Faith | This stay-at-home mom knows chaos and teachable moments

“Are they all yours?” … a question my husband and I often heard when our children were younger, and we ventured out in public with our lively crew.

My favorite response was, “Yes, all ours—but really, we have them on loan from Heavenly Father.”

As a stay-at-home mother of five children born in eight years, I am no stranger to a particular brand of excitement that is often accompanied by a healthy dose of beautiful chaos. The years of diaper bags, spilled cereal, forgotten shoes and endless carpools have stretched me in ways I never anticipated.

Yet through that beautiful chaos, I have tried to teach our children to lean on their Savior, Jesus Christ.

In Deuteronomy 6, Moses taught the children of Israel that they should teach God’s commandments diligently to their children and speak of them throughout the ordinary moments of life—while sitting in the house, walking by the way, lying down, and rising up. I have always loved that counsel because it reminds me that faith is most often taught in everyday moments rather than grand ones.

One Sunday, many years ago while attending church, my husband was standing in the back of the chapel soothing our busy 20-month-old toddler, I briefly stepped out to care for our 2-month-old baby. That left our 4, 6, and 8-year-olds quietly coloring in the pew …

… at least, that was the plan.

Our 4-year-old (also the middle child who was determined never to be forgotten) had other ideas. After being denied twice to hang with Dad in the back of the chapel, he stomped back to the pew, opened our diaper bag, pulled out an EpiPen (meant for a sibling with severe food allergies), removed the safety mechanisms, ignored the frantic whispers of his older siblings telling him to stop, and promptly injected himself in the leg.

As you might imagine, chaos ensued!

By the end of the day, medical attention had been sought, everyone was safe, and our strong-willed little boy was no worse for wear, aside from a sore leg.

That night, exhausted and discouraged, I knelt to pray.

I remember asking Heavenly Father, “What is the point of us even going to church? No one is getting anything out of it, and it completely stresses me out every week. Why am I there?”

The answer came quietly but clearly to my heart:

“Teach them to walk in the light. Teach them of Me.”

Those words have stayed with me ever since.

We have never been perfect parents, nor have we been perfect examples. But we have tried, just as Moses instructed, little by little and day by day, to teach our children that they are beloved children of God, and they can turn to Jesus Christ for help.

Now I see the fruits of those simple efforts in ordinary moments.

I hear it when my daughter quietly says, “Thank you, Heavenly Father,” after making a green light on the way to her dance class.

I see it when my teenagers face real-life challenges and instinctively turn to prayer. Whether they are searching for a lost phone or healing from a broken heart, they know they have a Father in Heaven who loves them.

Motherhood is one of the greatest gifts of my life. The years have passed quickly, and the chaos has gradually given way to reflection.

As I watch my children grow, I remain deeply grateful for the opportunity I was given to help them discover who they truly are: beloved children of God, entrusted to my care for a season, and always on loan from Heaven.

Guest Spiritual Life writer Kari Williams is from the Richland South Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints. Questions and comments should be directed to editor Lucy Luginbill in care of the Tri-City Herald newsroom, 4253 W. 24th Avenue, Kennewick, WA 99338. Or email lluginbill@tricityherald.com.