Today, we're pleased to share with you an audio essay written and read by Katie Ferris,

entitled The Secret of Contentment in Motherhood.

Katie is the author of God is Still Good, Gospel, Hope and Comfort for the Unexpected Sorrows of Motherhood from Crossway.

The Secret of Contentment in Motherhood,

written and read by Katie Ferris,

with eyes on Jesus.

I took a physical education class in college

to fulfill a graduation requirement, and I still

remember a multiple choice problem that I got wrong on an exam.

The question was, when running, where should a person look?

I marked the letter next to the answer that said to look at the ground.

It made sense to me. Shouldn't I look down to

avoid tripping over tree roots, puddles, or whatever other obstacles might lie on my path? My teacher

considered my case, but wasn't swayed. While it's important to be aware of one's surroundings,

the correct answer was that a runner should look straight ahead.

An athlete ought always to keep his or her eyes on the prize. And even if you and I move at a snail's pace

on our journey's heavenward, so should we. Burrs might stick to our socks. Brambles catch our shirt sleeves, and sharp curves

requires some fancy footwork on off-road trails, but our gaze should be fixed, forward-facing.

However sharp our impediments feel when they poke us, we must resist the temptation to spend

all our time staring at and trying

to outmaneuver them. Instead, we ought to concentrate the majority of our energy on moving forward

in this race, remembering who ran it before us, travels with us, and waits for us at the finish line. Jesus. How does God

...