Our Work is Not Finished

​We are not a finishing school. I recently attended the Heartbeat International Conference in Atlanta and a woman at the conference made this statement in our session entitled “Trauma-Informed Care in the Maternity Home.” This particular session was 8 hours worth of need-to-know information for individuals working with single mothers. As many Executive Directors voiced their struggles with the work God has called us to do, this particular woman reminded us of one important fact: we are not a finishing school. 

​New Beginnings is such an amazing program, and I feel blessed to be a part of it. Every day I am blessed with the opportunity to watch new mothers grow closer to Christ, learn new parenting skills, and advance their education. The blessings, however, are often laced with bumps along the way. One of the most valuable concepts I took away from the conference is that New Beginnings is NOT alone in the struggles we face when working with single, generationally-poor mothers. If the difficulties of doing God’s work ceased to exist, then we would know that we are not doing enough. With growth comes resistance, hardship, and even fear, but it is our job to help each mother recognize her strength and ability to blossom. Is change scary? Yep. New Beginnings can confirm, however, that sometimes the most difficult events in our life help us to flourish the most! 

​So I say it again: we are not a finishing school. I have never heard someone say, “I have too much knowledge.” What a great reminder that we all have the opportunity to grow; all we need is a little water and sunshine, and a lot of perseverance and guidance from Christ. 

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)

Brianne Kluge is the Home Manager at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, refurbishing furniture and spending time with her fiancé, Daniel.  

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