Weekly Magazine | A Mother’s Legacy
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Dear Friends,
Motherhood takes many forms—and so do the women who fill that role in our lives. Whether you're a mom, stepmom, spiritual mother, mentor, or someone who simply shows up with love and wisdom—this issue is for you.
We’re honoring the women who shape hearts, build faith, and quietly pass on their legacy—one prayer, one hug, one hard decision at a time. Some of you are still in the thick of raising littles. Others are navigating empty-nest seasons. Some are walking with grief or praying for prodigals. Whatever your season, you are seen.
This week’s issue is filled with stories that reflect the depth, strength, and beauty of a mother’s love. We hope it encourages you to pause, reflect, and celebrate the impact your faith can have—whether on your children, your community, or the generations yet to come.
With love and gratitude,
🌿 Mom, You’re Doing Great! | Catriona Futter
Feeling like you’re not doing enough? This grace-filled encouragement invites you to pause, reflect, and celebrate the difference you’re making—right now.
🌿 The Hope of Letting Go | Lisa C. Whitaker
What happens when motherhood moves into a new chapter? A heartfelt reflection on releasing an adult child—and trusting God to hold them in His hands.
🌿 Lessons I Learned from Motherhood | Ingrid Lawrenz
From infertility to deep faith and devastating loss, one mother’s story reminds us that the heart of legacy is loving fiercely, faithfully, and with Christ at the center.
📖 For Your Heart
📜 Bible Verse of the Week
🙏 Prayer of the Week
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Mom, You’re Doing Great!
By: Catriona Futter
I was talking recently with a dear friend about her season of motherhood. She has young children; she and her husband both work and hold significant ministry commitments. She does most of the homemaking, caring for the children, and being everyone’s PA and chief organizer. Does this sound familiar at all?
Talking with her, I am struck by how hard she is being on herself. All she can see at the end of the day is the long list of uncompleted tasks and areas of motherhood where she has not gotten it right—snapping at one of her kids, dinner late and thrown together, the toppling pile of laundry, conversation with her husband functional and brief at best.
I hug her, telling her that she is doing an amazing job, that she is enough.
CURBING OUR SELF-JUDGEMENT
Why are we so hard on ourselves as women?
Especially as mothers, whatever we do seems to come with a hefty side order of guilt. Our brains are negatively biased, and we more quickly spot what has gone wrong and where we have failed. In so doing, we quickly condemn ourselves. This is exhausting, and it is not God’s heart for us. He delights in us, rejoices over us with singing (Zeph. 3:17), and greets us with open arms of love.
What would it look like for us to begin to celebrate our roles as mothers with a little more kindness and self-respect?
REFLECTING ON MOTHERHOOD
I have two adult daughters, both living away from home. I am learning a new role as an empty nester, which has stretched and challenged me in unexpected ways. I am also learning what it is to stop and reflect on my role as their mom and to take time to celebrate that.
This began when my elder daughter left home. I am a life coach, often encouraging clients to reflect on their own lives and experiences and grow in self-awareness. How could I use these skills to help in my own grief and emotional turmoil as my daughter flew the nest? I was so proud of her, so excited for all that was to come… and missing her terribly. Rather than dealing with my emotions by keeping busy, I wanted somehow to mark the passage of time and bear witness to the enormity of this season.
So, I started asking myself questions.
How has being her mom changed me?
What have I learned about myself?
What have I done as her mom, rather than only seeing all the things I fear I have not done?
How did I equip her for life, and who is she now because she is my daughter?
Who am I now compared to who I was when I gave birth to her?
What am I celebrating as I look back at those years: encouragements, lessons learned, resilience gained?
Who does God see me as, when He looks at me as her mom?
What began as a little self-reflection turned into a diary that I wrote, charting our 18 years together. Writing as if to her (but entirely for my benefit), I talked through on paper all our lived experiences and my perspective on them—how I felt, how I have grown, and how I see that she has grown. I reflected on what I might have said to my younger self and journaled about what I sensed God saying to me about my role at different stages of her life.
MEMORIES OF MOTHERHOOD
It was incredibly cathartic. I cried an ocean of tears, laughed often, and reminisced through old photographs. I remembered early experiences, friends and school adventures, holidays, and family rituals that still ground us today. With gratitude, I reflected on the role of family, friends, teachers, and the influences that have contributed to her becoming who she is, choosing to focus on the positives whilst acknowledging the challenges. I fell in love again with her at various ages—her cute blonde curls, her cheeky laugh, her incredible sociability and energy for people.
It took me months to write, and it came with painful times as I remembered struggles with friends in senior school, her self-doubt and lack of confidence, the clashes she and I sometimes had. She is now 22, and I add to the diary occasionally, and have also started one for my younger daughter.
Reflecting on how we navigated her teenage years, I was able to see how I grew in my own emotional management. We are alike in many ways, and she brings out both the best and worst of me. But taking time to look back helped me put some of this into perspective and understand how I can do things differently, rather than simply feeling guilty, self-critical, or ashamed. And I can see how I started the gradual process of letting go long before she actually left home. That was hard on my heart; bringing that to God for His comfort and reassurance brought me peace.
There was much that I was able to celebrate and give thanks for. I have gained freedom to embrace parts of myself and enjoy them because I see them reflected in her. Being her mom has released parts of me that had lain dormant, allowing me to connect more fully with my emotionally expressive side.
BE KIND TO YOURSELF
I know that being her mom is part of my God-given purpose, and that He is delighted in me for how I am fulfilling that. We are always learning and growing, and this process of reflection has helped me to be less hard on myself whilst also committing to being more of the mom that she needs me to be.
Neither of my girls have special needs, nor have either of them been through any major life trauma or serious mental health crises. I do not know what it is to be a mom to a beloved child with such struggles. I only speak from my own experience, and that has been that the process of writing down all that I am thankful for and celebrating in this crazy journey of motherhood has been a huge blessing.
Friend, you are doing a great job. You are juggling so much, and no one can be the person you are the way you can. Your family, whatever that means to you, need you to be your wonderful, unique self, and that starts with treating yourself with more kindness and respect. You are not alone in this; God is walking alongside you, strengthening you at every step. I encourage you to stop every day and celebrate what you have done rather than beating yourself up for what you fear you have not. Celebrate all the good things that make you who you are as your kids’ mom, and who they are because of you. Whatever age and stage of motherhood you are in, take a few minutes to stop and allow yourself that gift.
Catriona Futter is a Christian Life Coach, author and speaker who is passionate about equipping people to discover and live out their unique, God-given identity and purpose. She runs her own business Equip for Life Coaching and lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland, with her husband. They have two grown daughters. Read more of her writing on her blog and on Instagram.
Learn What The Bible Means
The Hope of Letting Go
By: Lisa C. Whitaker
Letting go is never easy—especially when it comes to a child you’ve loved with your whole heart. This tender reflection captures the ache of releasing a grown child into God’s hands and the deep trust it requires. Whether you’re facing an empty nest or simply learning to surrender control, this piece will speak to the part of your heart that still longs to hold on.
➡️ Struggling to let go? Find hope in the One who holds your child even now.
Lessons I Learned from Motherhood
By: Ingrid Lawrenz
From years of infertility to joyful chaos, playful memories, deep faith, and unimaginable grief—this mother’s journey captures the full arc of love and legacy. Through it all, one truth shines: our influence isn’t in perfection but in presence, and in loving our children fiercely, faithfully, and with the heart of Christ.
➡️ Motherhood isn’t about doing everything right—it’s about loving well in every season. Here’s a story that will stay with you.
Motherhood isn’t just a role—it’s a calling, a legacy, and a sacred journey.
Whether you’ve raised children, mentored others, or poured into lives in unseen ways, your influence matters more than you know.
This week, we honor the women who give so much of themselves: the nurturers, prayer warriors, encouragers, and quiet heroes. But we also pause to acknowledge that this calling comes with moments of heartbreak, letting go, and learning to trust God with what we can’t control.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be present. And when you are, you reflect the heart of a God who never stops loving, guiding, and holding His children—just like you’ve done.
Take a moment to thank Him for the women who’ve shaped your life. And if you’re in a season of shaping others, be reminded: what you’re doing has eternal value.
📜 Bible Verse of the Week:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” — Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
Prayer of the Week
Lord, thank You for the women who’ve poured into our lives—the ones who prayed, showed up, and led with love. Thank You for the sacred role of motherhood in all its forms. Whether we’re nurturing little ones or letting go of grown children, or being a mother in other ways, remind us that You are in it all. Strengthen every weary heart, comfort those who grieve, and encourage those who wonder if what they do matters. Help us leave a legacy not just of memories, but of faith. Amen.
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