A Mother’s
Calling
By Kathleen
Harrison
Daniel and Kathleen
Harrison with their
daughter, Ava, are
missionaries in Austria.
Their focus among the
people of Austria is to
“make disciples that
make disciples.”
Not all challenges on the mission field pertain to language or
cultural barriers. There are a few that in and of themselves
present greater obstacles than I ever imagined, specifically those
regarding being a young mother (o.k. maybe not young, but a
mother with a young one) in a culture without the input of other
Christian mothers. Saying goodbye to my girlfriends was
difficult, but saying goodbye to them as a support and
encouragement group for rearing our child was one that I had not
fully considered when counting the cost of following the Lord to
Austria.
Due to time differences, busy lives, and tired bones,
communicating with girlfriends and gleaning from their wisdom
has been a challenge for me. Needing some Godly parental
advice and input, I came across Sally Clarkson’s book, The Mission
of Motherhood. Wow! What a tremendous blessing this book has
been for me. During the London Olympics while I was dreaming of Ava’s achieving my dream of being an Olympic gymnast, I
needed a good dose of reality! After coming to terms with the fact
that there are not any six foot gymnasts (Ava is very tall for her
age), I stumbled on this book and it took me to a much deeper
understanding of the significance of my call as a mother.
It has freed me to accept Ava’s individuality and unique abilities.
I have learned that the “real mission” of being a mother is not
about teaching our children how to ride a bike, how to play ball
or how to excel in academics nor is it about rearing an Olympic
athlete or a Rhodes Scholar. No matter how great it is to watch