I was recently asked to say a few words at a luncheon celebrating motherhood at my church. It was a beautiful time with several moms of all ages and stages sharing thoughts and encouragement on motherhood. I was asked to tell what I celebrate most about motherhood and also, the challenges I face in this empty nest stage of life that I am in. I thought I would take a little time to write a post about the things I shared.

All three of our children are married now and living on their own. We are empty nesters! We are also grandparents to three little girls and one sweet boy. There is so much to celebrate!

When our children were growing up, we knew we wanted to establish them firmly in the faith and lead them to come to know Jesus. To that end we did certain things to try to make that happen. We took them to church—regularly. We spent time with other believers in our home for Bible study and fellowship. We taught our kids that the Bible is the standard and guidebook for life. We prayed for them and with them. We knew that passing on the baton of faith to them was the most important thing we would do as parents.

However, we were not perfect parents, by any means! We still sometimes argued in front of them and were never consistent enough with family devotions. We were too lenient at times and too strict at other times. We made lots of mistakes. Nevertheless, we tried to give our kids a foundation of faith on which they could stand. Even though you and I are not perfect parents and parenting is not an exact science (if you do this, you get this result), God will honor your desire to raise kids that know and love Him. Thankfully, all three of our kids came to know the Lord at an early age.

Today, I celebrate God’s faithfulness.

I celebrate that our kids have taken ownership of their faith. They are each involved in local churches where they live. They are in home Bible studies with other couples their age and sometimes they are the hosts.They value God’s Word and they pray about things. They are using their gifts to serve in the church as God provides opportunities.

Our oldest son and his sweet wife take our grandkids to church every Sunday and are teaching them to memorize scripture. They are the 4th generation being raised to love and honor Jesus Christ. That is something to celebrate!

“I have no greater joy than to know my children walk in the truth.” 3 John 1:14

I celebrate the way God is answering prayers in the lives of our children. He is opening doors of opportunity and paving the way forward. He is showing Himself strong and faithful and we are in awe.

As I said, parenting is not an exact science. We can do all the right things and our adult children can still go off the rails in their life, into addiction, self-destruction or rebellion. I know that my own children will certainly face trials, difficulties, temptations and heartache in their lives. They are not perfect, nor immune from life’s struggles. The Bible says trials and tribulations are a part of life on this fallen earth and are inevitable.

The thing to remember is that God uses all of the yucky parts of our lives—our mistakes, sinful choices, bad decisions, etc.— to shape us into vessels that can be used for His glory. His goal over our lifetime is to make us more like Him. We call that sanctification. If you have wayward young adult children, know that God will use their struggles to draw them back to himself—in His time. Meanwhile, you can pray for them. Prayer is a mom’s most powerful weapon. And, you can trust Him. God loves your adult child even more than you do and He has a plan and a path forward for them.

Has it been challenging since my last child got married and left home? Absolutely. I enjoyed being a mom. I embraced it and always viewed it as a high calling. I knew there was nothing more important that I could be doing with my life than nurturing these three little children that God had blessed us with. So, when the last one left (our daughter, who got married last year), I thought to myself, “What now, Lord? I’ve spent years raising and launching these kids—what is my purpose now?” Women can feel a bit lost after spending so many busy, task-filled years raising their kids. Suddenly, they don’t really need you anymore.

After my last child left, the Lord reminded me that He still has a purpose and a plan for me. He doesn’t put us on a shelf when we turn 50 or when the last child leaves our home. There are so many instances in the Bible of God using older women to accomplish His work.

And, the good news is I have more time, more flexibility, more space in my life to do new things—to use my giftedness in kingdom work. In addition, I have the experience and wisdom now that I didn’t have years ago—thanks to God refining and humbling me throughout my life. I have a story to tell and you do, too!

I celebrate a new season of life and look forward to what God has for me to do.

I celebrate grandparent life. It is so fun and sweet. I will, of course, tell my grands about the love of Jesus and teach them stories from God’s Word whenever I have the opportunity.

Won’t you celebrate motherhood with me? Make a list of all the ways you celebrate motherhood or comment below.