What a Privilege: I Don’t Have to Choose Between Career and Motherhood Anymore
By Rachel Roach | Rooted and Ready
For the mom who wants to be present and still provide
I used to believe that motherhood and meaningful work couldn’t coexist.
Not because someone told me that directly, but because everything about my schedule, my stress, and my exhaustion said it loud and clear.
I was an elementary music teacher, showing up for 650+ students a week. I loved it—deeply. Music was my ministry long before it was my job. But when I became a mom, the beautiful calling I had once carried with joy began to feel impossibly heavy.
And I carried it anyway… because I believed that was the only way.
Then one day, I realized something had to change.
I had missed too many firsts. Too many ordinary moments that shouldn’t have been missed. And while I still showed up for work with a smile, inside I was torn in two.
Even during "summer break," my teacher brain didn’t turn off.
Even when I came home, I was still lesson-planning in my mind.
And I remember thinking: Is this it? Is this the trade I have to accept in order to support my family?
But God, in His kindness, showed me something I didn’t expect:
I didn’t have to choose between being a present mother and a purposeful worker.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
— Psalm 37:4
The desire of my heart wasn’t success—it was presence.
Not just being around my kids, but truly being with them.
To not worry about what I left on my desk at school… or if the sub had the right plans… or if someone else got to witness the moment I had prayed for.
And now? By the grace of God—I’m living in the yes to that desire.
I run a business that serves others with excellence.
I lead worship in my church.
I pour into my clients and into my children—without feeling like I’m failing at both.
That, to me, is the privilege I never want to take for granted.
I know what it’s like to feel torn.
To want to contribute financially and also be home for bedtime.
To long for meaningful work and also crave quiet mornings with your baby in your lap.
To do everything right by the world’s standards and still feel like you’re missing the most important parts.
And I want to tell you this:
You’re not wrong for wanting both.
And with God, you don’t have to choose one at the expense of the other.
“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”
— Psalm 16:6
This life I live now—serving clients, working from home, being present for my kids’ field trips and snuggles and laughter—it’s not luck.
It’s a boundary line He placed.
It’s an inheritance I steward with reverence.
And it’s a daily reminder that God truly cares about the details.
If you’re in the place I once stood…
Torn between two good things.
Grieving the quiet loss of moments you can’t get back.
Longing for a different way but scared of what it might cost.
I want you to know this:
You are not selfish for wanting your children to get more than your leftovers.
God created you for impact and intimacy.
For purpose and presence.
For work and wonder.
You don’t have to hustle for the balance—just follow the Spirit’s lead, one faithful yes at a time.
P.S. It’s still wild to me that this is my life now. But I don’t take a single second of it for granted. What a privilege—to be present, to be purposeful, and to be fully aligned with the season God has placed me in.
Hear me talk about this more on my podcast “The Final Bell”
