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A Spiritual Leader worth following


  • And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain”

The Old Testament books of Exodus and Numbers, tell of a man named Moses. Moses was appointed by God to lead a nation out of slavery.

God had earmarked a new land for His chosen people to inhabit, and Moses was to get them there. Moses had to approach the Pharoah and request that the Israelites be allowed to leave Egypt. However, the Pharoah would regularly harden his heart and refuse Moses’s request. When the Pharoah eventually conceded, Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea to Mount Sinia. There, Moses would regularly meet with God and receive instructions for His people.

Not only did God provide a safe passage for the Israelites in the desert, but He also provided food, water and shelter. Regardless, the Israelites would time and again grumble, moan and sin. Their behaviour resulted in God’s anger towards them – to the point where He wanted to destroy them all. Each time Moses would intervene and plead with God on Israel’s behalf. God would hear Moses’ requests and reconsider.

One day Moses also found himself in a position where he too did not follow God’s exact instruction. During one of their meetings God told Moses that because of his sin, he would see the ‘Promised Land’, but he would not enter it. Moses would die in the desert.

When the time came for God to appoint Moses’s successor, He once again met with Moses to give His instructions. Moses could have pleaded with God to reconsider or tried to reason with God. He could have tried to explain why he disobeyed or justified his actions. just as he had done many times on behalf of the nation he led. However, he did not.

Reading this was truly inspiring and I have had this story in my bones for weeks.

Moses: He did not have it all together, but he responded when God called him. He was not the most eloquent, but he boldly spoke the words of God over a nation. Moses displayed many qualities of a great leader: he was brave; he was humble; he walked closely with God. He had put the needs of the people that he led, above his own. This is the kind of Spiritual leader that is always worth following.


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Jesse’s Son

May the hand of the Father always be upon him

When the appointed time had come, a prophet went forth to find the new king. To him, it was told, “man may look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”.

Many years ago, there lived a young shepherd boy. He was ruddy yet handsome, with beautiful eyes and a skilful musician known for his worship. With time he grew to become a man of valor and a man of war, a man of good presence who was also prudent in speech. He knew the value of true friendship and the humbling commitment of servant-hood. He was by no means perfect, but he had a heart after God. That boy was Jesse’s son David. (excerpts from 1 Sam 16 – 18)

We all know the story of David’s life. It was filled with many great victories – killing bears and lions, even defeating giants and becoming a king of Israel. Sadly, David was also a man that made some bad choices that resulted in great sin. But still, God loved him. As a favored yet flawed king, David formed part of God’s plan for Israel. He was even in the lineage of Jesus Christ.

The story of David is beautiful, exciting and tragic. However, when I look at my son, I think of David. You see, I believe I am raising a little man of God. I know that his life will not be perfect, and therefore I pray.

I pray that as with David, the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon my son and that he will walk with the Lord. I pray that my son will grow to be a passionate worshiper and a strong leader, a humble servant and a good friend. Ultimately, I pray that he will become a man after God’s own heart, just as David was. And that others may look at my son and say, “The Lord is with him”.

Then I pray that as his parents, my husband and I will have the wisdom to raise him with conviction, guide him in all truth, and continually lead him closer to Christ.

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The Ultimate Sacrifice

To save my son, He sent His own…

I have recently finished reading a Bible study on the book of Genesis. The creation of the world, man and woman – and following that the creation of families. One evening while I was bathing my son, I had thoughts of Sarah, Abraham and Isaac fill my mind. Specifically the account of Abraham taking Isaac to one of the mountains in the land of Moriah, to offer him as a sacrifice to God.  I wondered what those moments must have felt like.  The Bible doesn’t say if Sarah knew what God had commanded Abraham, but as a mother, I think about what it could’ve felt like for her. Her firstborn son. Her young boy.

As I kneel beside the bathtub, I take a moment to soak in the sight of my son splashing and giggling. The joy I feel and the love in my heart for this child is unexplainable. It burns so deep that I am brought to tears. I begin praying over him, thankful for Jesus’ finished work on the cross. Overjoyed that I would never have to face what Abraham and Sarah did. You see, Abraham was instructed to bound his son Isaac and lay him on top of a wooden altar. But then God in His love for Abraham, for us all, provided another way. 

This is where it gets so real. God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his firstborn son.  Instead, God provided a ram to be used as an offering. Then hundreds of years later, the time came for God to lay His only Son on the wooden altar as the ultimate sacrifice for the sin of the word. There was no other way, God saw it through to the end.  For God so loved us all that He finished what He had started.

The love. The Ultimate Sacrifice. To save my son, He sent His own.

As a parent, I imagine the relief and the joy that Abraham felt as He heard God’s voice saying, “Do not lay a hand on the boy.”  There is no account of this in scripture, but imagine Sarah’s elation when she saw her husband and her son returning home. I am ever grateful to God for what He did for me, my family, humanity.  The only question now is, how do we respond to this?

 (Read more about the account of Abraham, Isaac and Sarah in Genesis 22)

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To know Him, and be known by Him.

In the quiet, in the stillness
I know that You are God
In the secret of Your presence
I know there I am restored…….
In the chaos, in confusion
I know You’re sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do Your will
(lyrics: Hillsong)

It has been a long time since I had the opportunity to put my fingers to a keyboard and note some of my thoughts. I am sitting in my son’s playroom as I write this. The backdoor is open and a light breeze, accompanying this unusually warm autumn day, is allowing the scent of Jasmine from the neighbour’s garden and the rustling leaves of a nearby tree to tease my senses. 

I am feeling relaxed, probably as a result of the long hot bath, I got to enjoy this morning. During my soak, I had time to up on my devotional reading (I was a few days behind); listen to (part of) a podcast and I was able to just be still for a while and let my mind focus on God. 

In the busyness of family life, I often find that it can be difficult to find time to be still and connect with God. My first thought is, “I barely get time for myself!”. But the truth is that if time for me is more valuable than time with God, then I have my priorities all wrong.  The daily inconsistencies of parenting rattle me – it’s still something that I am still getting used to. At times I find myself acting in ways that aren’t Christ-like and ‘set apart’. As a result, I am made more aware of the need for Jesus’ forgiveness and grace in my life. I have been challenged regarding my intentionality in time spent with God. You see, I don’t need more of me – I need more of Jesus in me.

My goal: reading, listening to or hearing the spoken Word and being in a regular posture of prayer. It is easy? NO! Do I get it right all the time? NO! But I have had a revelation and it has propelled me to change. The hard truth is that we have not been called to a relationship of convenience with God. Think about it, God deserves nothing less than our utmost devotion – regardless of the cost.  The Bible says “we need to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Jesus” (Luke 9:23).  Therefore our walk with Jesus requires effort, it requires action – it requires sacrifice because as Christ-followers our deepest desire must be to know Him and be known by Him.

So my aim is to say no to more me-time, and yes to more of Him.

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My revelation

Greetings from a wet and wintery Cape Town, South Africa.

I thought I would take a moment and tell you a bit about myself and how Origin Mommy came to be.  I am a 38 (almost 39) year old first-time mommy to a fearfully and wonderfully made 9-monthold boy (who is currently going through sleep regression and teething … so your sympathies are welcome).

I spent about 17 years prior to joining the mommy-tribe in a job/career that was highly stressful and demanding. The last 7 years of that time I was fortunate enough to be an equity partner in my own company and, although I was able to find some joy and purpose in what I did, for the most part it was still a constant struggle to find harmony, unity and a shared vision.  After years of prayer, God used what a friend intuitively referred to at the time as a sledgehammer to get me out of that space.  Soon thereafter, I saw the indicator on a pregnancy test show positive.

I read this quote on becoming a mommy: “I was his beginning, and he was my beginning too” (paraphrased).

My husband and I decided that I would take a sabbatical from the world of business – as I needed time to find a new passion. Also privilege of being able to stay home with my child during his developmental years was what I had always dreamed about. However, the unclear future was scary.  I knew I could enjoy this season of mommy-hood, but that there would come a time when I would need to get back to work. I had no idea what my future career would look like, or if I would have the flexibility to still be the kind of mom that I wanted to me while pursuing it.   If you know me, you know that I am a future-focussed planner and so this question about what awaited me one day was one that weighed heavily.

The Origin of creation

I continued to pray that God would show me what He would have me do next. I admit that my prayers were at times more out of fear than faith.  Then one day, God took me to Genesis chapter one:  The beginning. Let me just say that this does not happen often, but the moments when it does are unforgettable and profound.  In reading that piece of scripture I was reminded that beginnings are without form, void and often dark (or unclear). However the Spirit of God hovers over even the darkest, most void spaces….and even there He speaks. I prayerfully unpacked what it meant to me and my circumstance.

God spoke and there was light;         
there was creation;
there was life;
a gathering;
fruitfulness;
multiplication;
responsibility;
and then there was rest.
This was my revelation.
My heart soaked up a glorious promise!  God was a God of order and He would help me create something, He would give me a purpose (responsibility) and I would find rest.  I would just need to trust the process – step by step.

I am a researcher, a note taker, a plan maker.. Here I was in the midst of my baby prep, with my journal full of my mommy-to-be thoughts.

I love researching various topics. My Google search history is, well, interesting to say the least. I research often – lately it’s anything from pregnancy and birth; new-borns and breastfeeding; weaning and sleep schedules.  I study the information, unpack what it means and how I can apply it to my life and my circumstance. Where I can, I share and encourage others. In doing so I have developed an every deepening well of understanding and respect for all mommies.  Then the idea dropped into my heart.  Start a blog – a creative way of journaling my own experiences, coupled with whatever information I have discovered.

Reflecting on what I believe God dropped into my heart a few weeks prior, I considered a name.  Then it hit me: Origin Mommy. Those two words symbolise so much –  the creator of a home; a fruitful vessel; the gatherer; the bearer of life.  For me, in many ways – it starts with Mommy

Mommy, a creature invited to be a cocreator with the Creator Himself. (Paraphased from Lisa-Jo Baker’s book Suprised by Motherhood)

I trust that God will continue to guide me on how Origin Mommy will grow and what her ultimate responsibility will be.  I am open to wherever this journey may lead. My ultimate desire is that it would somehow evolve into a lucritive business pf sorts – one that allows me the flexibility to still be the mommy that I want to be for my little guy and any other little ones that may follow….. For now, Origin Mommy is about community – encouraging mommies, empowering mommies and enjoying being part of the mommy tribe.