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After a meaningful dialogue in our Substack community about the economic and cultural pressures targeting Christian mothers, I reached out to Veilborn with a series of questions about her journey from cultural expectations to biblical motherhood. Her thoughtful responses reveal thesophisticated spiritual warfarethat mothers face in our current moment and thecovenant faithfulnessthat sustains families through these attacks.
Veilborn has graciously shared her testimony and insights for this collaborative piece. Her faithfulness in choosing biblical motherhood despite enormous cultural pressure, and her willingness to speak honestly about the struggles involved, provides crucial wisdom for Christian families navigating these challenges. She humbly acknowledges that her experience represents one woman’s journey among many, and that other mothers face factors and circumstances she hasn’t encountered. What makes her perspective valuable isn’t comprehensive experience, but her commitment to grounding her thinking in Scripture and her authentic testimony of covenant transformation. I’m grateful for her transparency and the biblical clarity she brings to these vital questions.
Click to read Veilborn, a Substack publication. Launched 3 months ago.
You haven’t slept more than three hours straight in weeks. The baby finally settles around midnight, and instead of closing your eyes, you reach for your phone. Just for a minute, you tell yourself.
The algorithm serves you another “traditional wife” influencer. Perfect makeup despite claiming she “just woke up,” spotless farmhouse kitchen, three well-dressed children quietly making sourdough while she discusses “biblical submission” to her 847K followers. Her bio reads “Homemaker • Mother • Following God’s Design” followed by links to her course on “Effortless Traditional Living” for $497.
Your sink overflows with dishes. Your toddler refused dinner again. Your husband worked late trying to afford groceries that somehow cost twice what they did last year. As you scroll, the comparison grows sharper, the self-criticism harsher.
You’re failing at the very thing these women make look effortless.
You consider their course. Maybe that’s what you’re missing. Maybe you need their system, their routine, their secrets. The price would strain your budget, but if it helps you become the mother your children deserve...
But something feels wrong. This isn’t what biblical motherhood actually looks like. It’s something else entirely, wearing biblical language like a marketing strategy.
If you’ve felt crushed under impossible standards disguised as “God’s design for women,” you’re experiencing algorithmic manipulation targeting your covenant relationship. The pressure you feel isn’t coming from Scripture. It’s coming from feminist hustle culture that learned to monetize traditional imagery for profit.
Real biblical motherhood operates through berith (covenant faithfulness) between husband, wife, and God. Messy, requiring daily grace, sustained by hesed (steadfast love) rather than perfect performance. When that covenant commitment wavers under cultural pressure, everything becomes vulnerable.
Christian Futurism offers Frameworks grounded in Biblical Scripture to address AI, Technology, and Digital Discipleship to build a Christian Future.Find me on Substack at: rockefellerkennedy.substack.
Veilborn’s Response:
“Society targets women’s inherent need to feel loved and appreciated by claiming that being at home won’t give the fulfillment the ‘patriarchy’ promises. What God creates, Satan counterfeits.
God’s original model was for a mother to house a baby for nine months, then continue as primary source of love, care, and nourishment. She has an instinct to give everything to that child. The lie manifests when that desire to be everything couples with anxiety about keeping the child alive. Society attacks by saying no one cares about you or appreciates you during this time.
The major lie attacks our identity at the core. Women are nothing if they don’t have a kick-butt job and serious paycheck. We aren’t worthy of motherhood unless someone else raises our children in daycares because this is simply how it’s done now. I have heard it said repeatedly that other women cannot fathom why I stay home and homeschool when I could be helping my husband pay the bills.
The crux comes from a lack of faith in God’s sovereignty over circumstances. My husband thrives on the burden of provision. He was made for it. If the worst happened, I trust my sovereign Savior to direct me. I trust that he honors his biblical calling to provide, and he trusts that I will love and care for the children in a manner reflecting Jesus love for children. The trust is crucial, and Christ must be the center because it is only through Him that this works in our society when the bills start piling up. But a rebel society attacks this as ‘waiting on a man to save me when I can be my own hero.’ Ironically, this mentality contributes to skyrocketing rates of female anxiety and depression.“
Veilborn identifies the theological core of this assault: “What God creates, Satan counterfeits.” The Hebrew word qanah (jealousy/envy) that drove Eve to reach beyond God’s provision operates through the same mechanism that algorithmic content exploits in modern mothers.
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3
The “trad wife” phenomenon represents sophisticated psychological warfare because it uses biblical imagery to create ra’ah (evil desire) rather than contentment. When mothers compare their daily reality to curated content, they’re experiencing the same spiritual dynamic that led to humanity’s fall. Now it’s monetized and delivered through algorithms designed to create maximum envy.
Her insight about anxiety and depression rates reveals the spiritual cost of abandoning divine design. When women pursue cultural definitions of empowerment that contradict their ezer kenegdo (helper corresponding to) calling, the result is existential dissonance that manifests as mental health crisis.
Veilborn’s Response:
“It’s an all-around barrage. Social media is probably one of the worst culprits because we look at it and think ‘wow, I want to be like that. Have it all like that. She makes it look easy.’ When the reality is that contentedness is learned behavior, not natural.
Eve wasn’t content with what the Lord gave her or her husband’s leadership, so she reached for more via the serpent’s temptation. This is woman’s perpetual struggle that doesn’t get touched on enough. Women are always looking for that one thing that will make them happy. Respect in the workplace, nagging husbands to do more rather than encouraging what they do well, pretty things like makeup and trending décor.
Much of it is self-imposed. Rather than seeking what God’s will and desires are for their lives, women naturally want to reach for more than they should. By feeding on algorithms designed for endless consumption, plus hearing other women discuss their insecurities disguised as ‘you should be doing this’—all under the guise that it’ll ‘make you happy.’”
Her observation about Eve reveals the theological foundation: “This is woman’s perpetual struggle that doesn’t get touched on enough.” The Hebrew understanding of feminine nature includes both the ezer kenegdo (helper corresponding to) calling and the post-fall tendency toward teshukah (desire/longing) that can become misdirected.
Social media algorithms exploit this design by creating artificial teshukah for lifestyle aesthetics rather than covenant relationship. When platforms show endless “better” options, they’re digitally recreating the Garden temptation: “You will be like God” becomes “You can have it all.”
The phrase “learned behavior” regarding contentment connects to Paul’s testimony: I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content Philippians 4:11. The Greek autarkeia (contentment) represents spiritual discipline rather than natural disposition. Precisely what algorithmic culture prevents through engineered dissatisfaction.
Veilborn’s Response:
“In the beginning, it was difficult. I was unsure of the Holy Spirit’s voice in my life. I knew I wanted to stay home with my son and have more children, but I felt worthless for not earning money.
It took years of God faithfully dismantling those lies through reading Scripture before I realized I had been looking to society to fill in the blank spots of my identity. When I looked inward honestly, I recognized God had placed this tremendous desire to be home with my children.
God faithfully wrecked me in the best way by reminding me that my roles will change. Nothing is certain. What IS certain: I am a daughter of the King, and He is proud of me because of who He is, not anything I’ve done.
Remove all annoying factors. Guarantee bills are paid and comfortable lifestyle. Then ask a woman what she really wants. If she’s honest, I bet she’ll admit she hates working and her heart is with her children.“
Veilborn’s transformation illustrates the movement from olam hazeh (this world’s) identity metrics to olam haba (eternal) identity grounded in divine berith (covenant). Her phrase “daughter of the King” reflects the Hebrew concept of bat melech whose worth derives from relationship rather than performance.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. 1 Peter 2:9
The cultural lie operates by fragmenting identity into performance categories: career success, income level, social media metrics. Biblical identity operates through unified covenant relationship where worth is natan (given) by God rather than kasab (earned) through achievement.
Her insight about other mothers reveals the artificial nature of career satisfaction for covenant-called women. When cultural pressure forces choices that contradict divine design, the result is existential dissonance disguised as “empowerment.” The Hebrew concept of shalom (wholeness) cannot coexist with forced fragmentation of maternal calling.
Veilborn’s Response:
“I believe it was the New Deal and government printing money out of thin air. Federal Reserve disband that immediately! There are central planning factors favoring large businesses over small private businesses, and complete lack of financial education.
It reeks of intelligent design leading to more reliance on daddy government for monetary issues they were likely behind to begin with. Printing money works great for wealthy with first access, but by the time it circulates, value has decreased. Result: upward cost-of-living trends without marked increase in base job pay.
More women felt forced to work as husbands couldn’t afford to support families alone. There’s also an epidemic of men not living up to their biblical calling. Afraid to take risks for better positions, lack drive to improve skill sets. They’re looked down on for being masculine while women step into roles they would have filled.
Many friends moved to nicer areas with larger homes and gadgets. Those families are either dual-income or the husband is NEVER home. The trade-off isn’t worth it. We see the blessing of me being home as comforter, teacher, homemaker. That far outweighs any FOMO for the ‘stuff’ we’re supposed to want.”
Her phrase “intelligent design” reveals spiritual discernment about coordinated assault on bayit (household) structure that Scripture establishes. The systematic destruction of single-income family viability represents what we might call economic machloket (warfare) against divine order.
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Psalm 127:1
The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy creates artificial inflation that systematically destroys single-income viability while cultural messaging convinces families this represents “progress.” This represents choshek (darkness) masquerading as or (light). Economic bondage disguised as liberation.
Her observation about masculinity reveals the coordinated nature of this attack. When economic systems prevent men from fulfilling the parnasah (provision) calling while cultural messaging attacks masculine leadership, the result is family structure collapse that creates dependency on governmental systems rather than covenant relationships.
Veilborn’s Response:
“Biden and Trump both printed BILLIONS during COVID. I don’t care what reporters claim about this economy. It feels like absolute gaslighting.
I watched my kids’ favorite snacks go up 3-4 dollars and gradually decrease in size. Shrinkflation. We have to buy more to get the same amount. It’s infiltrated everything: food, diaper quality, wipes thickness.
Even as a hardcore believer in staying home and sacrificing whatever necessary, I still feel the pull to monetize skills to help support him. That’s biblical (Proverbs 31 woman), but it hits different when thinking: ‘How are we going to pay the other half of our son’s birthday party deposit after a surprise car repair drained our savings?’”
Her honesty about feeling pressure to “monetize skills” reveals the distinction between biblical melechah (work) within covenant structure and forced labor under economic manipulation. The Proverbs 31 woman’s eshet chayil (woman of valor) functioned through bayit (household) economy rather than external employment necessity.
She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. Proverbs 31:16
The Hebrew concept of parnasah (livelihood) operates through household enterprise rather than separation from family for external employment. When economic systems force mothers into marketplace participation out of necessity rather than covenant calling, it represents perversion of biblical melechah.
Her phrase “it hits different” captures the spiritual distinction between covenant-driven productivity and survival-driven employment. The former serves bayit flourishing; the latter fragments family unity for external economic demands created by systematic monetary manipulation.
Veilborn’s Response:
“We need presidents who actually do what they promise instead of giving false hope then passing monster bills that line wealthy pockets. We need government to stop subsidizing single motherhood. We need to disband central education and let states decide. Get liberal ideology out of college campuses and stop teaching communism despite global evidence.
“There’s no quick fix to what took decades to destroy.“
Her vision recognizes that societal healing requires systematic return to divine order rather than piecemeal reform. The Hebrew concept of tikkun (repair) acknowledges that cultural restoration demands addressing root causes rather than managing symptoms.
And they shall rebuild the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations. Isaiah 61:4
Her insight about subsidizing single motherhood reveals understanding that government policy systematically incentivizes bayit (household) destruction. When financial reward flows toward family fragmentation rather than covenant stability, the result is cultural tohu vavohu (chaos and confusion).
The educational dimension connects to Deuteronomy 6:4-9’s mandate for covenant families to control their children’s formation rather than surrendering it to systems that oppose biblical truth. Her realism about timeline “No quick fix” reflects biblical understanding that spiritual restoration requires generational faithfulness rather than political solutions.
Veilborn’s Response:
“At the time, I felt like I had no choice but to go back to work. God provided an incredible opportunity working for our church as cleaning lady. I could come and go as needed with my baby in a carrier.
I felt righteous about myself as a parent doing ‘all the things.’ Everyone does it now. Got into comparison competitions with other working moms about whose burden was larger, like a badge of honor.
It was about getting the job done quickly so I could take my son home for naps. If he had extra needs while working, it frustrated and annoyed me. I regret that immensely. He should have been the focus, not the job. I lost sight because I focused on the world instead of waiting on God’s timing.”
Her phrase “he should have been the focus” reveals the spiritual cost of divided attention that economic pressure creates. The Hebrew understanding of shema (focused attention/hearing) requires undivided presence that cultural demands systematically fragment.
Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. Luke 10:42
Even when circumstances require maternal employment, the spiritual priority remains covenant relationship rather than task completion. Her regret illustrates how external pressure can invert priorities, making children feel like interruptions to work rather than work serving children’s flourishing.
The “badge of honor” dynamic represents kavod (glory/honor) being sought through suffering rather than through covenant faithfulness, creating competitive victimhood rather than mutual support among mothers facing similar pressures.
Veilborn’s Response:
“When I was working and fighting what my heart wanted, I was angry and impatient. There were times I responded from that place instead of being loving. I didn’t have mental space to think about everything that had to be done AND manage his millions of needs.
When COVID hit and I couldn’t work, I noticed I LOVED being home with my son. Suddenly wanted to be his solely focused mama and teacher. When I finally had courage to tell my husband how I felt, he was thrilled! He had hoped I would change my mind about homeschooling and had been praying all along.
At every turn, when we were seeking whether this was God’s plan, He made it clear by blessing it and making a way where there was none.“
Her testimony reveals the difference between shalom (wholeness/peace) that comes from covenant alignment versus the mehumah (confusion/tumult) that results from fighting divine design. The phrase “mental space” reflects the Hebrew concept of menuchah (rest) that enables proper attention to covenant responsibilities.
And my people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. Isaiah 32:18
The transformation from “angry and impatient” to “loved being home” illustrates teshuvah (repentance/return) to divine design. When cultural pressure forces choices that contradict covenant calling, the result is internal machloket (conflict) that affects all relationships.
Her husband’s response reveals the echad (unity) that emerges when both spouses align with biblical roles rather than cultural expectations. His prayer without pressure demonstrates masculine leadership that creates space for feminine response rather than forcing outcomes.
Veilborn’s Response:
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
“Motherhood demands faith that grows. If you aren’t growing, you get lost in the world’s pandemonium or discipline yourself to accept that faith isn’t safe and walk the path anyway.
I pray: ‘Lord, I don’t see how this will happen. I’m surrendering it to you and asking you to change my heart and circumstances how YOU see fit. You see it all and I don’t.’
The world teaches you are maker of your own destiny. It’s the dichotomy of ‘I AM is God’ versus ‘who I am is god.’ One road leads to joy and peace regardless of situation. The other leads to depression and anxiety without hope.”
Her citation of Hebrews 11:1 establishes emunah (faith/trust) as the foundation for biblical motherhood that operates independently of cultural security systems. The phrase “faith isn’t safe” reveals understanding that covenant relationship requires bitachon (trust) in divine sovereignty rather than human control.
The prayer she shares demonstrates hishtapchut hanefesh (pouring out the soul) that characterizes biblical petition. Honest acknowledgment of limitation combined with surrender to divine wisdom.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
Her theological formulation “I AM is God versus who I am is god” captures the fundamental choice between bitachon (trust in God) and hishtadlut (self-reliance) taken to idolatrous extremes. Hustle culture represents the latter approach systematized through algorithmic manipulation and economic pressure.
Veilborn’s Response:
“First: We are born into sin hardwired for discontentment. Recognize how the enemy uses this to keep you wanting more. Accept reality: You are rotten at your core. I am rotten at my core. We need Jesus to do heart surgery on ungrateful desires.
Start journaling the goodness in your life. If you haven’t done this before, it’ll be difficult at first. Joy will follow when you fervently seek opportunities to write about existing blessings.
Second: Remember we live in a fallen world. God can move powerfully, but sometimes He has other plans. Don’t get caught in ‘waiting for next season’ trap. Keep eyes fixed where you are right now.
Third: Soak yourself in God’s Word. Become proficient in Truth so you can teach your children. God is not surprised by your circumstances. Whether you cut lifestyle to live frugally or are never able to stay home and teach children to combat lies in live action both honor God and His plan for your life.”
Her threefold response provides or (light) for mothers experiencing choshek (darkness) under cultural pressure. The theological anthropology “hardwired for discontentment” reflects biblical understanding of yetzer hara (evil inclination) that requires divine transformation rather than cultural management.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9
The gratitude discipline she prescribes creates hodayah (thanksgiving) practices that retrain neshamah (soul) toward recognition of divine chesed (lovingkindness) already present. This combats algorithmic manipulation that creates artificial ra’ah (evil desire) through comparison.
Her final insight “both honor God” provides crucial nechamah (comfort) for mothers who cannot achieve cultural ideals of stay-at-home motherhood due to economic constraints. The Hebrew concept of ratzui (acceptance) before God operates through covenant faithfulness rather than circumstantial perfection.
Editorial Analysis by
If Veilborn’s testimony stirred recognition in your soul, you’re not alone. Her journey from cultural captivity to covenant freedom touches on deeper theological principles that every Christian mother needs to understand. Let’s examine the biblical foundations that make her transformation more than personal preference but pathway to spiritual liberation for families under siege.
The sophistication of this assault on biblical motherhood demands equally sophisticated biblical response. What Veilborn experienced represents systematic spiritual warfare that requires framework thinking rather than individual solutions.
Click to read Veilborn, a Substack publication. Launched 3 months ago.
Based on Veilborn’s journey and biblical foundation, covenant motherhood operates through four essential principles:
Like Sarah receiving God’s promise at age 90, maternal calling operates through divine berith (covenant) rather than cultural metrics. Worth derives from bat melech (daughter of the King) status rather than performance achievement.
The Hebrew concept of bat melech establishes identity through relationship to the King rather than personal accomplishment. When Veilborn discovered “I am a daughter of the King, and He is proud of me because of who He is, not anything I’ve done,” she accessed covenant identity that transcends cultural performance metrics.
This foundation liberates mothers from the comparison trap that algorithmic content creates while establishing spiritual security that economic manipulation cannot destroy.
Biblical motherhood includes mess, failure, and daily need for grace. Hesed (steadfast love) operates through weakness rather than despite it, transforming struggle into spiritual formation within covenant relationship.
Sarah’s journey included deception, manipulation, and jealousy yet Scripture presents her as a model of faith. The biblical account doesn’t sanitize her struggles or present her as Instagram-worthy perfection. Instead, it reveals covenant faithfulness working through human weakness.
Veilborn’s regret about prioritizing work over her son’s needs illustrates this principle. Covenant relationship transforms failure into spiritual formation rather than condemnation.
God’s parnasah (provision) operates through covenant faithfulness rather than dual-income necessity. This doesn’t eliminate practical responsibility but grounds security in divine promise rather than cultural anxiety.
The Proverbs 31 woman demonstrates parnasah through household enterprise that serves bayit (household) flourishing rather than external economic demands. Her melechah (work) flows from covenant relationship rather than survival pressure.
When Veilborn chose covenant priorities over cultural expectations, God provided through unexpected means. Demonstrating kingdom economy operating independently of cultural systems.
The Proverbs 31 woman demonstrates chayil (strength) through consistent covenant choices rather than flawless execution. Emunah (faithfulness) measures success by persistent trust rather than achieved outcomes.
Veilborn’s transformation required years of God “dismantling lies” through Scripture rather than instant change. Biblical motherhood operates through daily choices to trust covenant promises over cultural pressures.
This persistence enables mothers to resist algorithmic manipulation that demands immediate satisfaction and perfect performance.
This Week: Implement Veilborn’s gratitude discipline. Journal God’s goodness in your daily maternal experience. Notice how this practice combats the qanah (envy) that algorithmic content creates by training attention toward divine chesed (lovingkindness) already present.
This Month: Evaluate your media consumption using covenant criteria rather than cultural metrics. Unfollow accounts that create comparison pressure; follow women like Veilborn who model authentic covenant faithfulness through struggle rather than perfect performance.
Ongoing: Build community with mothers who practice hesed (steadfast love) rather than algorithmic optimization. Share struggles honestly, remembering that covenant relationship transforms weakness into spiritual formation rather than social media content.
Connect with Veilborn’s creative work: Follow her storytelling journey at Veilborn where she crafts narrative fiction. You may discover other Christian women living out covenant truth in unexpected places. Sometimes the sisters with the deepest biblical wisdom aren’t necessarily writing explicitly about motherhood, but their hearts for Scripture shine through their creative gifts.
• How has algorithmic “trad wife” content affected your understanding of biblical motherhood, and what specific cultural lies about maternal worth do you need to reject?
• When you experience maternal inadequacy, what voices are you listening to—cultural algorithms or covenant promises—and how can you distinguish between them practically?
• What would your motherhood look like if you measured success by covenant faithfulness rather than cultural performance, and what changes would that require in your daily practices?
The battle for biblical motherhood represents spiritual warfare at its most sophisticated. When the enemy cannot prevent women from choosing motherhood, he corrupts their understanding of what biblical motherhood actually requires. Replacing covenant faithfulness with performance anxiety, hesed with hustle, and berith with brand building.
Veilborn’s testimony provides more than personal encouragement; it offers strategic intelligence about how this assault operates and how covenant thinking provides effective resistance. Her journey from cultural captivity to biblical freedom demonstrates that transformation is possible when mothers anchor identity in divine berith rather than algorithmic metrics.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. When Christian mothers measure themselves against curated content that monetizes their maternal instincts, they abandon the very covenant foundation that enables authentic biblical motherhood. But when they choose hesed over hustle, shalom over fragmentation, and emunah over cultural anxiety, they discover the ancient path that leads to life.
This is why Veilborn’s voice matters. Her willingness to share both struggle and victory, both failure and faithfulness, provides the authentic witness that mothers need to resist algorithmic manipulation and embrace covenant calling.
The algorithm wants your attention. The culture wants your anxiety. God wants your heart.
Choose covenant. Choose berith. Choose the narrow path that leads to life.
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A year from now, when your sister asks how you found peace in motherhood while others struggled with comparison and inadequacy, you’ll remember this conversation with Veilborn and this moment when you chose covenant identity over cultural performance.
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Citations:
Genesis 3:1-6 - Eve’s temptation and the pattern of cultural deception.
Hebrews 11:1 - Biblical definition of faith versus cultural security.
2 Corinthians 11:3 - Warning against deception targeting covenant relationship.
Proverbs 31:10-31 - Biblical framework for covenant motherhood.
1 Peter 2:9 - Identity as chosen people versus cultural performance metrics.
Psalm 127:1 - Divine blessing essential for household flourishing.
Isaiah 61:4 - Systematic restoration of biblical order.
Luke 10:42 - Priority of presence over performance.
Isaiah 32:18 - Peace that comes from covenant alignment.
Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in divine sovereignty over self-reliance.
Jeremiah 17:9 - Biblical anthropology regarding human nature.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - Covenant family education mandate.
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