EP 180: Determining the Best Choices for Your Family
Inside: The best choices for your family begin with God’s Word. Be encouraged to walk in grace, seek wisdom, and trust the Lord as you faithfully walk out your calling at home.
We’re talking today about something that’s been on my heart—determining the best choices for your family. As I watch my daughter raise her children, I’m reminded just how much the world has changed since I was in her season. There’s so much information, so many opinions, and sometimes it can feel like there’s pressure to follow a certain formula for parenting, homemaking, or education.
But the best decisions for your home aren’t based on what others are doing or what’s trending—they’re shaped by God’s Word, your family’s convictions, and the unity you and your husband seek together before the Lord.
Let’s walk together through Scripture, wisdom, and grace as we seek to honor Christ in the everyday decisions that shape our homes.
Listen to the Podcast Below (18 minutes) or read part of the episode below (8 minutes):
Looking Back at Motherhood
My children are grown now, and I’m in this sweet season of watching my daughter walk through the beautiful—and busy and messy and challenging—days of motherhood. But things look very different than they did when I was a young mama.
There was no internet. No Pinterest boards or parenting blogs. No reels of beautifully filtered routines or toddler snack plates. No phones in our pockets or texting friends for quick advice.
Back then, my guidance came from my husband, my grandmother, a few close friends, and maybe a book from the library. And I wasn’t a Christian in those early years, so I didn’t have the anchor of God’s Word guiding me as it does now. In some ways, it was simpler.
While I didn’t have the biblical foundation I so desperately needed, the noise around me was quieter. It was still hard—there were tears, doubts, and questions—but I wasn’t constantly bombarded with voices telling me how I should do everything.
Today’s mamas face a different kind of pressure. The constant stream of input—social media, blogs, podcasts—can feel like a tidal wave. You can end up feeling like there’s one perfect way to do it all—and that you’re the only one missing the mark.
But dear friend, your standard is not someone else’s story. Your standard is Christ.
Where Our Eyes Belong
As believers, we have something unshakable to stand on: God’s Word. It is our light and our anchor.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
—Psalm 119:105
When you feel tired, overwhelmed, or unsure—His Word is your light.
Your children don’t need a mama who does everything “right” by the world’s standards. They need a mama who clings to Christ. A mama who confesses her sin, who is growing in grace, and who seeks to walk in the Spirit daily—even when the laundry is overflowing and it’s five o’clock and you don’t know what’s for dinner.
That kind of life—a heart turned toward Christ in the midst of the ordinary—isn’t produced by willpower or perfect routines. It’s the result of the Spirit’s work in us.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”
—Galatians 5:22–23
Not perfectly. But prayerfully. Progress, not perfection. Always by His grace.
And let me gently add this too: It’s okay to step away from the noise. Sometimes the wisest thing you can do is log off social media, set the parenting books aside, and just sit quietly with your Bible and a journal. Let His voice be the loudest in your heart and home.
Dear Young Mama
If you’re in the thick of it right now, this part is for you.
You are not alone.
The days feel long. The nights even longer. You may wonder if it’s making a difference. But sweet friend, nothing done unto the Lord is ever wasted.
That diaper changed in love, that tantrum met with patience, that whispered “Jesus, help me”—it all matters.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.”
—Colossians 3:23–24
Let your motherhood be worship. Let your homemaking be ministry.
You and your husband are the ones the Lord has entrusted with your children. Not the blogger. Not the influencer. And that’s a good thing. Your home is unique, and the Lord will shape it as you seek Him.
So yes—ask questions, seek counsel, be teachable. But someone else’s way doesn’t have to be your way.
Don’t Walk Alone
And let me gently say this: don’t try to do motherhood alone.
Titus 2 gives us such a beautiful picture of life-on-life discipleship between women. It’s not just about formal programs (though these are good things!)—it’s simply about sharing life and walking together in the Lord.
“Older women… are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children…” (Titus 2:3–4)
If you’re a young mama, don’t be afraid to reach out to an older woman in your life. A simple, “Could we meet up to talk and pray?” can be the beginning of a sweet mentoring relationship.
If you don’t have someone like that right now, ask the Lord to bring her into your life. And in the meantime, be encouraged through trustworthy Titus 2 resources—books, podcasts, and the lives of faithful women who have walked before you.
I’m so honored by the messages and questions I receive from many of you. But I want to gently remind you that while I’m thankful to offer encouragement from afar, I’m not the older woman walking beside you in your everyday life. You need someone who knows you personally—who sees your joys and struggles and can lovingly point you to Christ right where you are.
Most often, she’s closer than you think. She may be sitting next to you at church—quietly faithful, wise, and ready to walk alongside you if you ask.
That’s why being part of a solid, Bible-teaching local church is so important. The Titus 2 model isn’t meant to happen online—it’s meant to unfold in the context of real relationships, right inside your church family. That’s where you’ll find women to learn from, serve with, and be sharpened by.
If you’re not part of a sound local church, let that be a prayerful priority. Don’t just attend—belong. Invest. Reach out. Ask the Lord to help you build those relationships, and trust that He’ll be faithful to provide.
And as you receive wisdom, be a good listener. Be humble. Be teachable. You won’t agree with everything—and that’s okay. You don’t have to implement it all. But test everything through the lens of God’s Word, and let it grow you in grace.
“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”
—Proverbs 19:20
A Word to the Older Woman
To those of us in the older-woman season, let’s be a safe place for the young mamas around us. Let’s listen more than we speak. Let’s encourage more than we advise.
“When a young parent gives you permission to give advice, you should give them permission not to take your advice. Always remind them that they are the parents whom God has entrusted with that child.”
—Susan Hunt
Let’s point them to Jesus—not our preferences.
And as someone who often finds herself in that role—whether through writing, podcasting, or sitting across the table from a dear sister—I’m still learning too. I haven’t arrived. I still see sin in my life every day. But I’m so thankful that the Lord doesn’t leave me there. He’s still sanctifying me—moment by moment, day by day.
We never outgrow our need for grace.
Perspective Comes with Time
Time has a way of revealing what really matters.
I don’t remember the birthday parties or matching outfits as much as I remember whether I was kind, patient, and faithful. I remember opening the Bible with my children. I remember asking for forgiveness. I remember reminding them—and myself—that Jesus is enough.
Yes, we train our children to obey. But that’s not the end goal. What we desire most is for them to know and love and walk with the Lord.
And salvation belongs to the Lord.
We can’t change their hearts—but we can faithfully plant, water, and pray. And we trust God with the growth.
As we do, He shapes us too.
We’re not aiming for perfect children. We’re pointing them to a perfect Savior. And that begins with parents who cling to grace and walk in repentance themselves.
Encourage One Another
So whether you’re a young mama or an older one, let’s be women who build up.
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:11
Maybe you can send a note to a young mom you know. Invite her for coffee. Text her a Scripture. Lift her name in prayer today.
This work of motherhood—this calling of homemaking—is sacred. It’s not small. It’s not unseen. And the Lord is using every bit of it to shape us more into the image of Christ.
Jesus truly is enough—always.
Good morning, dear friend!! I’m pleased as punch to tell you that your post is among this week’s featured at A Mama’s Story! I’m sharing it across my social media sites today. 🙂 Thanks for linking up.