About Kristen Habermehl

The black and white rerun flashed and flickered on the television set and by the time the credits were running, my mind was on another path – connected thoughts, but very different. The classic show was The Lone Ranger; my thoughts were about us, as moms.

You see, every store I go into, every playground I walk past, every restaurant I eat in; they are there. Moms, seemingly alone, looking sad or overwhelmed or at best, tired.

This shouldn’t be – God made us for relationship, and we need each other in this day and age more than ever before. There should not be ANY “Lone Ranger” moms out there because that was not God’s design or intention when he created us.

There is not a role that is more rewarding and over-taxing at the same time, than that of motherhood. And there seems nothing the enemy likes more than ensuring we are left on our own, even if only the way it “feels” at the moment. Precious and wise mentor, Sally Clarkson, said it best, when she reminded us, “A mother left alone in her own home is a target for the enemy.” [Read more...]

Darkness had fallen outside, but sleep would not come. My brain was running 100 miles an hour, like a freight train plunging down a steep hill; I was trying desperately to sort out what, if anything, I had accomplished that day.

As my head tossed on the coolness of the pillowcase, the answer seemed to clang resoundingly in my head – nothing, nothing, nothing. That is what I had accomplished; nothing.

At least, that is what I felt I had accomplished. But as I reflected on the “ruler” I was using to measure the productivity of my day, I realized my thinking had become skewed. Completely upside down, actually. Then, as I allowed God to minister to my heart, a new answer seemed to come.

A gentle, quiet – yes. Yes, I had accomplished something; it just required a radically different “ruler” in which to measure the effectiveness.

I had cared for my children, I had fed my family, I had washed and folded and put away laundry, I had picked up messes, I had wiped away tears and I had put my arms around children that needed hugs. That IS something. In fact, when the author of the book of Titus addresses young moms, he reminds us that God has called us to love our husbands and children, and to be busy at home. How can we say we have not accomplished anything, when we have carried out exactly what the Word is calling us to do?

In the sweet simplicity of what our role as moms should look like, is it possible that God intends for us NOT to be superwomen, but simply women who love our families and care for our homes? [Read more...]

Our children donned fuzzy hats and warm jackets, as we loaded up backpacks and food bags to escape for an afternoon of fun…the sun was full of the promise of springtime warmth, the sky was clear and as blue as the ocean, and the day beckoned us forth on an adventure.

But what we didn’t foresee was…the depth of the melted snow puddles, the chill of the water seeping into our shoes, and the time it would take to portage and maneuver around countless “lakes” that filled the trail.

Our outing reminded me of the journey of motherhood.

Promises of baby kisses and hopes of toddler hugs are sometimes part of the lure that draws us into the wonder of parenthood, but we don’t get too far down the “trail” before we are surprised by the challenges that face us at each turn we make.

This is THE adventure.

The realization that the journey demands more than we knew was within us. That over and over we are called us to stretch out our weary arms and let the Father carry us through the depths of chilly water and mend our wounds from the forages through the woods.

Our reward for the little expedition that day was fire-roasted hot dogs and sweet, sticky marshmallows.

But the reward for us, as moms, is so much greater….we have the opportunity to raise children who can grow into our life-long companions and soul mates. This adventure is worth it.

Yes, there will be places where the way forward seems daunting, if not impossible.

There will be times when we think we have not ONE. THING. LEFT. within us to take another step!

Eyes filled with faith will give us hope for the good that could be around the next corner.

For just a moment, maybe the apostle Paul pictured moms bogged down in overwhelming mothering moments as he penned God’s words that call out, “Let us not grow weary in doing good for at the right time we WILL reap a harvest IF we don’t give up.”

This trail we are travelling can cause weariness like we never could have imagined – the kind that only a mom can understand, as it pushes down hard and threatens to cover like a rogue wave on the sea.

The hope comes further down the trail – around the corners we can’t see yet – but if we continue to press ahead, we will reach vistas that renew our hearts; and in the end we will arrive at the pinnacle of destinations, as we celebrate what God has done with our children.

So we can slow down when we need to, and rest when we must; but let’s not EVER give up! We will make it.

Her deep blue eyes danced and sparkled as she leaned in close to me. I could tell she was going to disclose a rich secret…“This time, fifty years ago, I was putting on my wedding dress to marry him,” she whispered, as she swung her head lightly towards the other side of the room where ‘he’ sat. I saw the love strong in her eyes and the respect for her man was so deep you could almost hear it.

That’s what I want, I thought. “God, do that for me,” I breathed.

As she continued to share her story, I (the introverted turtle) was drawn out of my shell with gladness – not many topics fascinate me more than stories of commitment done well. These two hadn’t just ‘survived’ fifty years, no; they had ‘lived’ fifty years with dreams alive of still more to come. She spoke of the joys of family…children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Life had been opulent but not with worldly treasures; these were treasures of a much grander scale and her heart was full of joy. [Read more...]

I have an unusual question that bounces around in the walls of my brain every once in a while, and it’s this, “What do I want my children to remember me for when they’re grown?”

It may seem silly to you, but it is a query I’ve grown to respect in my head because of the balance it can bring to my days…someday, in the not-so-distant future, my children will be adults.  Someday in the not-so-distant future your children will be adults too.  It’s true.  (I know it’s hard to believe when diapers and drool make up the majority of your day, but I’m far enough along now to realize how soon it comes around the corner.)

Although we don’t want these kinds of questions to stir up fear in us, we can allow them to gently guide our behavior.

Do you wonder how we can guide our behavior with a question?

Well, I look at it this way…every day we wake up with new challenges to face and yet no way to predict what they will look like.  Maybe when we lift our sleepy heads off the pillow we feel thrilled to be starting a fresh, new day of mothering.  BUT, maybe there are mornings when our heads feel glued to the fabric of our pillowcases and our feet feel so heavy we are sure they will never leave the bed, and our hearts, oh they just ache from the weariness that fills us and we can’t begin to imagine doing ANYTHING well today…well, those are the days I let a good question guide my actions. [Read more...]

​Dark blankets of fog…thoughts that weigh down like anchors…heaviness that fills our bodies; and we wonder how we can possibly escape these places in our minds. The longer we focus on the feelings, the larger they grow. Where do we find hope?
This is the silver-platter of lies that the enemy whispers into our hearts. The words that fall on us, heavy and hopeless and we question whether the darkness of winter will ever pass.

One of the dangers that can threaten each one of us as we tentatively lift the silver lid of the new year is the hopelessness we can experience. It can haunt us, frighten us, and even steal from us all that God intends for us to enjoy on the platter of a fresh beginning.

Certain lies appear innocent enough in the moment, but once they slip in the back door of our minds it’s hard to control where they roam.

If we were sitting together today over a cup of steaming tea this afternoon, discussing what some of the most deadly lies would be, what would you say? I know what I would say…I would look deep into your eyes and gently caution you, “One of the most deadly lies is the lie that your situation does not have any hope!”

Maybe the lies of hopelessness seem foolish to you, like; ‘There’s no hope – this baby is NEVER going to sleep through the night!’ You know in your head that eventually this child will sleep soundly but it FEELS hopeless in the moment, doesn’t it?

What about a lie, like: ‘There’s no hope – this toddler is NEVER going to master potty training!’ Again, we know that this is not the way it will always be, but when we’ve reached our points of exhaustion it FEELS utterly impossible that this stage will ever end.

Then we can hear more serious lies, like; ‘There’s no hope – my marriage is in an awful place and it can NEVER change.’ This can FEEL more alive than other lies because it goes to the deep end of hopelessness, but it’s still not the truth. [Read more...]