Worksheet 1.4: Starting Point, Support Circle, and Grace Covenant

Purpose of This Worksheet

This worksheet helps you begin this course with grace, honesty, privacy, and wisdom. You do not need to tell your whole story. You do not need to prove that you are strong. You do not need to have everything figured out.

This worksheet is private by default. You may share selected parts with a trusted person, pastor, chaplain, life coach, counselor, or ministry leader only if you choose to do so.

The goal is simple: start where you are, identify the kind of support that may help, and make a grace-based commitment to walk with Christ one faithful step at a time.

1. Pause and Pray

Take a slow breath. Place your hand over your heart if that helps you feel grounded.

Pray slowly:

Lord Jesus, I come to You as I am today. You know my story, my children, my pressures, my hopes, and my fears. Help me begin this course without shame. Give me wisdom, courage, honesty, and peace. Remind me that I am not condemned in You. Amen.

You may pause here. You may come back later. You may write only a few words. You are free to move gently.

2. Notice and Name: Starting Where I Am

A. My Current Season

Right now, my life feels mostly:

☐ peaceful
☐ tired
☐ overwhelmed
☐ hopeful
☐ lonely
☐ pressured
☐ numb
☐ grateful
☐ sad
☐ angry
☐ uncertain
☐ spiritually dry
☐ supported
☐ judged
☐ afraid
☐ ready for growth
☐ other: _______________________________

A few words that describe my current season:

B. What Feels Heaviest Right Now?

The pressure that feels heaviest right now is:

☐ parenting
☐ money
☐ work
☐ housing
☐ food
☐ transportation
☐ childcare
☐ legal concerns
☐ co-parenting
☐ communication with my child’s father or former spouse
☐ loneliness
☐ grief
☐ anger
☐ church or family judgment
☐ exhaustion
☐ health
☐ safety
☐ dating or relationship questions
☐ sexual desire, affection needs, or emotional attachment
☐ another pressure: _______________________________

One sentence about this pressure:

C. What I Do Not Need to Share

I do not have to share everything in order to receive dignity and care.

Right now, I prefer to keep these areas private:

☐ my full story
☐ legal details
☐ details about my children
☐ sexual history
☐ trauma details
☐ financial details
☐ dating or relationship details
☐ conflict with an ex-husband, child’s father, or former boyfriend
☐ family conflict
☐ church conflict
☐ medical or mental health details
☐ other: _______________________________

A boundary I want to remember is:

3. Immediate Safety and Stability Check

This course is not crisis care, legal advice, counseling, medical care, or emergency support. This section helps you notice whether you may need immediate help beyond this course.

Do any of these need attention soon?

☐ I or my children may be in danger.
☐ There are threats, stalking, coercion, violence, or intimidation.
☐ A child or vulnerable person may be unsafe.
☐ I am unsure how to follow a court order or safety plan.
☐ I need urgent housing, food, transportation, or medical help.
☐ I am having thoughts of self-harm or harming someone else.
☐ I am overwhelmed in a way that feels unsafe.
☐ I need professional help for trauma, grief, addiction, sexual harm, or abuse.
☐ None of these feel urgent right now.

If something feels urgent, one wise next step may be:

☐ contact emergency services
☐ contact a local crisis hotline
☐ contact a pastor or trusted ministry leader
☐ contact a counselor or doctor
☐ contact an attorney or legal advocate
☐ contact a domestic violence or safety organization
☐ contact a trusted friend or family member
☐ other: _______________________________

Name or number of someone I may contact if needed:

4. Support Circle Map

Support is not weakness. Support is wisdom.

No one person has to meet every need. Different people may belong in different parts of your support circle.

A. Spiritual Support

Who helps me stay connected to Christ?

Examples: pastor, mentor, prayer partner, chaplain, life coach, trusted Christian friend, small group leader.

Name or possibility:

How this person may help:

B. Practical Support

Who may help with practical needs?

Examples: meals, childcare, transportation, school help, errands, household tasks, budgeting support, job search encouragement.

Name or possibility:

How this person may help:

C. Parenting Support

Who may help me think wisely about my children’s needs?

Examples: teacher, pastor, counselor, trusted parent, family member, pediatrician, mentor.

Name or possibility:

How this person may help:

D. Emotional Support

Who can listen without shaming, pressuring, or gossiping?

Name or possibility:

How this person may help:

E. Professional or Specialized Support

Where might I need qualified help?

☐ legal guidance
☐ counseling or trauma support
☐ medical care
☐ financial advising
☐ housing assistance
☐ domestic violence or safety planning
☐ child-related professional support
☐ pastoral care
☐ sexual harm or sexual health support
☐ other: _______________________________

Possible professional, organization, or referral source:

F. Church or Community Belonging

Where could I receive healthy Christian community?

☐ church worship
☐ women’s group
☐ single-parent group
☐ Soul Center
☐ Bible study
☐ prayer group
☐ trusted ministry leader
☐ service opportunity
☐ online Christian support
☐ other: _______________________________

One possible next step toward belonging:

5. Discern and Choose

Read each question slowly. Answer only what is helpful.

A. What Belongs to Me?

What is one responsibility that belongs to me in this season?

What is one area where I can take a faithful next step?

B. What Does Not Belong to Me?

What burden have I been carrying that may not belong to me?

What expectation, judgment, or pressure may I need to release?

C. Where Do I Need Wisdom?

Where do I need prayer, counsel, or careful discernment?

Who might be safe and appropriate to talk with about this?

D. Where Do I Need a Boundary?

A boundary I may need to consider is:

This boundary would help protect:

☐ my relationship with Christ
☐ my children
☐ my emotional health
☐ my safety
☐ my home
☐ my responsibilities
☐ my legal obligations
☐ my future discernment
☐ my dignity as a woman
☐ other: _______________________________

6. Grace Covenant

A grace covenant is a simple statement of how you want to walk through this course with Christ. It is not a promise to be perfect. It is a prayerful commitment to keep returning to grace, truth, wisdom, and support.

Read these statements. Mark the ones you want to receive.

☐ I will begin where I am, not where I wish I were.
☐ I will reject condemnation as my identity.
☐ I will tell the truth without drowning in shame.
☐ I will love my children without demanding perfection from myself.
☐ I will remember that motherhood does not erase my womanhood.
☐ I will seek support with dignity.
☐ I will practice boundaries without bitterness.
☐ I will bring loneliness, desire, grief, and hope honestly to Christ.
☐ I will not treat male approval as the measure of my worth.
☐ I will remain open to God’s future without rushing, hiding, or despairing.
☐ I will take one faithful step at a time.

Now write your own grace covenant:

With God’s help, I will walk through this course by:

When I feel shame, I want to remember:

When I feel overwhelmed, I want to take this faithful step:

7. One Faithful Step

This week, my one faithful step will be:

☐ pray for five quiet minutes
☐ ask one person for prayer
☐ contact a support person
☐ make an appointment
☐ organize one practical need
☐ create one simple home rhythm
☐ rest without guilt
☐ write down what I need
☐ set one communication boundary
☐ attend church or connect with a church leader
☐ ask for help with my children
☐ seek professional guidance
☐ take a walk or care for my body
☐ read one Scripture slowly
☐ other: _______________________________

My specific step is:

When I will take this step:

Who, if anyone, I may tell:

8. Portfolio Note

You may save the following items for your private Single Mother Growth Portfolio:

• starting-point reflection

• support-circle map

• immediate needs list

• privacy boundary

• grace covenant

• one faithful step

You do not need to upload this worksheet. You may keep it private.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for meeting me where I am. Help me receive grace without hiding from truth. Help me love my children with patience, seek support with dignity, and walk forward without shame. Give me wisdom for what belongs to me, peace about what does not, and courage to take one faithful step. Amen.