Sanctification: The Whole Point
If you’ve spent any time on social media lately (which is to say, accidentally scrolling for 45 minutes when you meant to just check one notification), you might have come across a trending phrase: “I almost forgot this is the whole point.”
As I scrolled one day, I came across an example of this quip that read, “I almost forgot that sanctification is the whole point.”
That post about sanctification? It hit me –like a stop scrolling, think of who I can share this with type. See, God’s been working sanctification deep in my heart lately—one motherhood meltdown and prayerful breath at a time.
Over the past few years, my life has transformed in the way it usually does when you become a mom, but also from being a full-time teacher to a work-from-home mom, which has always been my dream (shout out to Jesus for coming through!) The change brought a whole new rhythm. My days used to run on a strict structure. Now, the schedule is all over the place—I’m working odd hours while the kids sleep, trying to remember when I last ate, figuring out how to squeeze in a workout, doing just enough to keep the house from falling apart, and making sure the dogs get let out before they start protesting and wake one of the littles. And did I mention I’m about as Type A as they come? So learning to roll with it has been... an adjustment.
With the shift, I had to get a lot more intentional. Time, energy, money—suddenly they all felt way more limited and way more valuable. I found myself counting every minute and dollar (even more than before—teachers, you feel me?), and realizing fast that the simpler things are, the more sane I stay.
All of this slowly brought me to a realization:
I don’t need more productivity.
I don’t need more stuff.
I don’t even need more clarity.
I need more of Jesus.
When I began to simplify, He began to sanctify.
And while the sanctification is necessary, it’s far from easy. Even during difficult seasons and transformative times with God, the phrase now echoes: This is the whole point.
It’s the refining.
It’s the breaking.
It’s the growing.
It’s the learning.
It’s the renewal.
It’s the resurrection.
It’s the burning away of everything in us that isn’t Him, so we can be shaped into His likeness. It’s not extravagant. It’s not easy. But it’s sacred.
At the start of this year, God put the word "intrinsic" on my heart. I was confused at first because I couldn’t make sense of how it translated as a “word for the year.” Now, looking at the slow, holy work of sanctification, it’s beginning to make sense: sanctification comes from God’s intrinsic holiness—it's just who He is. Simplicity helps clear out the noise, letting us rediscover the real value of the things that matter most, and that brings us closer to Jesus.
Here’s the kicker: I’ve experienced most sanctification in the gritty, exhausting, mundane moments of life:
The hard days of motherhood when you’re barely hanging on—sanctification.
The years of unanswered prayers and dreams that ache—sanctification.
The situations that make absolutely no sense, and grace is your only lifeline—sanctification.
The desperate prayers, the waiting, the trusting, the “I’m trying not to lose it right now”—sanctification.
Growing and learning with your kids, not just teaching them—sanctification.
Trying to remember that you’re still you underneath the diapers and the outfit you've been wearing for two days—sanctification (because let’s be real, "mom chic" isn’t a thing, and neither is showering every day)
Memorizing your child’s little face as they drift off to sleep, wishing you could freeze time, although you just read 9 books, listened to 5 episodes of “Please, Please, Sleep,” and had to fill up a sippy cup for the third time because the ice wasn’t cold enough —sanctification.
So if today feels tough, if you’re completely worn out, or if you’re wondering if God even sees all the quiet work you’re doing, remember this:
He’s not punishing you.
He hasn’t forgotten you.
He is forming Christ in you.
And that is the whole point.