About Me

Rachel Larkin lives ‘Down Under” in New Zealand with her husband of 15 years and her three darling boys . Rachel is a home schooling mum. She is also kept busy assisting in their family handyman business.

Rachel has a passion for writing and loves to inspire women to find their individual purposes in life and to become the woman that God created them to be - spirit, soul and body.

She is also the publisher and editor of the ‘Chocolat’ magazine.

Rachel Larkin is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.

If you would like to contact Rachel - send an email to :Rachel@Rachel-Larkin.com

Here was Rachel’s first introductionary post-

Welcome to my website! Click on About Rachel Larkin to learn more about how I tick.

Chocolat Splash Chocolat Magazine

Chocolat is for women who want to discover their purpose in life and become a woman that God created her to be. Its aim is to encourage and inspire - to nourish the spirit, soul and body! Just like Chocolate!

I will be posting different articles here from various issues for you to enjoy.
See Ya

Rachel Larkin

Here is an article about a time in Rachel’s life where she went through Post Natal Depression.

Trapped in a hole with no ladder!

By Rachel Larkin

My mind was tight, like a stretched out rubber band. I couldn’t focus on even the simplest task. The pile of clothes to be washed looked like Mt Everest ! And the worst part was that once I “washed the clothes, pegged the clothes and turned the clothes over”! There would be another Mt Everest to conquer the next day. It felt like it was never ending.

In fact every task felt like it was a rerun from the day before and in truth it was!. You see, I was mum to three small boys—very small boys. Nathan had just been born, it was the middle of winter and the year was 2001. Shaun and David were toddlers—only 3 and 2 years old and toilet training was in progress—or maybe not!

I had Post Natal Depression , the doctor explained that if he took a scan of my brain it would show a break in my neurotransmitters—the pathways in my brain were not connecting due to being overwhelmed with all the things I thought I had to do and be.

I felt like I was trapped in a deep dark hole and I couldn’t find a torch and I had a sinking feeling that there was no ladder!

How could a Christian get to this point? I felt incredibly guilty—was I not trusting God enough?

I came to a place where I couldn’t function. I needed someone to come in and take over. I knew it was serious but I couldn’t get it across to anybody. It wasn’t until a phone call with Karen (my sister) where she made the remark that I was incredibly negative. I knew that needed help but I didn’t know how anybody could help me– everyone has there own lives. Karen was concerned enough to alert mum to my plight and then the rescue mission commenced.

Support, prayer and medication were all part of the rescue mission. Noel, Mum, Christine Smith and God all helped to put me back on track. But God showed me that I had an ongoing “Maintenance Mission” and it was up to me. It had to do with my Heart and my Mind.

Maintenance Mission One

I had to stop thinking!!! I had to give my mind a rest. I had to go through the filing cabinet in my mind and remove all the folders marked “How to be the perfect mum” ; “How to raise perfect children”; “How to keep a perfect home”. I had to chuck out all my unachievable standards and expectations. If I didn’t they would make it impossible for me to live.

This was far harder than it sounds. The expectations and standards I had created, had built up over many years and were ingrained in my mind. God was so good to me he took away those mountains of expectations in my mind and rallied support around me. The battle for the mind is very real. The Rescue Mission worked and God healed my mind. Over the past five years different wars have sprung up with my self-imposed standards. They are my “thorn in my side” that keeps me in my Heavenly Fathers arms.

I have learnt a lot about seasons. God works in seasons. Raising children is all about going through different seasons. From the season of potty training, the season of physically doing everything for your child to the season where they want to do everything themselves and don’t want to listen to you! The good thing about seasons is—they pass!. This leads onto Maintenance Mission Two.

Maintenance Mission Two

I have to make sure I enjoy each season as it passes. I certainly missed a lot of moments that could have been memorable when my boys were babies. I have many regrets, I was too worried about how to be a good mum and wife that it didn’t leave any time to enjoy my babies. I didn’t laugh enough and I certainly didn’t treasure my heart. God says “Treasure your heart because it is the wellspring of life” (Prov 4 v 23) I was becoming Rachel the Mum and Wife and I had lost who Rachel the Princess Daughter of God was. I had buried any dreams or desires I had into the corners of my heart and closed the door to enjoying life. I need to take time out in every activity to stop and treasure my heart by enjoying every moment.

This is also a constant battle as satans job is to steal and destroy our hearts. We must make every effort to treasure our hearts and allow the fullness of God to flood it with His Spirit.

A heart and mind at peace is worth more than Bill Gates millions or the title deed to a mansion. Its priceless and its only found in Jesus Christ.

Rachel Larkin currently resides in New Zealand with her soul mate, Noel and their three awesome boys (aged 9 to 5). Rachel worked in the corporate world for ten years as a Chartered Accountant before coming home to homeschool her children. She has a passion for inspiring and encouraging women to partake of all that God has for them. Check out her website: http://www.Rachel-Larkin.com for more encourageing articles and Freebies.