Costly Gratitude ~ A Mother’s Heart in the Waiting

      “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord!” — Psalm 27:14

As a mother, there are moments when I take a good look at my home life. It is bursting with movement, laughter, challenges, prayers, and growing souls.  When this happens, my heart aches with a longing only God fully understands. I want more for my children than anything this world can offer. I want them to know Jesus deeply, personally, and intimately. I want them to love Him not just because they were taught to, but because they have tasted His goodness for themselves.

I want to see the fruit of seeds planted, late nights praying, mornings spent in Scripture, conversations about faith while driving, tears shed in worship, moments of correction, and the constant intercession of a mother who wants nothing more than to see her children walk firmly in the will of God.

And yet, motherhood is full of waiting, not passive waiting, but the kind where hope and patience hold hands with perseverance. It’s the kind of waiting where you continue to sow even when you’re not yet harvesting and where you don’t give up when outcomes don’t align quickly with your prayers.

In Hebrews 6:11 (AMP) we are encouraged:

“And we desire for each one of you to show the same diligence [all the way through] so as to realize and enjoy the full assurance of hope until the end.”

That phrase “until the end” grips me. Faith isn’t proven when we receive the promise, it’s proven when we cling to hope before anything is visible, when we are diligent in the waiting, and when we still thank Him deeply and with sincerity, even when we haven’t yet seen the fulfillment.

Gratitude that Costs Something

True gratitude requires sacrifice. It isn’t shallow or convenient. It costs us our pride, our expectations, our timelines, and our comfort. There are times when it costs our tears, and sometimes it costs us the desire to control outcomes - especially outcomes concerning our children.

I’m reminded of the woman in Luke 7 who broke her alabaster jar at Jesus’ feet. What she poured out was costly, valuable, and precious. She held nothing back.

For me, costly gratitude sometimes, is choosing peace when fear whispers.

It’s worshiping when emotions are fragile.

It's continuing to lead by example even when tired or discouraged.

It’s believing God for promises I have yet to see.

Motherhood requires daily breaking of that alabaster jar. We give our time, our sleep, our comfort, and our hearts and then watch pieces walk around outside our bodies. We pour ourselves into our children and wait -  wait to see the faith we planted grow into something strong and rooted. 

We Are Living in Provision, Yet Still Waiting in Faith

Right now our family is walking in the sweet season of seeing God’s provision unfold in undeniable ways. We are watching prayers answered, blessings unfold, and needs met in ways that only God could orchestrate. For that I am deeply, and overwhelmingly grateful.

Yet there are promises not yet fulfilled. We are believing in God for our new home. We have not arrived there yet, but our hearts are already thankful for what we haven’t even stepped into. We don’t complain and we don’t rush the process. We continue to serve, obey, worship, give, and love, honoring Jesus in the waiting.  We believe that costly gratitude isn’t about having everything we hope for, it’s about praising Him before it comes.

As a mother, I will continue to worship while praying for my children’s spiritual awakening. I will continue teaching and leading by example. I will continue laying down my alabaster jar at the feet of Jesus—my time, my comfort, my expectations—trusting His perfect timing, not mine.

My Offering Today

Thanksgiving like this costs something. It demands surrender. And yet, it honors Jesus more deeply than any praise found on the other side of a fulfilled promise.

So today, I choose costly gratitude.

I thank Him for what I see and for what I don’t yet see.

I thank Him for the promises in progress.

I thank Him for the children I pray for purpose.

I thank Him for the home we are believing for.

I thank Him for the daily mercies that hold us steady.

Gratitude in the waiting is worship.

And worship in the waiting is faith.

Author: Priscilla Campbell

Editor:  Christine Platt