Let There Be Home

By Chantal Alison-Konteh

I’ve been a stay-at-home mom, longing for meaning in a world that told me motherhood alone isn’t enough.

I’ve been a working mom juggling my career and family life, while fending off my guilt in a world that told me I wasn’t mothering enough.

Now in the intersection of it all as a homeschooling, working from-home mom, guess what? I still wonder if I’m doing enough. Are my kids learning enough? Am I accomplishing enough at work? Am I doing enough? That guilt, that question exists in all lanes, facets, and expressions of motherhood.

We don’t get to choose mom guilt or feelings of insignificance. Those feelings will come; at times, they may feel like they’re coming at full force, but we can choose better. We can curate and design a reality that pushes back on the lies and the guilt and honors the sacredness of home and the artistry of motherhood.

Here’s the best news—it doesn’t require you to do anything extra. You don’t need to cook a specific diet; you don’t need to eliminate screen time. Don’t worry, I don’t have a minimalist speech. The magic and artistry of motherhood, and the sacredness of home are found when we take a moment to slow down.

I offer you not another thing to add to your to-do list but an invitation to shift, an invitation to curate and design a new perspective, one that serves and honors you.

You don’t need to change your work schedule or create a meal plan to save time. The sacred is already present. The art is already happening. If only we would slow down long enough to notice what’s all around us.

Mama, cease your hurrying. Pause your rush. Take a moment.

Slow down.

Slow down for gratitude. Your home may not be perfect, but it’s a beautiful space for your family.

Slow down to enjoy the moment. Yes you may step on a Lego or trip over a toy, but one day your home will be toyless and there won’t be a building block in sight. You’ll miss these moments.

Slow down to embrace the imperfections the way that what may be missing or broken teaches and stretches you to be creative with what remains.

Home is scared space.

Not just a space but a place to be and belong. A place to lay our heads and our burdens. A place to grow and be known.

Where sinks full of dishes mean bellies were full and nourished.

Where laundry baskets that never seem to stop overflowing sing the song of God’s provision.

Where crayon drawings on the walls bear our testimony, “for this child, we have prayed.”

Home is a sacred space, and Mama, you are an artist.

Weaving together meals with left overs, you create.

Speaking words of encouragement and calm, you design the inner-voice that will encourage your child for years to come.

Resiliently showing up in times of chaos and turmoil you draw a blueprint for your child that they will use to navigate difficult times.

Mama, the art is already happening. You are an artist, and the remnants of your creativity are all around you.

You may not be creating what you were before tiny blue lines greeted you with the expectation of new life.

Your pen may be rusty and your paint brush may be dry, but it’s only a season.

You will yet again create the artistic expression that makes your heart exhale and fills you with peace. A pause is not an end. A comma is not a period. You will do that thing you love again.

But in this moment. In this place. In your home. With your children. You are enough. What you offer and what you bring is not only creative, but it speaks to the artistry of motherhood and the sacredness of home.

Mama,

Slow down.

The art is already happening.

You are an artist.

The remnants of your creativity are all around you.

Chantal Alison-Konteh

Chantal Alison-Konteh is the founder of Her Village Inc, a homeschool mom of 4, and lives in NYC with her family. She loves to encourage women to slow down and embrace a grace-filled rhythm so that they can live from a place of peace.

You can connect with Chantal on Instagram at @chantalalisonkonteh.