.png)
It's A Single Mom Thing
Welcome to “It's A Single Mom Thing,” the show for single moms by single moms, hosted by Sherry Chandler.
Being a solo momma and present parent is hard work, and losing focus is easy when you forget your faith. The good news is you are not alone. You were singled out this season, and together, we can work on what’s not working for you—finding Christ in the crisis! Whether you’re tuning in early in the morning or late at night, I’m here for you, momma.
This podcast is your go-to space for navigating life as a single mom with faith, fun, and a fresh perspective. We'll cover everything from mastering a single-mom success mindset and budgeting like a boss to prioritizing self-care and raising resilient kids. We’ll share time management hacks, parenting perspectives, co-parenting challenges, and how to find joy and laugh again. Together, we’ll move from surviving to thriving in every season of single motherhood.
Be encouraged. Get inspired. You can do this, momma.
Each Monday, join me for practical advice, relatable stories, and uplifting conversations as we walk this journey from solo momma to solo momma. I promise not to take too much of your time, and I’m so grateful you’re spending it with me.
It may be a single mom thing, but it doesn’t have to be the "single thing" that stops you!
It's A Single Mom Thing
Grace and Green Lights: Move Forward, Even If You’re Not Sure How
School’s starting, schedules are shifting, and life feels loud. In this episode of It’s a Single Mom Thing, we’re slowing things down to talk about what it means when God says go—even if everything around you says, “Not now.”
Whether you're prepping backpacks or processing heartbreak, this episode is your reminder that grace and green lights don’t wait for perfect conditions. They show up in the middle of your mess, right when you feel the least ready—and they dare you to move anyway.
You'll hear real encouragement, honest truth, and a story of single moms who walked out the impossible—because God said go.
📒 Grab your journal for a special back-to-school devo thought.
📞 Need prayer? Call 855-822-PRAY.
🎧 And don’t forget—I’ll be off next Monday but back the next with more Word Up encouragement just for you.
It’s time to move, Mama.
God’s given you the green light.
It's a Single Mom Thing, Not the Single Thing That Stops You!
Welcome to it's a Single Mom Thing, the show for single moms by single moms. This is Sherri, your host, and I am happy you are here today. Remember it's a single mom thing and not the single thing that stops you. What up my son-in-law mamas and welcome back to another episode of it's a Single Mom Thing. So school starts next week and while I may not be packing lunches or doing drop-offs anymore, I certainly do remember the chaos, the countdown and all the questions that came with it, Like am I ready? Are they ready? Is this the year things finally feel normal? I mean, I know you. Just like me, you have your to-do list that's longer than summer break and a heart that might be holding on to just a little anxiety, or maybe even a dream that's tugging at you louder than ever.
Speaker 1:As single mamas, we don't wait around for life to settle. We move forward in faith, even if the road ahead still has a few construction cones. So, having said that, today's episode is called Grace and Green Lights, because, listen just maybe, amongst all the noise, my guess is God is flashing you a big, bold go, whether you're prepping for back to school, stepping into something new or just trying to keep your head above the backpack pile. This episode is for you Because, listen, grace doesn't wait for perfection and God's green light doesn't always come with a full tank of confidence. So exhale, grab your iced coffee or even the cold one you forgot in the microwave, and let's talk about what it means to move forward when you're still trying to figure it out, because, ladies, listen, your breakthrough might just be one brave step away. What's a green light from God, anyways? Well, let's talk about green lights because, listen, in my experience I have found that not all of them come with confetti, canyons and clarity. You see, we tend to think a green light from God means everything will just fall into place, like suddenly the kids will cooperate, the bank account will agree and confidence will show up with a cute outfit and a clipboard and the skies, ooh. They will part with a booming voice saying this is the way, walk in it. But more often than not, god's green lights, well, they show up in the middle of our mess, not the end of it, and they may look like this I don't know a quiet nudge that won't go away, a door that opens just a crack. A door that opens just a crack. A moment of peace in the middle of panic, or even a reoccurring thought you try to silence, but it just keeps knocking louder. Sometimes the green light isn't loud, it's just clear, and that's enough.
Speaker 1:And let me tell you from personal experience, it doesn't always make sense on paper either. You see, for me there was a season when God was calling me out of what was safe and predictable and into a ministry job. Now, listen, as a single mom, that math did not add up. The salary was marginal, the needs were massive and the timing was absolutely wild. But listen, the peace that, my friends, was undeniable. I couldn't explain it, but I also couldn't ignore it. I didn't know how it would all work out, but I knew I had to say yes. And that yes listen, ladies it became the launching point for a future I never could have written for myself. You see the numbers. They didn't make sense, but the sum total made all the difference. All the difference that, my friend, was a green light. And here's what it was not. It was not the absence of fear, it was not a five-step plan with guarantees, and it was not waiting until everyone around me thought it was a good idea, and certainly it was not getting the final piece to the puzzle so I could see the bigger picture.
Speaker 1:Now listen, if you're waiting for perfect conditions, ladies, you will be parked in the same place next year wondering why you didn't move. You see, sometimes God says go when we still feel slow, says go when we still feel slow. Sometimes the open door is the one we almost talked ourselves out of, and sometimes the green light shows up in your gut before it shows up in your circumstances. So let me ask you this Is there a whisper you've been ignoring a door you've been afraid to open, or even a dream you've been calling too late or too risky? This might just be your holy confirmation, ladies, that it's time.
Speaker 1:Grace is your fuel, not your guilt. Let's get one thing straight, okay. God doesn't guilt you forward. He graces you forward. Too often we try to move with the wrong fuel, we hustle out of fear, we overcompensate because of shame, we grind through guilt, thinking if we just do enough or prove ourselves, we'll finally be worthy of the green light. But guilt will always run you dry. Grace is the only fuel that doesn't burn out. So, mama, you don't move because you've earned it. You move because God already covered it. God already covered it, and here's where it gets real.
Speaker 1:What if the green light comes at the worst time? What if it comes the week your kids go back to school and your house is chaos? What if it shows up during your teen senior year and you feel emotionally maxed out already? Or what if it comes right after the separation, when your heart feels like it's still bleeding? Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes, grace shows up with a green light right in the middle of your grief, your grocery list or even your goodbye, and that's what makes it grace. It doesn't wait for everything to be put back together. It shows up while you're still trying to figure out how to keep it from falling apart.
Speaker 1:God, ladies, might be calling you into something new right now, in the middle of your not now, and it will feel wild, it won't make sense on paper and it will make every voice of self-doubt and guilt rise up in your head like clockwork. But here's the hope I want you to have, grace. It doesn't check your timeline, it just says start here, start now. That calling. Tugging at you that dream you keep pushing to next year. Tugging at you that dream, you keep pushing to next year. That whisper in your heart that says what if you were made for more. That's not about proving yourself. That's about trusting God, who already approved you, that's good.
Speaker 1:And if you're sitting there thinking, maybe this is you, ladies, well, I missed it, I messed up, I waited too long, let me stop you right there with a holy hold up. Okay, you are not disqualified by your past. You are positioned by his promises. And hear me on this Grace and green lights come even when you are a single mom. Okay. So we need to drop that excuse. You're not on pause, you're not a side story and you're not waiting for life to start when someone else joins you. Oh no, you see, because God is moving in your life right now, not later, not someday. Now, that's what grace does. It picks you up, powers you forward and paves the way.
Speaker 1:So listen, ladies the next time guilt tries to convince you this isn't the right time, I want you to say out loud and repeat after me I don't move because I'm good enough. I move because God is your babies don't need a perfect mama. We have covered that before in other podcasts. They need a present one, a growing one, a courageous one, who's willing to walk in grace even when guilt tries to ride shotgun. Let grace take the wheel and leave guilt on the curb where it belongs. Can I get an amen?
Speaker 1:So what to do when you're still at the light? So what to do when you're still at the light? Okay? So listen, say you've heard this message and you believe God has more for you. You see the green light, but your foot it's still on the brake. I get it. Listen. No shame in that game. I have had that moment too. Sometimes.
Speaker 1:The green light, it shows up, but fear holds you at the intersection. You're not lazy, you're not disobedient, you're just scared, or even unsure, or exhausted, or still grieving what you thought life would look like by now. So what do you do when your spirit says go, but your circumstances scream not yet? Here's what I want you to know being still at the light doesn't mean that you failed. It just means you're pausing before you proceed with purpose, because sometimes that pause it's holy. Think of it like this it's kind of like looking both ways at a busy intersection two or even three times before you proceed. Your pause, it can be wise, not weak. You're not frozen in fear. You're just checking in with God before you cross into something new and listen.
Speaker 1:Caution doesn't mean you lack faith. It just means you want to walk in alignment, not adrenaline. But hear me out. At some point, when the peace comes and the light stays green, you've got to trust the one who gave it and move. So here's how you start.
Speaker 1:Number one pray with expectation, not just an explanation, and here's what I mean by that. Don't just pour out your fears. Ask God what he wants you to do. Ask him to show you the next step, not the entire path. Okay, so here in Psalms 119, 105, it says you don't need a spotlight on the whole road, just a lamp for your feet.
Speaker 1:Number two move in small faithful steps. You don't have to leap, just to lean forward. Maybe that looks like making a phone call, signing up for something that stretches you, journaling what's stirring in your heart, or even telling someone you trust. Even baby steps count when you're following a big God. Number three silence the inner critic with God's voice. Your guilt ladies will say this who do you think you are? But grace will say oh no, I am chosen, called and covered. Combat those thoughts with the word. Speak truth out loud and when lies get loud in your mind, speak back to them.
Speaker 1:Number four surround yourself with green light people okay, not the blue man group, but the green light people. Find people who help you move forward, not those who keep you parked. You need women who speak life into your leap, not fear into your faith. You don't need cheerleaders for your comfort zone. You need truth tellers for your transition season. Listen, I have found that community. It will keep you moving forward when your courage wants to quit.
Speaker 1:So hear me when I say this, ladies, you don't have to be fearless to move. On the contrary, you just have to be faithful. If you're still at the light today, know this, you're not behind, you're not disqualified. You're just prepping for the next step and when it's time, you will know you will move. Move and grace will be right there, lighting the way. So, as your reminder, being still at the light doesn't mean you failed. It just means you're pausing before you proceed with purpose. And when you do move, ladies, listen, even if it's hard, even if it doesn't make sense, god meets you in the motion. I've seen it firsthand.
Speaker 1:Listen, some of the solo mamas I know right here at Shepherd's Village that have said yes to a green light. That looked impossible on paper. They were raising kids, working two jobs, showing up for classes and still showed up to pour over 340 hours of sweat equity into building their own home through Habitat for Humanity. Let me tell you, it was exhausting. The math didn't add up, the timing wasn't ideal, the weight of it all looked too much, but God, he said go. And they went. And today, those keys, that front door, that foundation, it's more than just a house. It's a testimony, because, listen, grace shows up with bricks in one hand and strengthen the other and says let's build. It didn't feel easy. I am sure it didn't feel perfect, but it was right.
Speaker 1:So if what's ahead of you looks too big, too complicated or too exhausting, you're in good company. You're standing at the same kind of green light where God has shown up before and he'll show up for you too. God's not a stop sign. So, as I close, let me leave you with this thought today, ladies, god's not a stop sign. He's not waiting for you to clean everything up before he moves, he's not holding back his blessings until you get it all right, and he's definitely not the one whispering that it's too late, too messy or too hard. You see, the enemy wants you stuck at the light, but God, he wants you moving in faith. And here's the good news he goes with you.
Speaker 1:Isaiah 30, 21 says this. And here's the good news he goes with you. Isaiah 30, 21 says this whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way. Walk in it. Not wait until everything's perfect. Not prove yourself first. Just walk in it. That means God isn't only ahead of you, making a path straight. He is behind you, whispering. You can do this. I got you. Keep going, girl.
Speaker 1:His grace isn't just the green light, ladies. It is the guide, the guardrail and the gas in your tank. So fill her up. So, whether you are at the light, stepping off the curve or halfway down the road, you never thought you'd have enough courage to walk. You're not alone, you're not disqualified and you are not stuck. God has already given you the go. Now it's your move, ladies. Hit the gas. Grace and green lights are waiting. So I hope this episode gave you what you needed Permission to go, space to pause and the reminder that grace is still chasing you down, even at the red lights.
Speaker 1:And listen, I know this time of year is a lot emotionally, mentally and spiritually. So if you're feeling a little overwhelmed, uncertain or just need someone to pray with you, we've got you. You can call our 24-hour prayer line at 855-822-PRAY that's 855-822-7729. There's a village ready to stand with you, cry with you and call heaven down with you. So I will be off next Monday as we'll take a moment to breathe and settle into this new school year rhythm. But I'll be back in the following week with a brand new word to lift you up and move you forward. But until then, I've got a little back to school homework for you. Oh no, I didn't forget about that.
Speaker 1:So get your journal out. It's just one thing I want you to focus on and it's a devotional thought. And I want you to write your journal or your grocery receipt or whatever piece of paper you got handy, and write what green light might God be giving me right now, even if it doesn't make sense. Okay, let yourself be honest, don't edit it and don't spiritualize it. Okay, just write what's stirring inside you and then ask God to confirm it in his way and his time. And remember okay, this bears repeating. Grace is the gas, obedience is the go, and God is already up the road. I love you. Ladies, I will talk with you next well, not next week, in the week after that, okay. Until then, though, remember it's a single mom thing and not the single thing that stops you. Thanks for listening to. It's a Single Mom Thing. I hope you enjoyed our time together. If you have more questions on how to have a relationship with Jesus or need prayer, visit us at wwwshepherdsvillagecom. Backslash prayer. For more information and resources, check out our show notes.
