Welcome to the Back of the Flock!
A newsletter for a community of mamas trying to connect with God right within the messy midst of motherhood.
When we have kids, everything changes. We go from eating leisurely meals to scarfing down leftovers with one hand while the baby cries. We no longer sleep through the night, and we begin showering at lightning speed before the preschooler finds the permanent marker stash again.
Not many of us expect that the ways we connect with God will inevitably change too, but the reality is, after having kids, those quiet mornings over hot coffee and our Bible quickly become a thing of the past. When the spiritual practices that used to serve us are no longer available, it can be really disorienting to our faith. We can end up feeling disconnected from God during a season of our lives when we need Him most.
In this newsletter, I encourage you to find alternative ways to connect with God right within the beautiful chaos of motherhood — diapers and dishes included. I explore what it means to bear God’s image right within motherhood, and remind you, over and over, that God’s not mad at you for bringing up the Back of the Flock.
So What’s the Back of the Flock?
In the verse Isaiah 40:11, we are given a picture of God who is gentle with those who have young.
Motherhood is slow work, and we mamas can often feel like we’re falling behind…on everything — scheduling dentist appointments, getting the toddler shoes that fit, exercising, picking up groceries, and signing up for baseball, not to mention the work of growing our faith. It’s easy to feel like we’re barely keeping up.
But God is not angry with you for lagging behind. God knows you have to-do lists plastered all over kitchen counters still sticky from breakfast. God knows you can’t keep up with all the Bible reading plan and prayer journaling from before you had kids because you are coordinating three different nap schedules and lagging behind the rest of the flock because your infant’s car seat gets heavier every day. God knows that you are slowed down by your toddler who will put her shoes on by herself and your son who is still refusing to do his math homework. God knows mothers are bringing up the Back of the Flock, and, here’s the really important part: God is not mad at you.
God is not standing miles ahead of you at the front of the flock, looking down at his watch and tapping his foot. No, he comes to us when we call. He is gentle, and what’s more, he’s here with us, at the Back of the Flock.
What to Expect
Join us at the Back of the Flock!
And I will send out a monthly-ish newsletter exploring these ideas, along with a few things I think will encourage you and make you laugh, as well as the occasional free resource, which you’ll be the first to know about.
About Elizabeth:
Elizabeth is a wife and mama to three who has always done her best thinking while writing—from her angsty teenage journal entries until now. She’s lived in Africa and Asia but is really just a country mouse with a Minneapolis, Minnesota zip code. She strongly believes in the restorative power of Jesus and a home-cooked meal, or even just the right piece of cheese at the right time.
She has studied the Bible her entire adult life and holds a Bible degree from the University of Northwestern in Minnesota. She loves to talk about faith, the image of God in motherhood, and is a sucker for a really good birth story (oh the symbolism!).
You can find more of her words on her website or on Instagram.
She’s also been published on Coffee + Crumbs, The Joyful Life Magazine, and ReKnew and is a regular contributor for Momma Theologians.
