Standing in Your Truth With Yanni
The podcast "Standing in Your Truth" will feature Yanni and a group of friends engaging in profound and intimate discussions on subjects such as mental health, finances, faith, and strategies for finding motivation during difficult periods. In this space, guests will be invited to share their life journeys, including the challenges they've faced and the obstacles they've overcome. This podcast aims to provide a platform for individuals to share their stories, ensuring that everyone's experiences are acknowledged, valued, and celebrated.
Standing in Your Truth With Yanni
What Does "Be Fruitful and Multiply" Really Mean for the Childless?
What does motherhood really mean when you don't have children of your own? I'm diving into this question from my personal perspective as a married woman without kids who's still figuring out if biological parenthood is part of my journey.
The biblical instruction to "be fruitful and multiply" often gets brought up in conversations about having children. But looking deeper, I've found powerful meaning by breaking it down: "be" (to exist), "fruitful" (exhibiting the fruits of the spirit like love, joy, peace), and "multiply" (to increase). This reframing has shown me that nurturing the next generation extends far beyond having biological children.
Through my experience mentoring with Big Brothers Big Sisters, I've discovered the profound connection that forms when you consistently show up for a child who isn't biologically yours. Despite knowing my "little sister" for just over a year, I find myself deeply invested in her wellbeing – attending her events, responding when her mother needs help, and including her in my daily prayers. This relationship has taught me that motherhood isn't confined to biological connections – it's about the heart's capacity to nurture and champion a young person's growth.
For those longing for children but still waiting, I encourage you to start mothering now. Volunteer, mentor, or invest in the children already in your life. Every child I've connected with has drawn something out of me I didn't know I needed or possessed. They've helped me heal and grow in unexpected ways. We all have something inside us that this world needs – don't let fear stop you from sharing it. Whether you're a biological mother, aunt, godmother, teacher, or mentor, your contribution to raising the next generation matters profoundly. You're seen, you're heard, and you're an essential part of the village.
Follow us on Facebook at Standing in your Truth Podcast with Yanni and on Instagram at Talks with Yanni to join our community of truth-seekers and nurturers.
Standing In Your Truth Podcast with Yanni Thomas
Hello everyone, welcome to Standing In your Truth podcast with your host, yanni. On this podcast you'll hear Yanni, family and friends having open-ended discussions on anything from faith, finances, relationships and how to stay motivated during life's trying times. Make sure to follow on all social media platforms. The social media link is in the bio. Sit back and get ready to enjoy.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of Standing in your Truth podcast. I am your host, yanni. No, I did not forget the name of my podcast, just got slightly distracted there for a second. How are you guys doing? Summer is here, it's graduation season. I really should be asking the second how are you guys doing? Summer is here, it's graduation season. I really should be asking the parents. How are you guys doing?
Speaker 2:I've been seeing a lot of preschool and high school graduations and I'm like gosh, that must be hard. Your baby is leaving the house for some people anyway and now you're just praying. But I think it's a beautiful thing because you're able to kind of see, begin to see the impact they're going to have on the world and how they're going to change it and make a difference. So that's a beautiful thing. I'm excited to see, at least the college graduates that I know personally, how life is going to turn out for them, what they're going to do, and all that excitement. So so, as you know, for the month of May we are doing um, talking about motherhood. So I thought I would kind of jump on here from a young woman that currently does not have kids, um, and I'm kind of unsure if I do or don't want them. It's one of those things where I feel like we have conversations, aaron and I, about it I won't say often, but from time to time and it's kind of, we're both at the place where, if God gives us kids great, whether it be, you know, biological or adopting we're fine with that. But if he does not allow us to have kids or we don't have kids, we're fine with that. But if he does not allow us to have kids or we don't have kids, we're fine with that as well. We're okay with being the um, rich auntie and uncle and pouring into our nephews and our nieces and all the children around us.
Speaker 2:So it kind of got me thinking, because I know, for me anyway, the scripture that's often brought up when it comes to having kids is that be fruitful and multiply. And I was like, well, what does that look like for me? Um, since, like I said, we don't currently have kids. So I kind of just looked at it, um, and we're gonna just do a little slight talking about you know my thoughts on it um, so I kind of took it word by word. So be is obviously means like to exist, to take place, um fruitful. I took it word by word. So B is obviously means like to exist, to take place.
Speaker 2:Fruitful I took it, I took a dive into or looked into the fruits of the spirit. So like love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, multiply always, you know, obviously means to increase. So I was like, well, what does that look like for me? And I was like, well, that just means to be able to um pour into the youth. Obviously, each kid may need something different. So some kids may need more love, some kids may um need you to. I guess you can say endure the long suffering with them to ride the ride out Um, some kids need to be showed kindness, some kids need to be um shown like, what joy looks like and what peace is. So I think it kind of looks different.
Speaker 2:But I just feel sometimes as a woman, especially with no kids and married, oftentimes we feel like we're. I guess, when it comes to motherhood, we don't really have a part in it and though our part may be small and we may just be a part of a village, but if you listen to the previous episodes, all those women's mentioned how important a village is. So it's no, you may not have your kids right now, but don't give up on the idea of motherhood, and that just may look different for you. You may be a great God mom to someone. You may um, you know be a wonderful stepmother to someone, or you may just be a real good auntie, but I still think a lot of us though we do not necessarily carry the kid or our name is not on someone's birth certificate our motherhood looks a little different, but it's still important at the end of the day. So I just I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think sometimes we just forget the women that are part of the village. That may not also be, may not be a mom, but we're important. I'm standing up for us. We are important. I've always felt important. But you know, that's just here, nor there. I think the people that I kind of help just remind me that you know how important it is to have a party that is not blood related, but it feels like you're blood related and I care for all the youth that I'm with around like they're my own. I even it's kind of crazy to think about but so I'm a part of Big Brothers, big Sisters, and I have a little. I call her my little sister a mentee a little. I call her my little sister a mentee and I think I've known her now at least maybe a year, year and a half. But if her mom calls and says she needs something and if I can do it, I do it. If she has an event and I'm available, I'm there. And to say I've only known her for a little over a year, I can honestly say that I love that little girl Like I'm in her corner rooting for her.
Speaker 2:Um, aaron and I, when we try our best to pray in the morning and evenings together and in the evenings is usually the longer prayer and we kind of go down our list of all the kids that were involved with and involved with and pray for them, and she's definitely in that group of kids we're praying for. So it's just, I think sometimes we just have to open our eyes to what motherhood looks like and don't allow society to put it in a box. If you're already open-minded about it, great Knocks. If you're already open-minded about it, great. But if you're a young woman that is wanting kids and kids just hasn't quite come yet for you, I just encourage you to go find a youth to pour into. Go find a youth that you are able to treat that little one just like they're your own and pour into them, is my advice for that, yes, obviously, keep praying and keep doing what you need to do to try to you know, get pregnant or adopt, whatever your situation is, but go pour into a kid.
Speaker 2:Faith without works is dead. So go find your little one and love on them and treat them just like they're your kid and I promise you. Obviously it may not feel the exact same as if it's your kid, but you will get something out of it. Every kid that we pour into, I feel like, honestly, fruits of the spirit. They bring something different out of me that I didn't know, that I needed or I had in me, either one or something that I need to heal from depending upon. It's always funny to me how God can use different people um to speak to you as well. So there's that. So I just encourage you guys to um be fruitful and multiply, however that looks in your life.
Speaker 2:And lastly, short episode, cause we're gonna make you on the road and go celebrate one of our nephews who graduated recently, but you guys are loved. Everyone who's listening to this is loved by not only Jesus, but myself as well. You're seen, you're heard, you're needed. There is something that is inside of you that this world needs. So don't allow fear to stop. Whatever goal, mission, plan, whatever it is, don't allow this world of the devil to stop it from coming out.
Speaker 2:So go, do. Wait, what's Nike's thing? Oh, just do it. Obviously, I don't wear a name brand that often, but just do it and just see how amazing it is. I recently just started doing marketing as a business and I recently got my first client as a friend paid for me to do some stuff for her, and I'm like that feeling of knowing that someone believes in you and believes in your work, believes in you and believes in your work, man, it's a feeling that definitely lit an extra fire inside of me to push a little harder. So that's all, guys. I love you and have a great day and let summer begin, even though I'm not ready for this heat.
Speaker 1:Lord Jesus, all right, thank you for listening to another episode of Standing in your Truth with Yanni. And if no one told you today, you are loved, you are beautiful, you are needed and you matter. Be sure to follow on Facebook at Standing in your Truth Podcast with Yanni. Also on Instagram Talks with Yanni.
