When Josie Alvord turned twenty-one she found herself living the life of a total stranger. She had regularly given thought to the kind of life she hoped to lead one day – a life full of children, a loving husband, a home in the country. But when her husband abandoned her and their six-month-old son, Josie’s previous wishes suddenly became unrealistic dreams she could no longer entertain. Josie soon went to work and joined the ranks of twentieth-century women trying to live out a dual existence – life at work and motherhood at home.

While most mothers long to be at home with their children, the reality of life nowadays isn’t always that forgiving. Our economy has so adjusted to two-income families that stay-at-home motherhood is increasingly becoming a luxury. There are more single mothers today than there ever have been before, and while society pushes women into the workforce, men’s roles in the work-place and at home largely remain traditional. Thus, mothers who work find themselves frequently stretched to a breaking point.

Between the stresses of work, traffic, job advancement, and motherhood – keeping a house, preparing meals, and teaching children – there is no reserve left for mothers on the job. Every day, women like Josie ask themselves tearfully, “How can I keep up this pace? Can I succeed at the office and at home? Will my children resent me for my decisions?” They want solutions to the anxiety they feel. They want assurance before God that things will work out.

“I didn’t have a choice about whether or not to work, so there was no point in worrying about it,” says Josie. “My son wanted to be with me and I wanted to be with him, but moms who want to be with their kids can’t always have what they want. The Bible tells us to be anxious for nothing,”

With the impossible schedules modern mothers manage, something inevitably has to give – and women are worried that “something” will be their children, because at the end of a working day there is little left for them to give at home.

However, just because a mother works doesn’t mean that her children must grow up with less than the best spiritually and morally. She may have greater challenges, but she will always have the opportunity to be victorious with her children as she leans on the Lord to guide her.

The Bible gives us many examples of godly working women like Deborah, Abigail, Phoebe, and Anna. Although Timothy’s father was a gentile pagan, his mother’s godly influence made the difference. Paul specifically mentions her influence, saying, “I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice” (2 Timothy 1:5). A working mother can’t be all things to her children because she’s not; she’s a mom. But God can. He is a father to the fatherless. (Psalm 68:5)

“Working parenthood is a fast-paced environment,” says Josie. “You’ve got to have God’s peace to make it through. When you come home from work and the first thing you have to do is spank your child and you’ve got a million other pressures staring you in thee face, you inevitably bring the anger of work into the home…unless you have God’s peace in your life.” Miriam Neff, author of The Working Mom, advises, “God doesn’t need supermoms who are cranky, exhausted, and angry. He just wants real people doing what matters for eternity first and other things as needed.”

But what does matter first? Dr. Stanley, raised by only his mother during the formative years of his life, encourages mothers to pass on their godly heritage to their children. “Many parents are concerned about giving their children a car, expensive tennis shoes, and being sure they have plenty of money,” he says. “There isn’t anything in the Bible that God says about giving your kids these things. But the Bible has a lot to say about giving your children a Godly heritage, giving them that which no one can take away from them – that which solidifies, establishes, and grounds them in such a way that they’re able to be victorious no matter what society throws at them.”

By allowing the Lord to guide them through their overloaded lives, working mothers can give their children the best part of themselves. “The Lord has brought me through life in and out of marriage. He is what keeps my little family together,” says Josie. “It is imperative that we build ourselves up in the Lord first and not put our identity in our spouses or our jobs. We don’t have guarantees in earthly things. But we do have a guarantee in God, He will never leave us nor forsake us” (Hebrews 13:45).

In fact, God has provided the ultimate power source for the working mom:

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16 & 17).