The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity

by Sally Clarkson

Discover how understanding God’s purpose and design can empower you to be the mother you long to be.

No calling is greater, nobler, or more fulfilling than that motherhood. Every day, as we nurture our children, mothers influence eternal destiny as no one else can. Tragically, today’s culture minimizes the vital importance of a mother’s role. In The Mission of Motherhood , Sally Clarkson helps you rediscover the joy and fulfillment to be found in the strategic role to which God in all his wisdom has called you, for a purpose far greater than you can ever imagine.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Christian, Faith, Christian Living, Family, Christianity

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 21, 2003

About the author

From working on college campuses, to sharing the Gospel behind the Iron Curtain as a missionary, traveling around the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia to speak on discipleship, Sally Clarkson has tenaciously sought after God's kingdom, and has used her ministry to encourage others to do the same. From her best-selling books such as Own Your Life, Desperate (with Sarah Mae), and her latest, The Lifegiving Home, Sally has shared from her heart and home about the value of motherhood and the potential for home to cultivate life, love, and faith. In 1995, She and her husband Clay founded Whole Heart Ministries, which has encouraged thousands of families around the world in discipling their children

Reviews

[Traci · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book inspiring and spot-on in the philosophy and vision of motherhood that Clarkson shares in the first couple of chapters. However, as I continued reading, I found myself becoming overwhelmed and a little disheartened, as well as a little skeptical that all the things that come up in family relationships and child-rearing could be solved with a cup of tea and a heart-to-heart, as seems to be frequently suggested throughout the compounding list of what being a wholehearted mother entails. While sometimes helpful, this book runs the risk of being too formulaic, giving a few too many things that must be done to be a good mother, and sharing anecdotes that are not necessarily relevant to the family that is striving to live a Christian but not an insular or Evangelical lifestyle. This sometimes made me feel that if that lifestyle was not mine, then I was choosing or doing something wrong or less than wholehearted. The world definitely needs the message that motherhood is vital and life-giving and life-sustaining, but I don't think mothers need so many more "to-do"s added to their plates. Having said that, I did find the scripture verses and biblical basis enlightening and inspiring and have had a lot to think about and reevaluate in my own mothering, which is always a blessing. I'd say read the first part of this book for validation in choosing to be a mother, but beware that the rest can be a little too much to swallow or implement in real life unless you are a traveling, ministering, homeschooling family.

[Kori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read for moms.

I was a depressed mom when my children were tiny. I felt like everyday was "Groundhog Day"...looking at the 4-walls of my home and doing laundry, diapers & dishes 24/7 and barely keeping up. I was existing and not really living.

My pastor's wife introduced me to Sally Clarkson's mom's conferences and books and it absolutely changed my life and perspective as a mom. I now love every moment with my precious children and realize that I have the most important responsibility in the world: influencing the next generation of world-changers.

All of Sally's books are awesome. This is just my favorite so far.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the first half of the book, then it all started to get a little too lofty for me. Clarkson makes some very good points about the value of staying home with your kids and being a fully committed mother. As a SAHM myself, I fully agree, and though she catches heat for her stance, I think that it is both biblically relative and based in sound judgement. However, partway into the book she really starts to harp in on having things like teas with the family and lighting candles, reading inspiring (adult) literature to children, giving them flowers, etc. It all just got a bit weird for my taste. I only have boys and I do not see my trying to impose any of these things on them as strengthening our relationships. Although I recognize that that is a purely personal choice/feeling, she definitely started to lose my interest at that point.

[Laura Robinson (naptimereaders) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up at my church’s library because I’m a big fan of Sally Clarkson, and I really enjoyed reading it. That said, it took me about five months to get through—Sally is definitely a wordy writer, and sometimes that makes it hard for me to stay focused. The chapters are also pretty long, which isn’t usually my favorite, but the content itself was really meaningful and deep.

She starts off the book by talking about how we’ve been given to our children for a purpose, and how we’re called to honor the Lord in that role. If you’re sensitive to conversations around being a stay-at-home mom vs. working mom, just a heads up—some of those early chapters might feel strong. But for me, I found her words helpful and personally encouraging.

One of my biggest takeaways was the reminder to be more intentional with my time and attention—to remember that while the tasks at home will always be there, shaping my kids’ hearts for Heaven is something I don’t want to miss. That perspective really stuck with me.

I’d definitely recommend this book to any mom! Just be ready—if you don’t love wordy books, it might be a slower read. But if you enjoy thoughtful, reflective writing that challenges and encourages you in your role as a mother, this one’s worth your time.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of practical helps and wisdom for raising children. Very challenging, motivating and encouraging. Sally shares many personal stories from raising her 4 children that encouraged me to be purposeful and meaningful in everything that I do with my children.

Each chapter ends with thoughts and reflections where Sally shares more personal stories, practical challenges and scripture that speaks to the theme of the chapter.

Here are a few of many noteworthy quotes throughout the book:

"When God's commands are obeyed, people flourish because they are living in harmony with the way they are designed and the One who designed them."

"The common purpose for all women is to glorify God in whatever circumstances and boundaries of life we find ourselves, trusting him to show us how we can best use our gifts for him."

"The fundamental mission of motherhood now is the same as it always was: To nurture, protect, and instruct children, to create a home environment that enables them to learn and grow, to help them develop a heart for God
and his purposes, and to send them out into the world prepared to live both fully and meaningfully. It is up to us to embrace that mission as our own, trusting God to walk us through the details and to use our willing mothers' hands as instruments of his blessing."

"Training our children to think biblically about right and wrong often involves teaching the same principle over and over and over again, trusting that someday, in God's timing, they will get it."

"When I model patience in the midst of difficulty, joy in the midst of messes, contentment in the midst of lack, then I provide them a pattern for their own lives. They will learn that my joy is not circumstantial but real b/c I have an endless source of strength through the power of the Holy Spirit in my life."

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. I felt like I was needing a fresh vision for motherhood and this book gave me exactly that. Wish I had read this when I was a new mom.

I’m afraid some women will be put off by the first few chapters which encourage women to stay at home. She does acknowledge that not all women can stay at home and I believe she has a good heart and the best intentions. But it could come across as a requirement to some people. I think her point was that it’s easier to accomplish this vision of motherhood if you are at home.

Anyway, this book was refreshing and full of the wisdom I was looking for.

[Caitlin Padanyi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like this is the kind of book that creates division among mothers. Why does it always need to be one or the other? We live in a culture that values work above all else and this book makes a case for motherhood above all else. I think Jesus offers an alternative to these, seeking after him above all else and purposefully doing whichever roles he’s assigned in a given season.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐ Such a good reminder of why and how God had called me to mother. I liked the ideas and questions she had at the end of each chapter. Definitely a book I will revisit!

[Rebekah Barkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sally always inspires and encourages me in mothering, and this book is no exception. However, this book felt a little less tangible for full digestion in comparison with most of her other books. All the same, this book is a powerful overview and invitation to embrace the noble and fulfilling calling of motherhood.

[Tiffany]

DNF’d at about 25% of the way through. Being a stay at home mom myself, I obviously feel like I need to prioritize my daughter and didn’t want to juggle a career simultaneously. So while I’m on the same page as Sally Clarkson in many ways, I felt that she was a bit preachy and judgmental towards women who do both, either out of necessity or desire. It is possible to do both well! I think she was trying to very strongly communicate that our culture dismisses women who choose motherhood over careers and how guilty that makes women feel who actually want to stay home. However, not only did it feel like she was preaching to the choir, but it also felt like she was relegating women’s sole purpose to motherhood. I know this is written to moms, but as someone who struggled with infertility for years, that stung a bit. Probably someone who doesn’t have children wouldn’t pick up this book, but still.

I also felt like she was trying to paint this idyllic picture of stay at home mothers … things like baking fresh cookies regularly (rather than occasionally), children having cozy memories of read alouds with the smell of homemade soap bubbling on the stove, etc. I’ve been homeschooling since the beginning with my daughter, but even before I got to the practical advice part, I could already tell that this book was going to make me feel like I wasn’t doing enough to give my daughter the perfect childhood. Flipping ahead to done future chapters and skimming confirmed that idea.

Maybe this was just the wrong time for me to read this book. Maybe I’m already so comfortable and contented with staying home that this book didn’t have the desired impact. I’m not going to rate this book. Partly because I didn’t finish it, but mostly because this book is so beloved in the homeschooling community that I feel like the problem was with me and not the book. If you’re someone who struggles with working if you’d rather stay home with your kids or feels like being “just a mom” isn’t enough, this book will probably be exactly what you need to encourage you.

[Lena Satterlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot recommend this book enough and consider it required reading for moms! Sally Clarkson is unapologetic in her perspective of motherhood and she definitely ruffled my feathers and frustrated me at times. But if you will allow it to, this book cuts to the heart and is so convicting and challenging. But amazingly, the way she writes and the vision she carries is so hope-filled and inspirational, you will walk away empowered for motherhood!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Sally and really value what she has to say! This book on motherhood has helped me to solidify my vision for raising my kids and to help me understand why having a vision to begin with is important.

[Autumn Klepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite ‘motherhood’ books…very inspiring and helpful! Great gift for new mothers. The author, Sally, shares a lot of valuable ideals for family life, along with practical ways to instill those values and ideals into the family.

[Mandy J. Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY REVIEW:

Reading The Mission of Motherhood is like sitting down for a long, warm conversation with a friend. Sally's approach is compassionate and affectionate no matter whether her words are bringing hope and encouragement or some humbling challenge. I felt loved from cover to cover as she taught God's truth as well as applied it to the stage of motherhood that I am in and that any mother reading this book is currently going through. I felt that Sally - in her written words - came along side and breathed new life and passion in to my mission as a mother...that she cheered me on with hope.

I highly recommend this book, but I also agree with some of the reviews that I read that sometimes I felt like I could never live up to all Sally has done in raising her children. So if you read it and feel a bit overwhelmed, you are not alone. However, the books as a whole tends to focus on the positive notes rather than on the negatives of motherhood - so keep that in mind as you read.

For me this book was review of things I already know but that I tend to lose sight of in the middle of the daily crisis. I enjoyed the reminder, the refreshment, and the rehearsing of truth all the while gleaning from Sally's personal stories of how to continue to grow in my role as Mom. If you have never given much thought or studied Biblical Motherhood than I highly recommend this book as a beginning introduction into the joy of being a Biblical mother. And to those who know all about Biblical mothering, I strongly urge you to pick up a copy and let yourself be refocused by her encouragement. I personally look forward to now reading my copy of her other book, The Ministry of Motherhood.

* * *

Have you read this book?
What did you like best about it?
What did you find most encouraging or challenging to your heart?

[Jamie Lueck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this has a lot of helpful points in it but sometimes I think it missed the point and I think she often comes off as judgmental. I felt this way particularly when her children would make comments comparing other families or other ways of being a family. It seems like her kids think the Clarkson way is the gold standard and so does the author haha. Just didn’t feel like there was a ton of room to have other styles of family. Even though I find my family is actually very similar to hers in many ways, I felt like she easy being judge-y. I think the beginning harps a bit too much about staying home. I felt that way even as a SAHM.

Thought provoking for sure and I lover her use of scripture. I love the things she shared about her personal struggles as well as her ways of drawing in her kids and getting them to become closer. I did draw inspiration from the ways she runs her home. I also liked how she talked about intentionally doing less activities on weekends( like sports) so they have more intentional time together as a family.

Overall I think this was encouraging and left me with lots to chew on after every chapter.

[Jacinta Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was dubious about this at first because in the past I have overdosed on Christian life-help books and then made a conscious effort to avoid them for a while. This was the first one after a long break. It helped to read the author's profile on Amazon, and to chat with ppl who were more familiar with her work. She really does seem to live out what she's written about and I think that's no small feat.
It did grab me though, and seeing as being a mum is really the most important thing for me, this book was affirming. She paints a picture of a possible alternative way of approaching it all, and this was very timely for me. I think it could be disheartening if a mum is set in doing her thing her way, but for me, I've been dropping around in the dark and so this book was enlightening. It's given me an image of possibilities that I can use to help me shape a vision for my family, as well as a renewed sense of value as a homemaker.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had an extremely hard time finishing this book, it was a really daunting read for me! The first part was definitely the best. Some of the first part, I was like ya preach girl! And then other parts, I was like woah, even if I agree with you, it seemed pretty condemning. It seems like the latter part of the book was if you do this, and this, and have tea with your kids all the time, and take them on lots of trips your kids will turn out to be God-fearing wonderful people, whom are your best friends! Which would be an awesome reality but I'm just not sure it's real life. I wish she would have shared more failures in her mothering because it seemed to just be a display of her mothering accomplishments. I honestly just left this book feeling overwhelmed and that I wasn't doing enough for my kid. And just a personal preference, but I wasn't crazy about her writing style, didn't seem to flow well for me.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always admired Sally Clarkson, all her wisdom regarding raising a family, and her solid biblical truths that she applies to her life. The first third of this book, I absolutely loved it. It made me feel like shouting a hearty, “Amen,” and I felt super encouraged as a mom. The rest of the book was spot on as far as topics and themes, but in my experience, the writing wasn’t as engaging and it became a very slow read. There were a lot of passages that I highlighted throughout the book, though, and I’m still very glad that I read it. Being a mom is the hardest job I’ve ever done and it’s book like this that truly do encourage me to keep trying to do my best, for God and my family!

[Testi_moni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I just love Sallys wisdom, authenticity and love for God! She is such an example! I understand that some passages and word phrases could come across as judgemental, but I feel so inspired and seen by this author!
I copied pages after pages from this book, post its all over it!
So encouraging to really be there for your children, to see the bigger picture, to laugh at yourself, to feel honored to be able to experience life with children. Wow! Amazing! Took me a while to work through this, so worth it, so inspiring, so full of God!

The most important thing you can do with your life is invest it in your children. Their lives are more important than building a career.

[Sarah Browder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally liked what Sally had to say in this book on the high calling of motherhood. However, I think it blurs the line between biblical truth and Sally’s preferences in parenting that made it not my favorite parenting book.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sally has always been a mentor of mine via her books, and reading this one is long over-due! It is inspiring, filled with applicable Scripture, and encouraging in my role as Mom to my three gifts from God.

[Emmie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been trying to read this book for several years. I'd started it a couple of times, but because of the reflection questions at the end of each chapter I kept getting bogged down and not completing it. After realizing I just needed to read it, I finally sat down and did just that!

The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson is a book every mother needs to read. Nothing in this book was new to me, but her soothing tone along side her direct statements allowed me to receive these messages fresh and anew. Sally does a beautiful job of walking you through your roles as a woman, wife, mother and homemaker, grounded in Scripture.

Sally lets you into her life. She talks about her struggles, her victories, her successes and her heartaches. She shares her work both at home and on the road and how she prays over what she does. Her children were still at home when this book was written, so it was definitely written from a more practical perspective.

One hard thing in this is some of her fun suggestions do feel a little overwhelming in my current child rearing stage of life. I love the ideas and I hope to work on incorporating them, but I also know that I can make these types of things work for our family that is twice the size of hers.

On the whole I really enjoyed this book. I'm thankful for her candid view of motherhood and pointing to the eternal work that we are doing in raising our children. Since I read this over a few months I don't have excellent notes on everything but I do remember a couple of things bothering me from a Scriptural perspective, though I'm not sure what they are at this point.

I do like that each chapter has Scripture and questions to think through as well as suggestions. This can be very helpful in any parenting season.

I would give this book a 4.5 star rating. I do think all mothers would benefit from it, but it wasn't quite five stars in my book.

[Sarah D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book looking for some big picture ways of thinking about motherhood, but also some practical tips on what that might look like. I found that while the author had a good emphasis on looking at scripture for this, it felt like there were some big assumptions in the beginning that every single woman is called to be a mother, and one that is at home, homeschooling, and all-consumed with her children. What about mothers who need to or choose to work as well? Or mothers who don't homeschool?

Overall it sometimes felt a bit too prescriptive and like everyone should do things the way she describes (although the author does state this was not her intention). A lot of anecdotes about her family that that felt a little too idyllic.

I found some lovely tips here and some helpful ways to think about some overall family goals. I will come back to this book, but it will be to pick and choose from.

[Lindsey Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book felt like reliving my childhood in some ways, as my mom was heavily influenced by Sally Clarkson during my upbringing. Sally offers an overarching vision for motherhood and a lot of very practical ideas for family life and culture. She has pretty strong persuasions about the responsibilities of mothers that could come off as a little off putting. (But if you’ve ever heard her speak, you know she is as gracious as they come.) Overall, I think this is a great resource and could be especially helpful for moms who didn’t grow up in a Christian home and want a starting place to catch a vision for a life-giving home and family life.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ I really liked the first part of this book, and it provided many helpful points of encouragement about the importance of motherhood and God’s intention for the family.

The remaining sections of the book also contained valuable suggestions and pieces of wisdom, though I did find that there was also a lot of the author’s own preferences stated (MUCH of the book is written with language like “I’ve found,” “I believe,” etc., where her own family’s experiences seem to be almost elevated).

I also wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book to any moms who plan to continue working (at least without the caveat that this book highly encourages staying home). I personally read the book while making the decision whether to stay home or continue working, and I found it helpful as I considered both options, but I may have been a little frustrated by the more one-sided perspective on that particular issue if I were set on continuing to work.

[Ashly Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Sally Clarkson so much! I have only read a few of her books thus far and I think this is the oldest one I’ve read. It was comforting to see a few more of her struggles in earlier parenting.

Overall this book provides a great base for providing a positive and loving home environment for children. There could have been more specific action items, but the information provided is still great.

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some good nuggets within this book and things I will take with me. But overall it felt a bit out of touch with modern family life. I think there were some solid points that got a bit muffled by all rest of the things that maybe were right for her family but not necessarily right or biblically necessary for my family.

[Emily Houston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved every part of this book. It was such an encouragement to read and a great example of what Biblical motherhood can look like! I can’t wait to read this again and again throughout the years that my boys are in our home.

[Alissa Bergmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Love her style of descriptive writing! While can’t relate to all facets of family life, differences in interests, location, ministry, etc I enjoyed and was encouraged immensely many many things in this book!

[Kaysie Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encouraging read for every mom of toddlers or more than two kids. I could probably read this yearly. Also it has some great resources for further reading in the appendix.