A few years ago, my husband snapped this photo. It looks peaceful now. It felt fleeting then.
When I was young, I dreamed of being a stay-at-home mom. I imagined a cozy house, children always nearby, a kitchen that smelled like cookies and homemade dinners, and a life built around presence.
I remember telling a boy I liked about that dream once. He laughed and said it sounded kind of lazy. I laughed too—but later that night, something shifted. Without realizing it, I began to measure success by careers and titles. Those old dreams felt childish, impractical. Something to outgrow.
I was motivated through college, and I did find a job I loved. But those early years of working motherhood felt like stolen snapshots—sleeping with my babies in a recliner before rushing out the door, squeezing in playtime while dinner was hastily thrown together and laundry piled up. Even with a wonderful, supportive husband, we always felt behind. Always rushing. Always leaving something undone.
A few years ago, I started telling my husband and friends that God was changing the desires of my heart. The more time I spent with Him, the more I longed for slower days. For dirt under my fingernails from the garden. For afternoons picking my kids up from school, helping with homework, and still having time to really play before dinner.
I loved my job. But I kept saying it—“God is changing the desires of my heart.”
Then one day, as I asked Him what it would mean to actually leave my job, He reminded me of that conversation from my teenage years. And He gently told me:
I’m not changing the desires of your heart. I’m giving them back to you.
Tears blurred my vision, because I knew immediately it was true.
As I spent my time delighting in Him, He restored the dreams of my childhood and made a way for them to be lived out, all while still allowing me to write with Him, disciple some incredible women, and work alongside an amazing team to further the Kingdom.
But most importantly, I get to be present for the one job no one else can do.
Being their mom. Teaching them that their dreams aren’t silly or naïve. And reminding them to never dismiss the quiet longings of their heart.
Psalms 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, And He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.” Sometimes that gift doesn’t come in the form of a new dream, but in the return of the dreams we laid down along the way.
Grace Waves 