We spent weeks rehearsing for the boy’s talent show audition at school. “Deuce”, age nine, would play piano and sing a “mashed up” version of three pop songs. Six-year-old Solomon, memorized Jack Prelutsky’s, “Homework, Oh Homework!” as well as a few jokes to tell after performing the poem.

Sign-ups for the audition were on a recent Friday and we were told no exceptions would be given for parents who missed the deadline. The boys reminded me again and again to sign them up. But when I woke up Saturday morning, I remembered I forgotten. I threw back the covers, raced to my computer, and prayed the sign-up link was still open.

The link was gone and in its place, were the dreaded words, “Audition sign-ups are NOW CLOSED.”

Panic set in. I immediately emailed the teacher in charge a “desperate mom” message. I asked her for mercy and blamed my lame brain for forgetting. I said I’d understand if she couldn’t let me sign them up late, but because she was a mom too, I just knew she’d say yes.

She said no.

Through their tears, my boys offered hugs, kisses, and forgiveness. But letting them down made me feel like a horrible mom.

I don’t know about you, but the memories of the times I feel I stink as a mother, swim more quickly to the front of my mind, than the times I’ve succeeded.

But yesterday, God let me in on a conversation that reminded me of His opinion of the job I’m doing.

The boys had a friend over after school and in the middle of dinner, I said, “Oh boys, we forgot to pray and thank God for our food!”

Friend: “Do you pray in Arabic?”

Deuce: “No, we pray in English.”

Friend: “How do you pray?”

Deuce: “Oh! It’s sooooo easy! You just talk to God, like a regular person. You tell Him what you want, and you pray for people and things and stuff you want to happen. It’s super easy. Sometimes God answers how you want, and sometimes He doesn’t, but you can still talk to Him.”

Friend: (rising from his seat) “I pray like this sometimes…”

He straightened his arms above his head, knelt down with his face close to the ground, and rested the tops of his cupped hands in front of him. Then he rose to his knees, and very mechanically looked left, then center, right, then center.

When the friend said he didn’t go to church, Solomon said, “You should come with us sometime!”

Before bed, “Deuce” prayed, “God, if (friend’s name) doesn’t know You, would you help him to? Thanks for the chance to tell him how to pray. Maybe he will pray now that he knows how.”

Then “Deuce” looked over to me, “Mom, it’s not hard to talk to people about God, is it?”

“Nope buddy, you just tell people about your relationship with God. It’s as simple as that.”

I think the boys felt they could easily talk about prayer and our easy access to God because I talk about this all the time with them. God is a regular part of our conversation. I don’t make a big deal, we just talk about Him like He’s part of the family, because He is. Though I’m not a perfect mom, I do my best to be intentional with our conversations, and try to not let teachable moments slip by.

And it was yesterday, when I didn’t have to intervene or guide the spiritual conversation with this friend, because the boys navigated it all, that God whispered to me, “Look at your boys, Lisa. Excellent job baby, I’m proud of you. This makes Me famous. Keep doing what you’re doing.”

The talent show won’t be the only mistake I’ll make as a mom. I know I’ve got some doozies coming and my boys will be disappointed in me—which I why I need to model forgiveness and reconciliation to them. But when it comes to the eternal things, and making God famous to my kids and teaching them to do the same, I think I’m doing a good job. And if I believe God, an excellent job. And that is success as a mom.

May we be moms who pray for sensitivity to recognize where God is at work. And may we see these times as teachable moments where we can show God off to our kids. And may our mom-success, not be how few mistakes we make, but how often we make God famous to our kids. And as a result, may our kids live bent on bringing fame to His name.