A Portrait of Godly Motherhood, Part 1

Well its finally here. Mother's Day. The one day a year where moms everywhere are supposed to feel loved, appreciated, and adored. For me it’s a day of relaxation or a day to just do some of the things that I want to do. It is one of the days that I look forward to each year.

As the day approached this year, I started to think about what motherhood should look like as it relates to Christians. It's our ministry.  It's our calling. While thinking about this, I was reminded of a message I shared a few years ago with a church in Tennessee for their Mother's Day Luncheon. So I would like to share some brief thoughts from that message with you over the next couple of blog posts.

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Are you striving to be a "good" mother or a godly mother? When God first spoke this question to me, it immediately struck my heart because for so long I was worried about being a good mother and concerned with what others would think of my ability to parent my children.  I often times weighed my capability based on people rather than the Word of God. The world seeks to emphasize the good things and not necessarily the godly things.  The world sees raising your children as providing their basic needs, attending every sporting event and PTA meeting, or getting them out of high school and college. There is nothing wrong with any of that.  However, God emphasizes training your children. The real ministry of motherhood can be summed up in Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.

When we start looking at motherhood from God's perspective, our attitudes about our role in life will change and we will realize that raising our children is not necessarily the same thing as training our children.

The Proverbs 31 woman is a good example of qualities that we show, not only as women but also as mothers. I will briefly give you four over the next couple of posts.

1.  A godly mother sets out to be an example to her children. Prov. 31:25 says Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. Just like what you wear is visible to those who look upon you, your children should be able to look at your life and see godly characteristics.  In order to put on this new clothing we must take off the old clothing. Colossians 3:5 says Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.  Being an example means we have to put aside fleshly desires in order for our families to see God clearly working in us. Galatians 5:16, 17 say: I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.  To wear and fit into our new clothing, our daily diet should consist of the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We should be models of integrity, living the life that we teach our children about. Proverbs 10:9 (NASB) says, He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out. Walking in integrity is a daily thing, not just another Sunday outfit. The godly mother is the same way Sunday as she is Monday through Saturday. She should never have the mentality of “Do as I say, not as I do”. Her talk and her walk should line up. Children need to see what a godly parent looks like, so they will have someone to imitate when they become parents themselves.   I recall years ago, when I would take my oldest son to his various therapy sessions, one of the things they would always tell me is to model for him what I wanted him to do or say. I could not expect him to learn the things I wanted him to learn if it had never been shown to him in the first place.  We can’t expect our kids to show godly love and respect if they have never seen it in action in their own home. If the godly mother is making the effort to be an example, she can be confident in what the future holds for her and her family. 

2.  A godly mother speaks with wisdom and kindness. Proverbs 31:26 says: She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. The godly mother attains godly wisdom through a devoted time of prayer and study of God’s word. She realizes that right or wrong, what she says and how she says it affects her family now and in the future.  When we speak to our children, we have the opportunity to do one of two things: build them up or tear them down. Prov. 14:1 says: Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands. Imagine that every time you speak words of wisdom and encouragement to your children, bricks are stacking. A strong structure is being built. When you tell your kids that they "can do all things through Christ who strengthens them”—that’s a brick. When you tell them that “no weapon formed against them shall prosper”—that’s another brick.  When you tell them to “be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9) -- yet another brick. But when you speak negativity or foolishness into their lives, it’s like hitting a building with a wrecking ball, destroying it with each swing. Saying things like, “You’ll never be anything”, or “You are nothing but trouble”, or if the child has a wayward father, “You are just like your daddy”.  I know that there are times our kids can make us so angry that we say things that are hurtful.  Even in those times we must practice self-control. James 1:19-20 says 19 My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger,  20 for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

A godly mother realizes that her children are a valuable gift from God and handles them as such. Psalm 127:3-5 says: 

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Every time you speak the word over your children, discipline them, share the Good News of Jesus Christ with them, pray with and over them, and show them love, you are sharpening those arrows.  And the more you sharpen them, the more dangerous they become to the enemy.  In other words, you are letting the devil know that you refuse to let Him have his way in your children's lives.  You are letting him know that you are training up a child that will stand against him and his tactics--a child that will honor God with their life. Remember we are training warriors for Christ!

To be continued....

Mother's Day 2017 with my boys!