PARISHIONER MONICA HINGST REFLECTS ON THE BLESSINGS OF MOTHERHOOD ROOTED IN FAITH

When Monica Hingst speaks about motherhood, her words are adorned with gratitude to God for the gift that she has received.

“The children we have are not actually our own,” Monica says. “In Baptism, we surrender them to the Lord, and in motherhood we pour ourselves out, forming them as the gifts from God that they are.”

Monica and her husband, Aaron, have two daughters — Chiara, 2, and their infant daughter, Elizabeth. And, for her part, Monica says that being their mother is one of the greatest blessings of her life.

“It has helped me get a glimpse at the way the Father loves us,” Monica says. “It is a pure gift.”

When Monica and Aaron were engaged, they spent some time discerning what their openness to children would look like with their marriage.

“We talked with our chaplain about the Church’s teachings on openness to life and whether couples should set aside time in the beginning of their marriages before they start families,” Monica says. “Father told us that we needed to pray about that and discern what the Lord was asking of us.”

So, they did. Monica and Aaron prayed, and the answer they came away with was a profound one!

“I prayed through a lot of fears,” Monica says. “I was worried we would have more children than we could handle. And in the midst of it, I felt the Lord ask me, ‘Do you not trust that I will provide for you?’ With that, Aaron and I realized that our marriage and our family is not ours, but a gift from God that belongs to Him, and we needed to offer it to Him as such and always be open to life!”

And while Monica admits that motherhood is not without its challenges, she says that she is grateful for the way it has allowed her to not only pour herself out in service to her children but also to connect with other mothers in a deeper way.

“I am so grateful for the way our parish reaches out to moms,” Monica says. “I am involved in the Moms’ Group, and while juggling the children and our schedules often makes it harder to get involved in some aspects of parish life, there are plenty of ways we moms can connect.”

In fact, Monica says that her motherhood has allowed her to not only connect more with other moms but also connect in a deeper way with the Lord and understand better what it means to be a steward of His many gifts.

“Trusting Him with our family has allowed me to see that when we give to the Lord, He will not abandon us or leave us overwhelmed,” Monica says.

As Monica and Aaron have found through their own living of stewardship, God is such a gracious giver that He cannot be outdone! When we give back to Him of the gifts He has given, we will always be more fulfilled!

Aaron and Monica Hingst with daughters Chiara and Elizabeth