Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here. You're listening to the Greg Laurie podcast and my objective is to deliver hopefully compelling practical insights in faith, culture, and current events from a biblical perspective. To find out more about our ministry, just go to our website harvest.org.
So thanks for joining me for this podcast.
Now we're going to talk to two generations of girls. And I would say every one of these girls that will be at in a moment are godly girls. They're Proverbs 31 girls. They're wonder women. They won't have capes, I don't think.
I'm here with three beautiful women to talk about mother, so let's welcome them. This is um My wife, Kathy Laurie. We've been married for 42 years, and this is my That's right. This is my daughter-in-law, Brittany Laurie, and she's been married to Jonathan for seven years. And uh And finally, this is my third daughter.
No, she's not my daughter. I've known her since she's been a little girl, Tiffany Velasquez, and she's been married to Gabe for five years, did you say? Five years. You're wonderful moms. You really are.
All of you are. And I know your kids love you, and I know you love your kids, but I I mentioned that stat. A few moments ago, that 85% of new millennial moms, and Brittany and Tiffany would be millennial moms. We're long beyond that. I don't know.
That was before they named generations. Yeah, that's right. We were the baby boomers. Yeah, we were. That's right.
We were. Yes. And so, but the millennial moms, 85%, said they'd like to receive acknowledgement from family and friends that they're just doing a good job rather than flowers.
Well, I'm going to give you encouragement and a flower. There's a flower for you. Here's a flower for you. Here's a flower for you. Very nice.
Thank you. I think the high school group is selling these flowers afterwards if you want to buy one from your mom. But is that true, though, you guys, Tiffany and Brittany? Do you feel like you're kind of not acknowledged enough or don't receive that encouragement? What do you think?
I think that hearing that you are doing a good job or that your husband and kids are thankful for just all the little things that you do is so important and it does make such a big difference. My littlest guy, Christopher, he's just the sweetest with words.
So he's always giving me like little compliments just out of the blue. And honestly, like it brightens up your day and gives a little pep in your step and you're like, okay, like I can do this.
So I. What did he say to you recently? Didn't he say something about your outfit? I put on a dress and he's like, Mom, you look so cute in that dress. And how old?
Four years old. He's a smart boy. I'll tell you what. Do you know who the prettiest girl in the world is? You are, Mom.
Wow. And you just smell so good. Was he working you for something? I don't know. He's kind of got it.
He did not matter. I think so. No, he knows he's got me wrapped around his finger. But It's so sweet. It's so sweet to hear that from your kids, and it's really meaningful to hear that from your husband, too.
What do we need to know, Tiffany, as guys, you know, husbands and fathers, about Mothers, like, what are we missing? What is something that would really go a long way if we didn't have to? How long do you have? True. No, no.
We need to do more of this and less of that. Jump in, Kathy. Or Tiffany, go ahead, Tiffany. Go ahead, then, Kathy, please.
Well, I have a really encouraging husband who is, you know, he does encourage us, encourage me in this job as being a mom. But I think what sometimes goes without kind of being acknowledged, sometimes we seem like as moms we maybe make a big deal out of things that maybe. We're dramatic or about different things, but overreacting, seemingly, but probably really are. We've been dreaming about being moms, a lot of us, since we were little. We are from the womb carrying little babies, basically.
So it's such an important role for us. We carry that doll as a boy with a little bit of a baby.
So does Milo.
So this role as being a mom is so important to us. Even the little things we take so seriously. What about someone when you were talking about how we feel as women? I think there was a time maybe when the role of mother was more celebrated, or I mean, really, they used to teach in school home economics. Do you remember those days?
We taught to cook and to sew. Probably be a good idea to teach that to the girls and boys now. No, there was part of the cutbacks, budget cuts. But anyway, the value of a mother, I mean, you even think of the old TV shows, June Cleaver and Leave It to Beaver and different shows where the role of a mother was really pronounced. She always had a string of pearls on.
But there was a little pressure even then on moms. But mom was wise, and dad was wise. And there was a value to what they were doing, but I think. For us, when we're just doing the small things around the house, repetitive things, how many times do I have to pick up these socks and clean the bathroom mirrors and do those things? And you do them without so much as a word of thanks.
The family doesn't even notice them for the most part. I know I'm waiting for the toilet seat to come down one more time. It's not going to happen. I know after 42 years, it isn't going to happen. I've given up.
I have given up. That's okay. But here's where I go. Oh, dear me. Does this also humiliate Greg Gay in the cinema?
Because I missed that. No, actually. Greg is very appreciative and often out of the blue will tell me things and Say nice things to me, but here's the key really on the days where you don't get it, and there are, I mean, you can't have someone constantly telling you, Thank you for doing that. You know, it's just you do so many things, but The Lord is who you're doing these things for. That's a very important thing.
You know, it's a form of worship to Him. You know, whatsoever things you do, do it with all your heart as unto the Lord and not unto men. And then also, I just remember the little plaque which we actually had printed up on some tea towels that say on them. Greg doesn't put the toilet seat down. No, does it say that?
No. No, it actually says divine service rendered here three times a day. Right. Which is, you know, those little things, just even doing the dishes, if you do them as unto the Lord, not unto your kids or under your husband. You may or may not get thanks from them, but if you remember that what you're doing is significant, it's all those little things done faithfully over a long period of time that begin to show the results.
You know, you will see the Lord repay you, and one day in heaven, for sure. That's right. Tiffany, you know, when Kathy and I were raising our boys, especially Christopher, many years ago, the closest thing to a tweet was a bird in the backyard, right? There was no social media, no Facebook, no Instagram, no Twitter. And nowadays, it almost seems like a lot of girls may be under pressure to be the perfect.
mom and the perfect everything and the outfit's always just right and the pose is just right. Is there extra pressure on mothers today with all the social media and sense of expectation? Yeah, I think so, totally. I don't want to negate the fact at all that through every generation of motherhood there have been struggles and challenges. But this generation it's different.
We are involved in this kind of Instagram happy Pinterest perfect world where we're so aware of what's going on in everyone else's life, probably a little too aware, I think. And you know, I was thinking, I look at all these Instagram posts and I follow some mom bloggers for what I think is inspiration. And then I go to, you know, look at my photo reel on my phone and real life sets in, you know, stains all over the shirt, messy house, and that's okay because that's real life, and that's probably what 100% of us is, you know, it's really going on behind the scenes. But I think it's important not to Compare or try to meet the standards that our society is setting on us because God has given us His standards and He's given us this biblical blue book, these plans for us in His word. And He tells us how to be a mom, like you shared with all of us just a few moments ago.
And that's where we find it. You know, we find our appreciation from the Lord, and we find our script from the Lord, too, as moms. Let's kind of pull the camera back. That's great. Let's pull the camera back, Kathy, and take the bigger, you know, look at the bigger picture because.
You know, you're a mother of two sons and a grandmother of five grandchildren. And as you look back on your early years, you know, where these guys are at now, these girls, we call them guys, you know, right, girls. But what is the main objective of a mother? Like, what's her end game? What is she really trying to accomplish when it's all said and done?
and a grandmother.
Well, the interesting thing is, is that you may think this being Mother's Day, you're going to hear me say that as a mother, the end game is to love your children and to love them best. But I'm not going to say that. The end game, ladies and gentlemen. If you are given the privilege of being a mother, is to love Jesus first. And you love Jesus first.
Mm-hmm. Yep, that's right. By loving your children and leading them to Jesus. That is the end game. It's really easy, and I know that.
Even as a grandmother, the Pinterest perfect world is not reality. You have to keep telling yourself that. What you see posted on Instagram is not reality. That is a fabricated, filtered version of reality. And for us, you know, we want to realize that it's not to raise that scholar necessarily or that.
superstar athlete or that most perfectly dressed and well-mannered and behaved child. Our goal is to teach our children by modeling to them and by speaking as you walk along the way, as you sit down, as you rise up, and all those little things that you do that don't seem significant, bedtime stories and hugs and reminders and corrections, that those are the ways in which we are going to lead our children to Jesus. And that is the end game, is not to make motherhood an idol in our lives where we can have these little children or big children that we parade out and brag about, but it is to raise Souls, eternal souls destined for the kingdom. And we need to keep that in mind: that if the socks don't match, or the shoe got lost, or the, you know, or the child goes prodigal. That the end game is to pray and to do our best as mothers to lead them to Jesus.
That's right. You know, when you flike, they'll go through their little ritual of things you're supposed to do. And among other things, they'll say, should there be a loss of cabin pressure? The little oxygen mass will come out. And I find it interesting, they say.
If you're traveling with a child, put the mask on yourself first and then the child. That almost seems counterintuitive, like, no, the child first. But I think the reason they want the adult to do it is: you can't help the child if you yourself don't have oxygen.
So you have to get it on.
Now you can help the child. And I think that's true in life. You know, we're talking about helping our children, raising our children. But we have to start with ourselves, and we have to know Jesus, don't we, Tiffany? Like, what I mean, there's someone listening, and let's broaden this now beyond girls and talk to guys, everybody, all ages.
Why should a person want Jesus Christ in their life? What is the reason for that, and why is that so important? That's so good. As you were talking, I was thinking, we can't pour out what we don't already have inside of us, you know. And for me, Jesus, my salvation, that's everything to me.
My whole life revolves around that single decision to accept Jesus Christ into my life. Not only through that decision are we promised eternity in heaven, we're also promised abundant life here, and we're also promised grace for our sin when we miss the mark. We're promised all of those things.
So, for me, as a mom, as a wife, as a woman, as a friend, all of those things, all of those things revolve around Christ and my salvation in my life.
Now, I was thinking about how Paul wrote to Timothy, he talked about the faith of his grandmother and mother. And I'm thinking about your clan, if you will, the Junker clan. There's so many of them involved in our church. There's your grandfather and your grandmother, of course your mom and your dad, and just such a wonderful, committed family. How old were you when you became a Christian, Tiffany?
I accepted the Lord here in the children's ministry at age five and then rededicated my life to the Lord in high school at a high school camp. Did you have you ever sinned? 'Cause you don't seem like the person who's ever sinned to me. Yeah. Yes, daily.
Wow, I didn't know it was that. My goodness, that's shocking, Tiffany. Brittany, Tiffany's told us why we should accept Jesus. How do you accept Jesus? Like she did it when she was five years old, but then made a recommitment to Christ when she was high school age.
Is that pretty much your story? Did you do it as a young girl? You were raised in a Christian home by your mom. But uh then you made a recommitment to tell us what happened to you. Yeah, so I was raised as a Christian or in a Christian home, and I did become a Christian at a young age, but I Stopped walking with the Lord, and I actually had my daughter Riley.
So I had her, and after she was born, I rededicated my life to the Lord when I was probably like early 20.
So you were a single mom for quite how many years? Almost five years. That's hard, isn't it? Yes. Because there's some single moms here listening.
We're seeing the father, this, the dad, that, but yeah, some of them don't have the support of a father. What would you say to them today? Yeah, being a single mom I mean, being a mom is challenging at times.
So being a single mom is kind of double that because, I mean, however you found yourself in that situation, it's You know, it's not ideal, but um, I think what I realized with Riley raising her, I just came to the point where it's like. I didn't know if I was going to get married or if Riley was going to have a dad in her life. Just coming to the place where I wanted to give her the best life that I possibly could, and just realizing that the only way I was gonna be able to do that was just if my relationship with the Lord was strong, that I was relying on him and finding my security in him and that relationship and just being able to pour out whatever I had on her. And it wasn't until I actually did take that seriously and start making the steps that I needed to to make wise choices. Started going to Bible study and home Bible study, and that's, you know, that's where I found Jonathan and God.
And you knew him when you were in high school. Yeah. So we met when we were like 12 in junior high. I remember Brittany when I saw it. Yes, me and Kathy drove us to like Disneyland when we were 12.
So, you know, and God, you know, blessed me more than I could have ever imagined. But, and He rightly does have a dad now, and it's. It's great, but I think just really having that strong relationship with the Lord really is what made the difference in my life and in Riley's life. I think on a day like Mother's Day, it's a wonderful love her so much. She's been a gift, and I was texting your mom this morning and I said, Thank you for being.
And her mom was the godly mother, and she raised a daughter to follow the Lord, and now she is part of our family, and we're so grateful for that. But as I look out on you know the faces in this crowd and I am just imagining all the different Scenarios and all the different people that might be represented here. There's a lot of A lot of women that would like to be mothers that aren't mothers that are just praying one day to be married or praying one day to have a child. And this is a hard day. There's also moms out there who have children like we do, children who are in heaven.
And this is a hard day for us as well. There are a lot of moms out there with prodigal children that will not hear from them on Mother's Day. Thank you for all that you did for me, for all your prayers. Those are scenarios that. You know, we are represented because we live in a fallen world and we are fallen people and we're all sinners.
And even the best mother better not make motherhood her salvation because only Jesus can save us. And only Jesus is the one who can redeem. That's right. There is hope. God would want us On Mother's Day.
to recognize that the curse has been broken. The curse that Came upon the first family, and that Christ has borne the curse for us. And that no matter what situation you find yourself in today, whether you are, I named a few, there are mothers out there with little ones who have severe disabilities. And their role as mothering and diapering may be for the entire life of that child, that grown child. There's a lot of women out there and families out there, and none of us is perfect.
And none of that brokenness is what God intended. But like I said, Jesus bore the curse for us on the cross, and his word to us today is: do not despair. Whatever situation you're in, do not despair. Your mom may be a prodigal. Your child may be a prodigal.
The story is not over. There's always hope. Christ is the reason that we can have that hope. And he made us for himself. And all of our role in this life is to know him and to glorify him.
And if you're blessed to be a mom today, to take that role seriously and don't make that mothering your be-all and end-all. Make Jesus your be-all and end-all. That's the most important thing.
So Tiffany. There are some folks here: moms, dads, single people, just people. That needs Jesus and they don't know how to take that step of praying and asking Christ in their life. Would you lead us, lead them in a prayer that they could pray where they're asking the Lord to forgive them of their sin? Maybe they're someone who's never asked Christ into their life, and maybe there's someone kind of like you and Brittany that are making a recommitment later in life.
Because, you know, recommitments are important, and sometimes those need to be made. And so, maybe, why don't you just lead us in a prayer?
So, if any of you listening or watching right now want Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin and you want to know that your life is right with God, you pray this prayer that Tiffany is going to lead you in. And uh and you'll be glad that you did, Tiffany. Dear Jesus. I recognize that I have a need for you. That you are my Savior.
I ask you to be my Savior, to forgive me of my sins. and to give me the strength to live my life for you. Be my Lord. Be my Saviour. And be my friend in Jesus' name.
And Lord, I do, I pray for this body that's sitting out here now. I pray that you would meet them exactly where they are today. We've covered so much ground and still so much yet. That we haven't.
So meet them, Lord, exactly where they are. Reveal yourself to them. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
Thank you, Tiffany. Let's thank these ladies for coming out. And that's it. Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here. Thanks for listening to our podcast.
And to learn more about Harvest Ministries, please subscribe and consider supporting this show. Just go to harvest.org. And by the way, if you want to find out how to come into a personal relationship with God, go to knowgod.org. Dot org. That's K N O W G O D Yeah.
Yes.
