Worship artist Steffany Gretzinger says motherhood has brought her closer to God
Worship leader Steffany Gretzinger has a word of encouragement for Christian parents who may be doubting themselves.
Gretzinger told the Deeper Worship Intensive conference that when she became pregnant with her daughter Wonder, she feared she might not have enough time to live fully for God.
"I wanted Jesus to be everything. So I remember when I was about to have [my daughter], Wonder, I could feel my belly, I still cried and I said to the Lord, 'How am I gonna love you with less time?" she said, according to The Christian Post.
In the end, things worked out the other way round and she became even closer to God as a result of becoming a mother.
"That tiny prophet has led me back to Jesus every day since she was born," she said.
"We get distracted and that baby will turn around and look me. Just the other day she said, 'Mommy,' she took me by the face and she said, 'it doesn't have to be perfect. You're here, that's what matters.'
"This is not me bragging on me as a mom, this is me bragging on the presence of Jesus, and the kindness of a Father who walks with us."
She went on to speak of the importance of caring about God's opinion more than man's.
"He's walking us all the way home if we'll pray to Him and be more aware of what He's doing than all of the other eyeballs," she said.
"The eyes that we find in secret are the ones we'll find in every crowded room. The voice we hear that comes out of the silence and the stillness when no one's there, is the voice we will hear above the loud cries, above the shouts, above every other voice.
"I can hear that baby across the room in a room full of people."
After discovering that many of her initial reservations were unfounded, Gretzinger encouraged Christian parents not to hold back when it comes to teaching the faith to their kids.
"I think there's a tendency to dumb things down for children, but they get the whole thing," she said.
"We take Bible stories and we diminish them, we leave parts out, but it actually makes sense to them in their innocence.
"When I felt like I was being a terrible mum because I felt like, 'what am I missing?' The Lord said: invite her in, invite her into everything.
"I believe we make time for what we love. We make time for what we care about. If you need coffee, you will make time to go get it."
She also spoke candidly about the need to rely on God's power when it comes to problems in the family.
"He'll do the work that you can't in your children, and in your family. If you need healing in your marriage, I've already had one," she said.
"Unless you take it to the altar, you won't find it spending more time in therapy than you spend on your face before the Lord. That won't save your marriage and it won't raise your children."