A few months ago, I was in the middle of the first chapter of Good News for Weary Women by Elyse Fitzpatrick when she dropped a bomb.

“Motherhood is not a woman’s only calling, nor it is her highest calling…”

Woah.

Okay, that’s fine.

Yea, especially since I’m not a mom…

Hold on, really? My heart was shocked.

Children are a precious gift and God uses families to do His will, but we have elevated the role of motherhood to be the highest of a woman’s roles.

But wait. If not motherhood, what is our highest calling? To be a Proverbs 31 woman with a perfect house and happy husband? To change the world with a career?

Elyse goes on to reference John 6:28, “What must we do to be doing the works of God?” Jesus responds to the question about our highest work this way: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (verse 29).

Believe? That’s it? Wow, thank you, LORD.

I kept reading and I felt more and more relieved. “Our highest calling is to believe in and love the gospel and then to live our lives in the light of all that Jesus has already done for us.”

As Christian women today, we are far too concerned with filling roles and being a particular type of woman. We are missing the point. Many days I care more about finding trendy rugs than I do about making time to spend with my Dad. I routinely sacrifice time with Him to clean the house for guests and do chores for my husband. I am missing the point. It’s not that God doesn’t want me to serve the people around me, but those things are not more important than Him.

What would it look like if we pursued Him more than we pursued having the perfect house or Instagram or the most healthy diet or body?

My life would definitely be different. Honestly, it is difficult for me to imagine and I’m going to need help.

But here’s to the less-than-sparkling house, the frozen pizza dinners and the long-term lack of decorations if that is what it means to live out my highest calling. It is time to start sacrificing the stuff for more of the Savior.

I want my life and my blog to be about “believing, resting and rejoicing” in Jesus. Nothing else.