Biblical Motherhood And Why It Looks Different To What You May Think

Ever feel like women can't win? Too focused on motherhood or not focused enough? This week, Sharon Edmundson explores what the Bible actually says about motherhood - and it challenges both the Pinterest-perfect pressure and the career-first narrative.

In this honest conversation, Sharon shares four biblical principles that ground motherhood in something bigger than cultural expectations, and three practical roles that show how motherhood reveals God's character. From vulnerable stories about mum guilt to addressing childlessness and difficult parent relationships, this message offers grace-filled wisdom for wherever you are in your motherhood journey.

[08:00] When Cultural Messages Leave You Exhausted

Sharon names the reality: "We are seen as either being too focused on motherhood or not focused enough, and it can be exhausting."

She shares stories from her own life - friends with complicated relationships with their mothers, friends desperate for children but unable to have them, and her childhood friend Jane who spent years wondering about her birth mother after being adopted.

"Whatever your motherhood story looks like - whether you're honouring the mum who raised you, grieving the one that you wish you had, or figuring out how to be the mum your kids need - God's grace is big enough for you too."

What we explore:

• Why neither the 'perfect mother' nor 'career is everything' narrative satisfies
• How cultural pressure creates impossible standards
• Why God's perspective on motherhood is refreshingly different
• The reality that motherhood touches all of us in different ways

[08:00] Four Biblical Principles That Change Everything

Sharon walks through foundational truths from Scripture that transform how we view motherhood:

Principle 1: Motherhood is God's Good Idea

"God could have designed humans to just appear, fully formed. No nappies, no sleepless nights, no teenage years. But he didn't. He chose the messy, relational way. Why? Because He's relational."

Principle 2: Children Are a Blessing, Not a Burden

Sharon unpacks Psalm 127's imagery of children as arrows: "Warriors don't just keep their arrows permanently in their hand. They aim them, they release them, and they trust them to hit their target."

Principle 3: God Gives Children Value

"There's a God-given dignity in motherhood. But it is not the underlying basis of our value or our worth. Our value is in that we are made in God's image. So a woman without children is as valuable as a woman with children."

Principle 4: Motherhood Isn't the Most Important Thing

"If we make children the most important thing in our lives, we're putting them in God's place, and they aren't designed to handle that kind of pressure."

Key takeaway: These principles free you from cultural pressure whilst giving motherhood profound purpose.

[16:00] Three Roles That Reveal God's Heart

Sharon explores three specific roles mothers play:

Authority Exercised Through Serving

"If you're a parent of small children or teens and you're trying to be their friend, you might be missing part of your purpose as a parent. They don't need you to be their friend. They need you to take your God-given role of authority over them for their good."

But she quickly adds: "God's way of doing things is that authority is about serving."

Love Characterised by Delight

Sharon gets personal about seeing a photo of her child in a giraffe costume: "You know, those flashbacks of like, oh, that was just so cute and lovely. And just that warm affection thinking about it."

"How amazing to think that God delights in us like a mother delights in her children."

Teaching Woven Into Daily Life

"When our kids were little, we used to have Bible reading and prayer at breakfast. That worked for a time, and then it didn't work. But as the verse shows, learning can take place anywhere, just in daily life."

Sharon shares how picking her daughter up from school became their most meaningful conversation time - even though her daughter could have made her own way.

Key takeaway: Biblical motherhood is about serving authority, delighted love, and everyday teaching moments.

[28:00] Conversation Street - The Real Questions

Can I Be Both Career-Focused and Faithful as a Mum?

Sharon's honest: "I'm not sure I totally have the answer. I think the key thing is to know what is God asking you to do? Are you doing all the things you're doing because you are giving in to pressure from other people or because of some sort of insecurity?"

Anna adds crucial wisdom: "Motherhood isn't one season, it's lots of little ones. It's about knowing the exact season you're in and how much you can manage in that season, and being realistic."

What Do I Do With Mum Guilt?

Sharon gets vulnerable about years of guilt over sleep training that didn't work with her daughter:

"For years, I looked back at that going, I don't think I got that right. Have I damaged her? Then I felt God say, 'Apologise to her.' So I went and apologised to her. I think it was only last year. She was like, 'Oh yeah, it's fine.' And I've been able to let it go since then."

Anna reinforces: "Nobody gives you a manual. You just learn as you go. So there has to be grace - asking God for wisdom, but also having grace when it goes wrong. There's another day, clean start."

How Can Childless Women Live Out Spiritual Motherhood?

Jan speaks powerfully: "It's clear in the Bible that to be a mother is not just to be a biological mother. A 20-year-old can be mothering a teenage girl. It's about caring, giving time, investing in. That's what being a mother is."

Anna recommends Ruth Corden's podcast for more on this: "She talks about having a mother's heart but empty arms. She's a social worker dealing with vulnerable children - that's part of what she believes God's called her to do."

How Do I Trust God When Motherhood Feels Hard?

Anna gets brutally honest: "A lot of motherhood is just Groundhog Day. Clean the hamster, make the dinner, make sure everyone's done their homework. A lot of nagging, a lot of cajoling. It's a bit of a slog, and it can be tedious."

Sharon shares her approach: "I think being able to be honest before God and just go, 'I'm really not enjoying this right now.' Then choosing to be thankful even when we don't feel it. 'Thank you, God, that I have a kitchen floor to clean.' Sometimes that was through gritted teeth."

How Do I Honour a Dishonourable Parent?

Sharon uses David and Saul's example: "David drew the line - 'No, you are not killing me. There's a line you're not going to cross.' But he wouldn't harm Saul because God had put him in that position. He put boundaries in. It was this far and no further."

Jan adds practically: "Sometimes it might mean keeping your visits short, having boundaries, protecting yourself."

Key takeaway: These aren't easy questions with simple answers - but God's grace meets you in the complexity.