From elaborate, Pinterest-worthy birthday bashes to simple celebrations with donuts and family, birthday parties can look wildly different in every family. But for moms today, planning a birthday party can feel a little like a competition against online strangers, our friends, and even ourselves. One thing all parties do is reveal a mom’s heart. In this episode, Emily and Laura discuss birthday parties and ask, “What’s our heart motivation?” Since our worth is secure with Christ, moms can stop chasing perfection, even in something like party planning. The gospel invites us to see each birthday as pause for a yearly celebration of God’s work in our children’s lives.     VIEW TRANSCRIPT   We want to recognize that birthdays can be hard for moms who have lost a child too soon, either inside or outside of the womb. Moms who have experienced miscarriage and infant loss can also glorify God as they mourn and celebrate what God did in and through that child’s life, even if it was short. Even though we don’t address this directly in the show, we’re thinking about you, and hope you will be blessed and encouraged by some of these resources: Ep. 23: Hope After Miscarriage: Two Moms Share Their Stories and Loss Ep. 39: Infertility, Miscarriage and Motherhood with Courtney Reissig RM’s Collection: Hope for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Articles, Resources and Related Content: FAQ: Should I Curtain Grandparent Gift-Giving - Jen Wilkin Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World - Kristin Welch Mom Enough - Desiring God Recovering From Perfect Mom Syndrome - Melissa Kruger, The Gospel Coalition  They Shall Know Us by Our Parties - Catherine Parks, Christianity Today  The Amazing Calling of Being "Mom''- Trillia Newbell, Desiring God  More From Risen Motherhood: Ep. 42: Making Christmas Traditions Matter Ep. 64: Making a Home: Decorating for the Glory of God Ep. 70: Is Motherhood the Most Important Thing  For More: To subscribe: on iOS, go to our iTunes page and subscribe. On Android, click this podcast RSS feed link and select your podcast app. You may need to copy the link into your favorite podcast app (like Overcast or Stitcher). Leave an iTunes review. These are huge for us! The more reviews, the greater chance another mother will find us. Like Risen Motherhood on Facebook and follow on Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates and related information. Let us know your thoughts! We'd love to hear more about the conversations you're having. Shoot us an email, or find us on social media. Tell others. We truly hope this podcast fosters conversations and deeper discussions between mothers to seek the gospel in their daily activities - we'd be honored if you shared and encouraged others to listen in.