have found that, in motherhood, I have to be open to imperfection in my “quiet time” with God. There are days that are whirlwind storms of busyness and chaos and I settle into bed, exhausted and beaten down only to realize that I only glimpsed at a few verses or that I haven’t even opened my Bible. But, one of the beautiful things that I’m still learning is that God loves to meet we mothers where we are. He loves to meet us in the late nights with sick children when we cry out to him for rest and relief. He meets us in the kitchen, hands in dirty dish water, praising Him to the sound of worship music. He meets us in the “Jesus Loves Me” and the “This Little Light of Mine” as we minister to little hearts. He meets us in dirty diapers and snotty noses and piles of laundry. Because this work we’re doing is Kingdom Work. There is no real substitute for His Word and prayer but I am so glad that in this redeeming work of motherhood, that He is still “completing His good work in us” even when we can’t check all of the boxes. We just have to be willing to seek Him where we are. Persistence and not perfection. Daily attempting to know Him.
One of my most favorite recommendations for mothers who may be new in their walk with the Lord or who maybe don’t know quite where to start when reading the Bible is the devotional “Seamless” by Angie Smith. Although it’s been some time since I’ve used it, I loved how this devotional beautifully weaves the Word of God into the complete story that it is. If we’re honest, the Bible can feel daunting when really dug into for the first time. There’s a whole lot of “thees” and “thous” and “therefores.” This devotional helps break that down a little without compromising the integrity of the Bible itself. I also love any and all devotionals by “The Daily Grace Co.” I’ve used them for some time now and proudly own several studies and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of them! My most recent was working through the book of James and my most favorite was my “Fruit of the Spirit” study through them. I am currently working through the devotional “Fighting Words” by Christian music artist Ellie Holcomb and it has also been such an enjoyable addition to my Bible time. I also truly enjoy the Holy Bible App for those times when my physical Bible is not handy. I know this isn’t a new or exciting app but it’s a consistent one for me. This app is great in the evenings for closing my day in the Word. Oftentimes, if I’ve found myself “scrolling” in bed before shut eye, it’s refreshing to end the night by opening my Bible app and reading the verse of the day or a short passage. The app also had some great, short devotionals and has the option to play Scriptures aloud which is handy for when your hands are full! I also recently added a journaling app after I saw it mentioned on the Devoted Motherhood Instagram stories and it has been a true game changer for my journaling! I’ve always been a writer but with a toddler, I was finding that my consistency was waning. Journaling is important to me so I wanted a way to prioritize it. The ability to quickly journal my thoughts, Scriptures or prayers right in an app on my phone has been so wonderful! There are several journaling apps but the one I’m using is Day One.
To me, a devoted mama is firstly, a woman who devotes herself to Jesus Christ. Oftentimes, if I’m struggling in my motherhood and I’m wondering why things seem so hard, I can almost always pinpoint that it has something to do with how little time I’m spending with the Lord. Secondly, I think a devoted mama is one who understand the concept of grace. Grace upon grace upon grace. Grace for herself, her husband and her children. If we’re truthful with ourselves we can all collectively breathe a sigh of relief in the commonality that motherhood is just plain hard sometimes. But, for all of the moments of hardship there is immeasurable grace extended toward us from God and for us to extend toward our families. Lastly, I truly believe a devoted mama views her position as a ministry and a calling and seeks with all of her being to try to emulate and exalt Christ above everything else. We are no where near perfect. We are going to fail miserably and yell loudly and cry at the end of the day at times but I truly feel that a mother who is devoted to her calling will seek to just coat the love of Christ over her family like a healing balm and will leave a legacy of love for her children.
Mamas, I encourage you to view your children, your family, your responsibility and role as a true gift from God! In a world that likes to view children as a hindrance and a burden, view them as the true blessing that they are. Recently, I read a quote that went something like, “Your children aren’t making you crazy. They’re revealing your sinfulness.” What a thought! These precious faces that we stare into each day are sanctifying us and pointing us constantly to Christ. That thought alone should spark immense joy in our hearts and should encourage us to keep up the good fight of molding tiny hearts. It is truly such a huge honor and a privilege!
My name is Erin Kent. I’m 33 years old and a stay at home wife and homeschooling mother of two; Avalynn is 8 and Graham is 1 year old! My husband of 12 years is an active duty Marine of 17 years so life is busy and ever-changing for our family! We currently reside in Twin Cities- Minnesota but are gearing up for orders back to our home state of North Carolina. I consider myself to be crafty and love everything home decor! I believe with all of my heart that a home cooked meal can cure “all that ails ya” and I enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Above all, I love Jesus with all of my heart and it’s my truest desire to honor Him while raising my children for His kingdom work!
My name is Erin Kent. I’m 33 years old and a stay at home wife and homeschooling mother of two; Avalynn is 8 and Graham is 1 year old! My husband of 12 years is an active duty Marine of 17 years so life is busy and ever-changing for our family! We currently reside in Twin Cities- Minnesota but are gearing up for orders back to our home state of North Carolina. I consider myself to be crafty and love everything home decor! I believe with all of my heart that a home cooked meal can cure “all that ails ya” and I enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Above all, I love Jesus with all of my heart and it’s my truest desire to honor Him while raising my children for His kingdom work!
There’s such a wide range of “right choices” for family culture! Don’t lose your family’s unique culture and gifts in the middle of the noise.
I used to think my testimony wasn’t very interesting. How could sharing my testimony encourage someone else to love and follow God? I didn’t have any huge transformation. God didn’t save me out of an addiction or abuse. As I’ve listened to other believers recount their testimonies, my heart ached with them over the hardships that they endured. I never wanted my testimony to have the appearance of bragging or to add to the pain of what they already endured.
Several years ago, after battling years of infertility while trying to get pregnant with our first two children, I found myself miraculously pregnant with our third child naturally. I remember the morning I got the positive pregnancy test. My feet barely touched the stairs as I bounded up the steps from our basement bathroom to the kitchen to tell my husband I was pregnant. I practically shrieked, “I’m pregnant!” to my husband who by this time was concerned with my joyful hysteria.