On this Mother’s Day of 2020, I would like to give a salute to Moms! During this time of pandemic, motherhood (as well as parenthood) has been very challenged. School aged children can no longer go to school placing the “burden” of education on the parents. Empty nest parents finding their college students back at home or their working children at home having been laid off from their jobs or now working from home. Grandparents having to step-up to assist their working children with the grand children now at home. These are additional challenges added to a role that is challenging enough. Mothers wear many “hats” in their homes. They are counselors, teachers, culinary artists, cheerleaders, nurses, referees,fashion experts, design specialists and much more. In addition, many work outside of the home. Mothers are heroes!
Motherhood is a life of sacrifice. From the time the child is in the womb, a mothers’s lifestyle is affected. Pregnancy impacts what you drink, eat and your sleep patterns. It causes you to forgo certain habits and requires you to take vitamins. Once the child arrives, the demands increase. Raising children requires everything that we have and when you feel you have reached your limit, it requires more. The good news is that God provides everything we need to effectively rise to the demands.
Motherhood is an anointing/a special grace. God gives us the grace or the ability to be a great mother. He gives it to all mothers that are willing to yield to it. He gives the ability to nurture, love, teach, correct, protect and raise them to be responsible adults. He grants them wisdom and insight. Some call it mother’s intuition. It is wisdom and grace bestowed by God.
So Moms, relax and follow what God gives you. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Just be faithful and consistent in doing your best. God will cover what you miss. He knows you are broken but He trusted you with them anyway. This leads us to the next truth concerning motherhood.
Motherhood (as well as fatherhood) is a trust or a stewardship. Children are a gift and a trust. They are entrusted to us by God. They exist in the mind of God before they are given to us. (Jeremiah 1:5) So, they are on loan to us to prepare them to walk in their places of divine purpose. Therefore, we are accountable to God for how we raise them. At the same time, He is available to give us the wisdom and direction on how to raise them. It’s like when our employer gives us a job to do and the training and resources we need to do it. One day we will give an account to God but not for the outcome of our parenting but for our level of faithfulness. How the child turns out is dependent upon their choices as well as our parenting. Their choices can override our parenting and that is a matter between them and God. At some point, it is just their journey. God calls us to be faithful not perfect. Faithfulness requires personal discipline.
Personal discipline is extremely important in effective parenting. Routines, proper boundaries, and training must be established with consistency in concert with unconditional love and grace. It takes courage to be a parent. It requires self-control as we discipline them and patience as we train them. God will grant that to us as well if we pause to give our emotions time to cool off before we speak or act. As an adult, I asked my mom why she would wait for hours before she would spank me when I was a child. The waiting felt like torture to me. She said she would wait because she did not want to punish me with anger. She was giving herself time to cool off. Wow! She was not even a Christian at that time. Even without knowing Christ or having the power of the Holy Spirit within her, she was a great mom that functioned in self-control and wisdom.
If being a mother requires so much, why do we do it? It is because the rewards far out weigh the sacrifices. The unconditional love that is returned to us through the hugs, kisses, simple gifts, kind words and devotion. The blessings of seeing them excel in their gifts and talents as they grow to become responsible adults. It also establishes a legacy. We can look forward to them carrying on the family call that God has established. All the dreams and visions that God has given us may not be fulfilled by us. Some may be fulfilled in our children or grandchildren. Past generations were legacy minded. They knew that the sacrifices they made in the present for their children were for the advancement of future generations.
There are personal benefits afforded to us as well. First there is the side benefit of our own personal growth and development. We become better people. We learn to care for someone other than ourselves. We learn to serve, to extend grace, to forgive and to love. We also get to have bragging rights when they do well. (Haha!) Hopefully, they are there to care for us in our old age. Finally, we get to hear the commendation from God one day when we stand before Him in eternity of “well done.” (Matthew 25:23)
So Moms, be encouraged. Hang in there. You are doing a great job. Don’t allow discouragement, fear or regret overtake you. Yield to the changes that are occurring inside you. You are not loosing yourself. You are discovering yourself. Take one day at a time. Shift with the changes and seasons that parenting brings. God is there to help you. Look to Him in every season. He will give you what you need even in the most difficult seasons. Moms of adult children, be grateful to God for what He has done through you in raising your child(ren). Do not entertain regret! You did your best. God is doing the rest. Now, we continue to love, encourage and pray. We have become advisers, cheerleaders, helpers and even greater prayer warriors. I leave you with this verse:
“And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.” Galatians 6:9 (NASB)
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!