the intentions of mother culture (free resource)
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of mother culture, it's not a new one and has been adapted over the years to fit many definitions, but its origins seem to point within the homeschool community to ideas laid out by Charlotte Mason and elaborated on over the years by Karen Andreola. In fact, Karen’s book Mother Culture is a beautiful compilation of many ideas surrounding this concept which she summarizes in this way:
“Mother Culture is the skillful art of how a mother looks after the ways of her household. With a ‘thinking love’ she creates a culture in the home all her own. A mother does a lot of taking care, so she needs to take care of herself, too. As a mother is feeding and cultivating the souls of her children, she is nourishing her own soul with ideas, while taking a little time for her own play and creativity. Nourished and refreshed, she keeps growing closer to God and into the Christian woman God is designing her to be.”
In our self-obsessed society, it might be easy to mistake the heart of what mother culture entails as simple self-care. But, in my experience, self-care serves as a poor substitute focused on external and temporal happiness when compared with the rich and lasting impact mother culture can have on our internal self-talk and eternal contentment.
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Self-Care screams, “Build a life you love!”
Mother Culture whispers, “What does God have for you in this season?”
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Self-Care asserts, “You deserve a break and need to put yourself first.”
Mother Culture encourages, “How will you model your life after God’s rhythm of good work and simple rest.”
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Self-Care justifies, “You can’t pour into others if your cup is empty.”
Mother Culture upholds, “How can you follow Jesus’ example of…”
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Here, Self-Care interrupts to say, “Yes, see? Even Jesus took time to get away from His ministry and all the crowds to take care of Himself.”
But Mother Culture gently asks, “Yes, and how did He take care of Himself — what example did He give us?”
Self-Care stares blankly.
Mother Culture continues, “He didn’t step away in those moments to browse the Dollar Spot at His local market in Jerusalem. He didn’t disengage from the people who needed Him to host a ‘Treat Yo Self’ afternoon. In almost every situation where we see the Master modeling rest and restoration in the midst of His daily rhythm and intense season of ministry, His goal is to be refreshed by His Father.” He, the actual Living Water prioritized taking time to draw from the Wellspring of the Father in prayer and rest.”
With that being said, I think it’s important to note that because God is in the business of restoration, He can and does use a variety of good and beautiful things to provide His children with respite and joy for their souls, while still drawing us towards sanctification. Therefore, somewhat ironically, the end result of self-care and mother culture can look very similar: reading a book, taking a walk in nature, spending time on a cherished hobby, even a much-needed practical nap. But, it’s the intention and motivation behind these things that are miles apart.
In an effort to guard my heart against the hollow fulfillment that self-care promises, I’ve discovered that taking care to prayerfully set God-established seasonal intentions rooted in role-based stewardship provides a much richer and lasting impact.
To that end, I’ve spent a lot of time evaluating the specific roles God has given to me, which has given me some markers I can return to again throughout the coming seasons and years when I find myself veering off course:
I’m a child of the King, a wife to my husband, a mama to my boys, and a woman within the body of Christ and my community.
These roles encapsulate all that I am called to steward in each season: my spiritual growth through time in the Word and prayer, my marriage and supporting my husband through how I make and keep our home, the education and discipleship of my children, my relationships as daughter and friend, my roles within our local church family, homeschool community, and neighborhood.
And this is what mother culture has become for my heart — a space in my life dedicated to setting these intentions and rhythms in each season. On a practical note, here’s what that looks like in my life:
+ i prayerfully ask god to show me areas that need attention first or next in my stewardship.
+ i dedicate a simple passage of scripture and hymn for daily meditation and encouragement.
+ i work to set a mix of project-based and habitual intentions to cultivate that include rest and meaningful recreation.
May all these intentions be for His glory and accomplished in His strength.
a while back, i designed a simple one-page planning sheet to guide my time in setting these intentions + i’d love to share it with you — join the free resource library below to download your free, mother culture intentions planner.
do you practice any form of mother culture?
what do your favorite forms of rest + restoration look like?
Welcome, friend — I’m Alle, a second-generation homeschooler with four boys living in the same mid-century ranch I grew up in.
In another season, my creative work took shape in the form of Kingdom-impacting projects for ministries and authors who were launching big things into the world — books and brands, courses and communities.
These days, I’m using those same skills and passions to create resources and tools for Homemakers and Home Educators who are building Kingdom-impacting families. You can sign up for free access to those simple projects in the Resource Library. I hope you will find some encouragement and support for your journey in this space.