Ep. 38 | Can You Be a Good Mom and Still Have a Calling Outside of the Home? 

Have you ever felt torn between being present for your family and pursuing something God has placed on your heart?

Maybe you want to build a business, return to work, create something beautiful, or serve in a ministry. You love your children, and you want to be a faithful mom. But you also feel a desire to do something beyond the everyday work of raising them.

And sometimes, that desire comes with guilt. Shouldn’t motherhood be enough? Am I taking something away from my family by wanting something else?

These are questions worth asking. But I don’t think the answer is to ignore your desires or to chase every opportunity that comes your way. Instead, we need to learn how to discern God’s calling in the season we’re in.

You Can Be Called to More Than One Thing, But Not All at Once

For a long time, my life held several different roles. I worked as a dietitian, built a Mary Kay business, served alongside my husband in ministry, and raised our children. I loved parts of each of these things, but trying to carry them all came at a cost.

There were seasons when I was stretched too thin. My marriage wasn’t getting the attention it needed, and I had to face the fact that the way I was living wasn’t sustainable.

One thing I’ve learned is that being capable of doing something doesn’t always mean it’s what you’re called to do right now.

God may give you gifts and desires that you won’t have the time or capacity to pursue all at once. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed or missed your chance. It may simply mean that some things belong to a different season.

Your life doesn’t need to look like another mom’s life. We have different families, different responsibilities, different gifts, and different capacities. The goal isn’t to keep up with someone else’s version of a faithful life. It’s to be faithful with the life God has given you.

Don’t Confuse Ambition With Calling

It’s good to have dreams. It’s good to work hard, use your gifts, and create something meaningful. But ambition can sometimes push us to say yes to things that aren’t ours to carry.

Not every good opportunity is God’s invitation for you. And just because you can make something work doesn’t mean you should.

When I began building Legacy Roots Co., I had to make some hard choices about what I would continue pursuing. Eventually, I surrendered my Mary Kay leadership role so I could focus on the work I felt called to build in that season.

That wasn’t about deciding one kind of work was better than another. It was about recognizing that I couldn’t give my best to everything at the same time.

Before saying yes to something new, ask yourself:

• Does this fit the season my family is in right now?
• Am I responding to a genuine sense of calling, or do I feel pressure to prove myself?
• What might this yes require me to say no to?
• Can I pursue this in a way that allows me to care for my family and my own well-being?

These questions won’t always give you an easy answer. But they can help you slow down, pray, and make a thoughtful choice instead of reacting to every opportunity.

Your Calling Might Look Different in a Hard Season

Some seasons make it easier to pursue meaningful work. Others require us to hold our plans loosely.

When our daughter Darla spent months in the hospital, our family faced a season we never would have chosen. There was so much uncertainty, and being her mom required more of me than I could have imagined.

During that time, I often sat beside her hospital bed and painted watercolors.

I could have decided that life was too hard for creativity. I could have told myself that I needed to set everything else aside until things felt normal again. But I felt a strong pull toward painting, even in the middle of that difficult season.

That experience reminded me that meaningful work doesn’t always need to look big or impressive. Sometimes, faithfully using a gift means making a little room for it in the middle of a hard day.

You may not have the capacity to build a business, launch a project, or take on a new role right now. But perhaps you can take one small step. Or perhaps your faithful step in this season is to rest, ask for help, and be present with your family.

Both can be faithful responses.

Build a Life That Supports Your Calling

If you want to pursue meaningful work while caring for your family, you need more than motivation. You need a life that supports what you’re called to do.

That might mean creating simple family rhythms, sharing household responsibilities, asking for help, or protecting time to rest and spend with the Lord. It might mean having an honest conversation with your spouse about what is working and what needs to change.

You don’t have to carry everything alone. And you don’t have to prove your faithfulness by exhausting yourself.

A rooted family life isn’t one where everything is perfectly balanced every day. It’s a life where you keep paying attention, making adjustments, and choosing what matters most in the season you’re in.

Your job isn’t to become the woman who can do it all. Your job is to faithfully tend the life God has entrusted to you.

You don’t have to figure out the next ten years today. Start by asking God what faithfulness looks like right now. Then take the next step, however small it may be.

If you’re wrestling with the tension between motherhood and your calling, we invite you to listen to the full conversation on The Rooted Family Podcast. We share more about navigating different seasons, discerning God’s calling, and pursuing meaningful work while building a family life rooted in what matters most.