What is a faithful everyday mom? Moms like you and I, that are not perfect or famous, but just “everyday” moms that are actively choosing to live out their faith and share it with their kids. Even though it may seem simple, it’s really a big deal!

Mom, if anyone comes to your mind when you think of a faithful everyday mom that I should interview

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Hey, friends!

I’m sharing today from an interview I did on the podcast with one of my very best friends, Katherine Bennett!

 

A little bit of info about Katherine:

We have known each other for 8 years, and I’ve have watched her go from being a newlywed to her husband, Trey, to becoming a mom of three kids all under five years old!… So she’s busy, just like you!!

 

#1 I’ll start with the Icebreaker Questions:First, how do you have your quiet time with three young kids?

 

Katherine: My quiet time looks a whole lot different now than it did five years ago before I had my first daughter. I would say the time of day that I have my quiet time is different in each season, and sometimes, actually different each day of the week. 

But my priority has been staying committed to what I am studying in the Word and learning that, even if it takes longer to read through a book of the Bible then I would like it to take, ultimately the goal of time in the Word, is prayer and intimacy with Jesus.

 

#2 Katherine, when you hear the phrase “everyday mom,” what comes to your mind that makes you an everyday mom?

 

Katherine: Well, today for instance, I am sitting here with day four of dry shampoo, messy bun, no makeup, and I’m actually drinking my morning cup of coffee poured over ice in the afternoon while my kids are sleeping, because I haven’t had a chance to finish it before now…so now iced coffee! 🙂

 

Mallory: Well, you have to stay caffeinated sometimes with little ones running around, as I’ve already told you, Katherine is busy mom of 5, so you can probably all identify with that in some way!

Katherine and I have been talking a lot recently about how easy it is to mistake our busyness for purpose in motherhood and just life in general. It’s easy to put blinders and just worry about your own family, because there’s plenty to do with just that list right?!

However, what I really want to focus on is what would happen if we all as moms could begin to see beyond our own families, schedules, to-do lists, etc. and really see the needs of other people around you. And to take it even a step further than that to see other’s need for Jesus around you. 

We all have neighbors, single moms, widows in our churches, moms of our kids’ friends from school and so many other places in our lives that need Jesus, and a lot of times we’re just not looking…

Katherine is someone that I look up to in this area and her husband, Trey as well. They are both such intentional people with the people that are around them. So I’m going to let her share today about this specific topic, putting people before tasks.

 

#3 Katherine, what are some excuses that you and I have both told ourselves before, and any mom reading may be telling herself, when even the thought of adding something else to our schedules comes up?

“I can’t do that because_______” (fill in the blank.)

 

Katherine: Mal, there’s so many things that could take up that blank….The first thought that comes to my mind is, “I can’t do this because I don’t have enough time.” Another thought is, “I don’t have the bandwidth to even think about helping someone outside of my family today.” Another one would be feeling like your unqualified saying, “Well, I’m not a pastor, I haven’t been to seminary.”

And ALL of these thoughts are ultimately not true and from the enemy, but those are the first few thoughts or excuses that enter my mind…And if you say that you can’t think of anybody, then you’re NOT looking around beyond your own schedule and the things that you have going on.

 

#4 Katherine, you and I have self admittedly shared that this is a constant struggle for us both. We do not have this all figured out yet, but are wanting to challenge ourselves and other moms in this area. With that said, when we get over our own busyness with the kids and with other things thoughts you mentioned above, to really reach out and help others and share Jesus with them, what is your best advice for how to start? How do you begin to even to do this?

 

Katherine: Great question! As much as I would love to say I naturally lean towards prioritizing people over tasks, unfortunately that’s just not the case. I tend to find satisfaction in getting work done and being as productive as possible. But in the past few years of being a mom, I am slowly and painfully learning that this is not the goal of motherhood or of life as a believer. As believers in Jesus, we really have the higher purpose to glorify God and to share His love with others. So to answer your question, I guess in a shorter way, it would be I’m learning how to daily surrender. And sometimes that’s several times throughout the day, surrender my plans, my to-do list, and ultimately my heart’s desire to the Lord.

 

Mallory: I love how honest this statement was that you shared… “A lot of times I just put tasks over people,” because I think that it’s something that we’re ALL guilty of, especially in motherhood.

Two stories came to mind that I want you to share Kat, that I thought of immediately when I knew you were coming on to interview:

 

#5 The first story was when you were dealing with some pretty heavy postpartum stuff, which a lot of us moms, myself included, have experienced before and know how crippling it can be. But the Lord kind of didn’t give you an option though, He basically laid somebody in your lap to share Jesus with, even at a time when you didn’t feel capable. So will you share that story with us today?

 

Katherine: It was the spring after I had my youngest baby, who actually just turned two years old recently, but at the time was about 6 weeks old and I was in deep with postpartum stuff. It was actually my first Sunday going back to church, the Sunday before Easter, and I walked into church and a friend who I hadn’t seen in years, came running up to me and said, “Hey, I want you to meet someone that’s here for the first time and she has two young kids. I think you might be able to connect with her…” 

The young mom was a hairdresser, which I really feel like it was the Lord, because I had actually found out the day before that my hairdresser was retired and I was looking for a new hairdresser…

So I actually scheduled a hair appointment for the next week. It was a great way to get out of the house after having an eight-week-old, but my main purpose was just to get to know her and to tell her about Jesus. So when I went to the appointment, I learned that she had accepted Jesus that Sunday a few days before during the church service, and that she planned to get baptized that next week for Easter Sunday.

So I invited her to our small group that my husband and I lead, and got her a new Bible. We started reading together in the Book of John, and then a few months later, a friend of mine that knew what I had been going through with postpartum, offered to host a Bible study that summer mainly with the intention to disciple her, because she knew opening up my home was near impossible…but I could MAKE THE TIME to GO.

We went through a book that focuses on your identity in Christ, it’s called Identity Theft by Melissa Kruger, and highly recommend this book! It was really an amazing study for me, just in redefining that my identity is not found in motherhood or my kids, but found truly in Christ. And then also for my new friend who was a new believer, she really found great purpose through understanding what it is to be a follower of Christ.

 

#6 Awesome! Katherine, the next story, your husband actually started shared with me, and it’s so funny how it happened in the beginning! However at the time, it found you in a very busy season of life in a different way–being that it was Christmastime and you were homeschooling…so once again, we could all have lots of excuses anytime as moms! But will you share that story with us about a mom that you got an opportunity to pour into and are still doing life with?

 

Katherine: Yes, last December I was trying to work on some homeschool with my oldest daughter. Lunchtime rolled around, and we just were not getting accomplished what we needed to. So my husband asked how he could help, and I said, “Could you please take the two littles out of the house for 30 minutes, even if it’s through McDonald’s drive through, I don’t care, just so we can have 30 minutes to finish school?” He was so gracious to offer that and I’m so thankful for him…So he took the two littles to the out for a bit.

While he was out, I had no idea where they went or what they were doing, but I got a text message from an unknown number saying, “Will you be my friend?” 

So, what ended up happening is my husband had taken the kids to the park, and he overheard a mom talking to another lady and trying to befriend her. But the other lady just said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t live near here. I actually need to go, I’m sorry.” So she walked away and my husband Trey felt really bad for this mom who he had overheard her say that she had just moved to the area and didn’t have any friends. So my husband, being the kind man that he is, even though he doesn’t normally talk to women one-on-one like this, said, “Hey, I heard that you’re new to the area, where are you from?”

And she started telling her story: They had moved right before the school year started, and she didn’t have any friends. Her husband actually worked a job driving a truck that caused him to be gone or he is gone the majority of the month.

So she has an eight-year-old daughter who’s in school and a one-year-old that she is raising in a new place and without much help at all. Trey said to her, “Well, if you ever want to spend time with a friend, here’s my wife’s number if you’re interested.” She said, “Oh, I would love that.” So he gave her my number, and then in the meantime, I received a text from her saying, “Hi, can we hang out?”

Trey came home from the park and told me what happened, and I was laughing. But he said that, “God told me to talk to her and God told me to give her your number,” so who was I to argue with that?! So I texted her back, and we hung out a couple days later at another park. Clearly the Lord wanted us to be friends, and after getting to know her, I realized that yes she was new to the area, but also to the country as well.

So we have now become good friends, and she has been asking a lot of questions about Christianity. I invited her to church and have told her about my relationship with the Lord one day when we were hanging out, and I realize at the same time, my 5-year-old daughter, was actually sharing with her 8-year-old daughter about the Lord and had invited her to church as well. And when we got in the car, my daughter said, “Mommy, did you know that my new friend doesn’t have a Bible? She had to rent a Bible from the library one time.” And she said, “Can we get her a Bible for Christmas?”

I was so blown away by my 5-year-old, who is not even saved yet, to see her little heart for Jesus. So it ended up, that I continued to pursue the mom and asked her, “Would you like us to come pick you up for church, or bring your daughter?” And she said, “Absolutely, you can pick my daughter up for church.” So we started picking up her eight-year-old daughter for church, I want to say it was the beginning of December, for several weeks. And then after about a month, the mom and her one-year-old came to church with us too! So it’s been really sweet to see the Lord working in this mom’s heart over the past couple of months.

 

Mallory: I love that story! It’s so funny… you receiving a text that said, “will you be my friend?” But in all seriousness, as much as I chuckled hearing that story in the beginning, I think my favorite part was how you were so intentional to actually get together with her. And on top of that, how your daughter was sharing with the little girl at the same time you were sharing with the mom…that melts my heart! And that’s just a testament to the fact that she is old enough now to see that you and Trey are intentionally seeking out people in your lives, both through your Sunday school class, but also just people randomly at the park or wherever, that need Jesus.

And just because it’s not a good time or it’s not convenient for us to pour in to other people, I think that when we take the time to do that, our kids see that and it really impacts them. And that’s the testimony to that right there, what you just shared.. 

 

#7 Can you give us a couple of other examples? Maybe a mom’s reading and she’s thinking, well, I’d love to do something that could include my kids like this. So, can you give us some other examples of things that you’ve done with your kids in serving other people or taking time out for others?

 

Katherine: Well a few ideas: It can be something as simple as bringing a friend a meal, or we even have a couple widows that we are ministering to..One is our neighbor and one is a widow from our church. So oftentimes we’ll just stop by with some cookies and my oldest daughter, who’s started to read, will bring a book and read to them or draw them a card. Sometimes we send a video with my kids singing a song, or I’ll send a verse of encouragement to someone who might be struggling. If it’s somebody who I know does not know the Lord, like this mom that I was telling you about, anytime that the Lord brings them to my heart or my mind, I will text them immediately.

And I know it’s sometimes in the midst of a busy day, it’s sometimes inconvenient, but if the Lord brings someone to your mind or heart, I would just encourage you to reach out, whether that’s a personal visit, call or text.

 

Mallory: Great ideas! And I know sometimes the kids think, well, mom’s leaving me to take somebody food, or Mom’s dropping me off at the nursery so she can go teach her class, or all those things that sometimes you can’t do with the kids. But I think that you do a great job of bringing your kids along in the process, as you have shared—to help cook a meal for somebody, to help take a Bible to a new friend that doesn’t have one, etc. Little things like that are so important, and our kids can be greatly impacted by them!

 

#8 Last question: If there’s a mom that wants to be intentional with reaching out to others for Jesus, but she doesn’t really know where to start, and now we’ve given a couple of suggestions, so how would you encourage her, when she’s just not really sure where to start?

 

Katherine: I think something that I’ve had to ask myself is, “what are the things that last forever? What are the things that are eternal?” And those two things are people and God’s Word.

So as a believer, if I’m going to prioritize people and God’s Word, how can I do that tangibly? 

Things change, circumstances change, life changes, but the Word of God doesn’t change. So prioritizing that in my daily life through my quiet time and through living out the Word of God has really become just such a priority. And the other thing that is eternal are people, and focusing on that, that people are going to go to one of two places, either heaven or hell, and that decision will be made during their time here on Earth.

And so for this reason, it’s important for us to share the good news of the gospel with others! And oftentimes, I don’t feel qualified or ready, but the Lord makes it clear, and He will! God will speak to us and make it clear who He wants us to reach out to. And when He does that, I know my heart isn’t at rest until I reach out to them. And it may be something simple like I said earlier, sending a text or bringing a meal, or it may be something that may require some additional planning, like offering to keep their kids or doing something that is out of your comfort zone. But when the Lord places someone on your heart, just really encourage you to follow and to be ready to answer His call.

 

Mallory: Absolutely! I love that your mission field can be at the playground, the ball field or wherever you’re at with your kids! And that’s what you and Trey both model with your lives, and that’s a really big challenge to me and I know moms reading as well. But it also is encouraging that it’s something that you struggle with doing, and that the Lord’s working on it in you. I so appreciate you being real and sharing those things with us, Kat!

 

And my hosting ministry, Love Worth Finding, has some great free resources and messages that can help you feel more confident in sharing your faith with other moms or just people in your life like we’ve been talking about today. Don’t forget to follow @Faithful31Moms on Instagram and tag me in any stories if you decide to share for this episode!