God isn't finished with you yet!
As I’ve come across people over the years, many are amazed at our family’s story. Our ministry and musical outreach have been so large for so long, including the careers of Rebecca St. James and for KING & COUNTRY. People are curious how these two entities came out of one family and how we all came to be who and what we are today. They want to know how it is we’ve worked and stayed together through obstacles and detours most “normal” families don’t encounter. There isn’t one response I can think to give.
Our journey has been filled with a variety of faith-stretching occurrences that could only have been orchestrated by God, both in their inceptions and in His miraculous outcomes. But for me, as a mum who loves Jesus, I am convinced that nothing we have accomplished or overcome would have happened without His divine intervention and our commitment to follow His lead, regardless of how unusual or against the flow His plan seemed.
It is now 30 years since David and I left Australia for the United States. Back then, with six young children and one on the way, we had no idea of what was before us. We were just putting one foot in front of the other one day at a time. Little did we know the plans God had for us and the journey He would take us on! But we have seen Him. We have known Him. He has been right beside us, loving us, providing for us, opening and closing doors, and blessing us. And since then, our family has grown.
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Each of our children, except Libby, is now married. And we currently have 13 grandchildren, which takes our family to 28 members. We are a family that still works together, vacations together, and plays together, and as you can imagine, we have pretty loud, fun, and active celebrations. We can also still be a hard family to be a part of, particularly for introverts. We definitely aren’t perfect by any means — we make mistakes and hurt each other as all families do — but we mostly give love, grace, and acceptance as a general rule. David is a true patriarch, and I am the matriarch of the whole rowdy bunch.
I am passionate about family, especially about mothers. It breaks my heart to see families torn apart — the family is the foundation of culture, and the center point of the family is the mother. She holds everything together. A mother, through her children, impacts the world of tomorrow, and yet her role is not hugely respected by society. It is also not recognized for what it is — the most difficult job on the planet. But while it’s the most difficult, it is also the most rewarding and godly role.
About 11 years ago I was asked by a younger mum, Heather Rae Houle, from our local church to participate in a mother’s mentoring group that met once a week. So I decided to try it, and I have been mentoring ever since.
Heather and I call our model for mentorship MUMlife Community. The "mum" in MUMlife is an acronym for “mothers uplifting mothers.” It is based on Titus 2, which has the older mothers coming alongside the younger mums to encourage them on their journeys. We’ve recently launched the MUMlife Community Podcast which enables us to reach and encourage mothers all around the world. Only God! I feel quite stretched by God in doing the podcast because I have always loved being behind the scenes.
I’m definitely not a front person; it has been fine for me to push the kids out into the limelight while I stay safely ensconced in my safe, comfortable environment. But God doesn’t want any of us to stay in our safe zone, including me. He wants us to continue to grow and live out our lives — that means our entire lives — for His purposes.
I have also known deep down for a long time that a book needed to be written about our family story, and I knew it was me who needed to write it. As I contemplated the thought, I knew I wanted to share not just our story but how amazing God is in our story. It all starts and ends with Him. After praying for the right time to actually do it, I felt the nudge about a year ago that the time was ripe. And now my memoir, Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and Her Family, is out in the world.
At the same time, God has also been pushing me into doing more speaking. I have so enjoyed remaining anonymous and unrecognized, and I’m afraid that comfortable space is disappearing. Moving forward, I know God will give me the strength I need to rise to these new endeavors, and I firmly believe that if He has called me to them, then He will be faithful to give me what I need to be obedient. I will simply do what I’ve always done, and that is to take things one day at a time.
When I’m not podcasting or writing, David and the farm have been and will continue to be my happy place. I am surrounded by open fields and the beauty of life, which entails some of my “friends.” We have 10 horses, of which quite a few are retired, as well as 2 donkeys, 6 goats, 2 pigs, and 6 alpacas.
It doesn’t matter what age you are. God not only has a plan for your life but also a purpose. You may be in the prime of youth, or you may be older like David and me. If you still have breath in your lungs, then God is not finished with you — you have meaningful contributions to make to your family, your church, and the community.
The faithfulness and favor God has shown me — shown all of us — is the same faithfulness He shows to anyone who fully commits their life to Him. It is my hope that from our story, you will be inspired to step outside of your box and embrace God’s plans for you without fear or hesitation. When you do, His peace will carry you no matter what you face, the same way it has carried me.
Adapted from Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and Her Family by Helen Smallbone (K-LOVE Books, 2022).
Helen Smallbone is the mother of seven young adults and 13 grandchildren as well as the author of Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and Her Family. She is the co-founder of MUMlife (mumlife.org) and co-host of the MUMlife Community Podcast. David and Helen Smallbone live outside of Nashville with a small menagerie of animals.
