Spring 2021

SPRING 2021

HOMESCHOOL IOWA 13

When Your Best Laid Plans Fail

BY HEIDI ST. JOHN | HOMESCHOOL IOWA 2021 CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKER

hen it comes to making plans, I am second to . . . well, just

One. Planning is in my DNA. I am a list maker and a lover

of all things calendar-related. Just give me an idea and a

deadline, and I’ll make it happen—that is, if only the universe would

cooperate! I shudder to think of the thousands of my perfectly laid

plans that have been completely derailed by everything from forget-

ting to plug in the slow cooker to getting in a fender bender on the

way to the store.

The truth is, we can’t plan for everything. And perhaps more to

the point, no one ever plans for a crisis. We don’t pencil-in “crisis”

on the third Monday of the month. And yet, without fail, with the

bases loaded and two minutes left, the

phone rings, and voilà—you have a sick

kid, someone has lost their job, a friend has

devastating news.

This is where courage needs to

step up to the plate.

The Bible says that we can make our

plans, but ultimately the Lord determines

our steps (see Proverbs 16:9). And some of

those steps can be pretty painful to take. In

my twenty-six years of mothering, I have lost a baby to miscarriage

and wept beside the casket of a dear friend’s stillborn daughter. We

don’t always get to choose what happens to the babies we carry so

carefully inside us. We can’t always predict what a day will bring. But

we are guaranteed of this: God will never leave us or forsake us. Ever.

And oh, how we need Him! God is the one who brings courage from

the chaos and peace to the broken places in our hearts. Without

the courage that comes from God, the spirit of fear can settle into

the unseen places of a mother’s soul. So stay close to Him, precious

mom! Get to know His Word. Memorize His promises. Don’t let that

fear take root. Every mom can identify with fear, but every mom can

also identify with the antidote to fear we’ve been given. From the

moment we know we’re bringing a new life into the world, some-

thing miraculous—even sacred—awakens in the heart of a mother:

courage.It

takes courage to be a mother. Unplanned C-sections,

unexpected diagnoses, illnesses, sibling rivalry, bad attitudes, and

strong-willed children test the courage and resolve of every mother.

But God uses all of these circumstances to help make us into the

mothers He wants us to be. I know it’s true, because this business of

shaping little hearts is also shaping mine. Motherhood has exposed

weaknesses in me I never knew I had, it has driven me to the limits

of what I thought I could do, and it has filled my heart with hopes

and dreams I never imagined for a future I can only entrust to God.

There’s no doubt about it: becoming a mother changes everything.

And even twenty-six years in, I’m finding I need fresh courage on

a daily basis. Let’s face it: this isn’t our grandparents’ generation.

Choosing a Christ-centered life in a culture that rejects Christ is chal-

lenging the courage of many believers today. We are parenting in a

generation in which fear is a driving force in our decisions. Standing

for what the Bible says about marriage and human sexuality is grow-

ing increasingly unpopular as our culture moves away from the truth

and toward moral relativism. As a result, Christian mothers today

have to do something the previous three generations haven’t had

to worry about: we’re preparing our kids to face rejection. It takes

courage to stand for the Lord in the face of rejection, but stand we

must. The next time your children tell you they have been mocked

or labeled for their faith or beliefs, remember that at the moment of

our salvation, God Himself gave us an even more powerful label. We

wear the label

redeemed

, and no one can relabel us! We are forever

accepted by God.

If you’re struggling to find courage in the face of being rejected,

look up—and point your children’s gaze to Jesus as you do. Cour-

age is found where acceptance abounds:

in Christ. MomStrong moms know who

they are in Christ, and they refuse to allow

the devil to lie to them. They rise to the

challenge of the culture and, in the pro-

cess, shape the hearts and minds of their

children for the glory of God.

Yes, we are living in challenging times,

but like Joshua, we have been called to

“be strong and courageous.” This is an

exciting time to be a Christian, because

when faith finds its feet in this generation of parents and their chil-

dren, we are going to see amazing things happen in the lives of

God’s people.

Adapted from Becoming MomStrong: How to Fight with All That’s in You for Your Family and

Your Faith by Heidi St. John.

Heidi St. John has been married to her husband Jay since 1989. Together they have

seven children and three grandchildren! The St. Johns homeschooled their kids all the way

through high school. Heidi is the the author of seven books, host of the popular podcast “Off

the Bench,” and the founder of MomStrong International, an online community of women

learning God’s Word and how to apply it to every day life. She and her husband Jay are also

the founders of Firmly Planted Family and the Firmly Planted Homeschool Resource Center,

located in Vancouver, Washington.

If you’re struggling... look up -

and point your children’s gaze

to Jesus as you do.