Motherhood Is Not About Now

Children who have such a "shepherd" in their homes to oversee, provide for, direct, and protect the life of the home will benefit profoundly. By embracing our call to home-making, we are ensuring that these life centers are thriving and well.

The strong and secure future we help to build for our children is laid by the hundreds of small deeds we do every day as we serve faithfully in our homes. Yet the great value of our service will be felt for generations to come and throughout eternity.

Read more about this in The Mission Of Motherhood.

Tea Time Tuesday: Cultivating A Heart For God's Goodness

Click here to play today’s new podcast episode.

“Behold, Thou dost desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part, Thou will make me know wisdom." Psalm 51:6

If someone could see the inside of your soul, the pathways of your thoughts, the flow of your worship, the landscape of your thoughts and attitudes, what would it look like? Would it hold beauty or ugliness?

A beautiful soul is cultivated and crafted over time by the elements that surround it and that pour into its inner chamber. One lives and pours out words, behavior, attitudes, goodness or evil from what is dwelling inside its borders.

In the same way that if one fills a pitcher with lemonade, and lemonade pours forth, so one must be careful to fill one's soul with all that is beautiful, true, lovely. When my children were small, I always thought about the verse:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Phil. 4:8

I sought to fill the moments of our days with all that was beautiful, inspiring, noble, lovely, good, excellent. Exercising vigilance to pick out stories and books that would inspire; seeking to protect my children from insipid, empty, dark, sarcastic, or shallow books, media, people was constant. I knew that I was laying a foundation for life. I wanted them to have such a vast amount of truth, beauty, love and goodness stored up in the deep vestiges of their souls, that they would draw from the wealth of true beauty the rest of their lives.

Such investment requires purposeful planning and active engaging in each moment of their lives. How blessed I have been to see that what I invested has reaped rewards.

My concern, today, is that many young moms, exposed to contemporary culture, don't even have a model or understanding of what is good. Christianity is mediocre and weak and insipid because the souls of believers are as empty, shallow and contaminated as the fallen culture that surrounds us. One cannot watch garbage and violence and adultery and not be effected. One cannot feed on what is shallow and not become shallow.

In the same way that cancer and diabetes are growing rapidly and devastating many lives because of the intake of what is unhealthy in our foods, products and environment, so our souls will die and become ill and infected if they are always surrounded by garbage, pollutants, contaminants.

One cannot pass on what one does not himself have, and so if we want to pass on health and beauty and goodness, then we ourselves must discipline ourselves to invest and pour into our minds and souls truth from scripture, seek out wise people, read great books and thoughts as well as protect our souls from all that is base.

Media is on occasion used for good, but it is mostly a wasteland of mind-death and soul-killing touting chaotic cultural values.

And so, as I ponder what I want to become more of this year, I must take seriously the cultivating of my own soul, so that when others come to draw from me, they are drawing from Him, because I have invested time in Him, His word, His wisdom, His truth and His ways. I am working on my own personal goals to choose how I will use my time, this year, to insure that I am growing in all the elements that are beautiful, true, wise, good, lovely, and I am seeking to guard my heart (and my soul).

"Above all else, guard your heart for it is the well spring of life." Proverbs 4:23

Seek out a time to get alone, away and consider how you would like to grow this year.

Evaluate what are the good habits and what are the bad habits that you practice and how they influence your soul, and your heart and consequently, your worship of God, as we are commanded to worship Him in our minds.

Make a plan of how you will grow in wisdom, beauty and truth this year. What will you read? When will you have a quiet time? What do you need to stop doing?

Make a plan for all the ways you will pour beauty, goodness, wisdom and truth into your children this year. What books and stories will you read to them? When will you have devotionals with them? How do you need to change to reflect love and graciousness to them so that they will form their relationship habits on gentleness and generous love?

God’s goodness is mentioned over 110 times in scripture.

The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

Every once in a while, I spontaneously take a photo of myself, whatever I am doing, to send to my grandchildren. You see, they are always on my mind, in my thoughts. I want them to know that I love them, every day, all the time. I pray for them. I plan for times of fun when we can be together. I pray that their hearts would know and understand the goodness and love of God because they have seen it in me and in their parents and in those around them.

They are storing up a clear picture of God through those of us who are acting out His tangible love and grace in day to day realities in their lives. And hopefully when they are teens and more aware of a fallen, chaotic world, they will remember, “But I have seen, learned, and felt the goodness and love of God throughout my life, and I believe there is light, hope, goodness to be found in this troublesome world.”

If I Had To Do It All Over Again

What would I do if I had to do it over again?

I would laugh more, worry less, lecture only on rare occasions, overlook messes, notice the fingerprints of my Maker in the moments of my days, and cherish those few years when we were all at home, together, celebrating life.

I would stop in the midst of my chores to listen to a boy-joke being shared and I would laugh out loud and tell them they were so much fun.

I would stop unloading the groceries when my husband is talking to me and look deeply into his eyes and listen to what he is saying, communicating with my whole self, "You are such a treasure to me. I want to know what you are thinking and feeling and dreaming."

I would take the moment to tousle a head as I am passing through a room and say, "I am so blessed to have you as my very own child. You make me so happy, just being you."

I would stop what I am doing, to go outside to look at a "treasure" when I hear, "Hey, Mama, come look!"

I would camp more outside on our deck and cuddle up under the sleeping bags more often to marvel at the stars and the one who made them.

I would open my eyes to take a snapshot each day, just as it is — with boy noises, loud discussions, toys being played with intently, piano being practiced, thoughts being shared, messes coming and going.

Mothers Hold Eternity In Their Arms

I was unprepared, untrained, and honestly, had not given motherhood a lot of thought in my single years. At almost 31, never having changed a diaper, never knowing a mom who had nursed her children, and not even knowing how to hold a baby, I was heading into a great unknown — this thing called motherhood! 

And yet, when my first baby was born, it was not the overwhelming sense of responsibility or inadequacy that hit first, but the incredible wave of unconditional love. I was not expecting the pure awe that would flood my heart the moment she arrived and was gently placed into my arms. 

As I was holding her, it was as if God was whispering to me: "You are holding eternity in your arms. This little one is a miracle, a gift from Me. Will you love her so that when she grows up, she will believe that I love her? Will you whisper to her the secrets of My ways, give her a sanctuary in which to celebrate all that is good in life so that she will fill the treasure chest of her soul with all that is good, true, and beautiful?"

Read more about this in Well Lived.

Tea Time Tuesday: Decluttering My Soul For 2026

Click here to play today’s new podcast episode.

“Guard your heart, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, along with every form of malice. Instead, be kind to one another, forgiving each other, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph. 4: 31-32)

Decluttering my soul is something I do every year before I plan my priorities, goals for the year. On New Year's weekend, I get away to a private place whatever it takes, to view the state of my heart, mind and soul. I ask God to help me clear out my conscience, leave my past burdens in the file drawers of heaven, by faith, trust God to move generously in my new year. I feel lighter, seeing what He will provide for me in the new year. Every year, I share these thoughts that I hope will give you a fresh wind blowing through your soul.

Even as we declutter our home, put it back in order after a busy holiday season, so I find that I must declutter my heart to go into my year free, with grace, hope and good plans. Proverbs tells us to “Guard our heart, for from it flows the springs of life.”

If we do not keep our heart free from those things that would bring darkness, discouragement, criticism, fear, despair, we will not be able to accomplish all of the other tasks we have planned for our year. He must be at the center of our peaceful, trusting heart. But even as in marriage, parenting, friendship, as issues must be communicated and discussed, so our heart issues must come to the light and be talked about with Him, so that we can declutter our souls.

Sometimes we are hold feelings of guilt, failure, disappointment, criticism, resentment, fear, blame. Yet, if we allow these feelings to fester, they will be a sort of poison to our hearts. So giving our burdens, regrets, issues into the hands of God and planning how we will walk forward in freedom is essential to keep a free, pure, loving heart.

Every year, we have sent out a “Decluttering Your Heart” planner to those how want to print it out and use it to plan their year. All you have to do is to join my blog mailing list and it will come to your email.

Home Is A Safe Haven

Don’t measure your success in life by your ability or inability to do housework efficiently. I hear so many stories from young women whose mothers were neurotic about keeping a well-organized and orderly home, and as adults they feel guilty if they ever make a mess.

Your relationship with your children and their ability to enjoy the comfort of your home are gifts you can give your family by choosing to accept and appreciate the limitations of a full and lively house. Solomon understood it rather well: “Where no oxen are, the manger clean” (Proverbs 14:4).

When I realized that I had six oxen in my stall all the time, it gave me peace knowing that the messes that reflected the six people in my home were a part of having all of us together!

Advent: Waiting on God's Timing

Four hundred years passed from the last prophesy of the Malachi until Jesus was born. Waiting is a part of God's way. And yet, Jesus's coming was perfectly timed in God's economy,

Clay and I celebrate our 45th anniversary soon, God willing. As I look back through the years, it is the devoted partnership where we held fast, the ways we celebrated mundane rhythms of life every day, every night, the “Forgive me,” the persevering through all the years & phases of childhood with our crew where the value of our relationship was forged, where the Clarkson story took root, where our ministry was birthed. It was "in the meantime" between big events where treasures were discovered..

I waited to fall in love, to get married, to get pregnant multiple times. Waited for 19 houses to sell when moving & waited to find another suitable place.

Waited for children to be out of diapers, to learn to read, to grow up! On it goes.

Clay waited through these seasons by my side. What will life hold? What is going to happen?

Most of life is in the “In between.”

What we do In the meantime" defines our life story..

We waited when hopes were only ideas we talked about, we worked hard to start a ministry without any money.

We talked of books to write when there were none, We lived through illnesses, moves, car wrecks, out of the box children, asthmatics, family trauma, church drama. In these places our character was shaped, our story grew with integrity. Each season learning to be faithful in hard times, trusting God with unanswered prayer, forgiving when we didn’t feel like it; loving a child who acted in an unlovable way.

What you choose to believe & cherish, practice & submit to, work at & believe, happens when no one else is looking. These are the glorious days your children will remember—the joy of the meantime, the moments cherished, the memories of this Christmas, feasting together, choosing joy. Life teaches us to cherish every day.

This Christmas, enjoy every moment, wait on God with great hope, choose delight as you seek to worship Him, marvel at the Christ child.

We don't know about tomorrow. What will you do in the meantime, this Christmas?

Your Children Will Perceive You As A Hero

Satan knows that the righteousness and faith of the next generation are in the hands of parents who interact with their children every hour of the day. Satan would just love for us to think our labor is in vain and ineffective, and that we are not adequate for the task.

And yet, in every case in Revelation, overcoming is always rewarded with a great blessing—a new and glorious name; to have your name written in the book of life; to have Jesus speak about you before the Father; and so much more.

As I have looked back over my own journey of motherhood, I see clearly that the cultural voices during my early years of motherhood always gave me permission to compromise my biblical ideals for my family. But God wants us to be those who prevail, who are willing to engage in the fight and to hold fast, waiting for His blessing.

I have found it so vital in my own walk to keep a journal and write down my commitments. It has enabled me to stay strong through all the seasons life brings.

I imagine that I was planting a metaphorical flag of commitment, saying, “I will follow God’s path for me and His call on my life as a mom, to be faithful as Jesus was for my whole life, no matter what. I am making this commitment to be a servant leader, as He is, so that my children will always have an advocate for their lives, as Jesus is my advocate.”

Tea Time Tuesday: Do Not Be Anxious!

Click here to play today’s new podcast episode.

“Do not be anxious about anything…”

Phil. 4:6

Really? Not about finances, bills, taxes?

Training, meeting emotional needs, educating, loving my children patiently, dealing with their moods and developmental struggles?

Stress and loneliness in the challenges of marriage? Relationship conflict with friends, in-laws, others close to me?

Exhaustion? Illness in family? Feelings of loneliness and isolation? Overwhelm with ideals?

And life!

I’ll never forget the first time one of my teens was out at night and had to drive home in a snowstorm. I knew I was supposed to trust God, be at peace, but I knew storms and I knew my teen. I worried until they got home.

And I remember when my 8 month old was admitted at the hospital when she was barely breathing. Or when my child was in college and said they felt like they were so depressed they didn’t know if they would make it through the months of work ahead. The time I heard that my husband had had a wreck with my boys and their friends. Or when death of a loved one entered our doors unexpectedly.

Anxiety is a response to life when it feels dangerous or out of our control. We all have many anxious moments in our journeys. It is our heart, soul and mind’s reaction to moments when we feel deep fear, the feeling of being out of control during danger.

As I was on my walk today, I had you in my heart. In such a dark time, it is difficult to put aside our anxieties. Yet, I have learned slowly to move in the direction of trusting God more practically, learning to claim, feel how to breathe peace in those moments of such feelings.

Life for all is filled with such moments. Yet, it really is possible to gain perspective about life in a fallen world, to learn how to practice and get stronger at being courageous. It is possible to walk with God holding our hands through each time of darkness. God with us is His name.

Praying God grants you peace today, my friends.

Your Holy Responsibility

God has entrusted to you the stewardship of your home and children. The cultivation of a work ethic is, in itself, a daily work. When your attitude and vision are right, all that remains is the work of faithful training — reminding your children to pick up their clothes, wash the dishes without complaint, keep their rooms clean, and complete their chores thoroughly.

That kind of training wasn’t necessarily my favorite part of mothering, but in hindsight it was one of the most vital. The habits, the chores, the tasks, the projects — they all helped to train and shape my children into adults who could work hard, with good attitudes and striving for excellence, in every aspect of their lives. Their ability to work, learned in my home, has equipped them to attempt anything they can imagine. That is a gift that will keep on giving.

Read more about this in 10 Gifts Of Heart.