Mothers, did you know that you are an irreplaceable foundation for your children?
William Booth said, “Think of the possibility of raising a multitude of men and women whose bodies have never been poisoned by vicious indulgences, whose minds have been enlightened and filled with the principles of divine truth from their infancy, and whose hearts, from their earliest days, have been inspired with the love of Christ and possessed with the ONE SUPREME AMBITION to glorify the Father, dethrone the devil, destroy sin, and save the world!”
That blew me away when I first read that. I had no idea how much weight mama held in the eyes of her child. What a wonderful opportunity we have!
Home is my heartbeat.
You will find me repeating this common theme and I want you to share in that same desire with me. Many things revolve around the opportunities in our homes that are the center of learning, loving, and living.
As a female, the number one person we need to be gleaning from is our mother or mother figure. She would be the primary person that desires to invest in your heart and in your life. Most mothers naturally love their children, and typically have their best interests in mind.
But if you and I share a similar childhood, that investment in life never came.
I always wanted to be a mother. That was never a question, but mothering wasn’t a concept I experienced or understood. Comforting wasn’t something I experienced either. I heard too many man-bashing conversations and saw a lot of feminist behaviors. Those two things I have always cringed at and something I chose not to be a part of.
I ended up asking myself, how do you do this mothering-thing well if you weren’t exposed to it?
Maybe your mother is kind and compassionate, and you’re just searching for some tips. Maybe your mother is a tender soul, but she isn’t a believer. Whatever your backstory is, pray for a Godly, Titus 2 woman that would be willing to mentor you in God’s design for your motherhood journey. You will see that mothering will come more naturally to you than you probably realize.
I have had to learn to be content with where God has me, and be grateful for what He has saved me from.
I still desire to love and be loved, therefore purposing to seek out other Godly women on how to do this thing called mothering has benefited my life greatly.
I do know that no matter what environment you came from, you can learn to mother well.
My heart belongs at home. I love nothing more than the simple life of rocking my babies, having a routine, reading to them, being creative with them, going on nature hikes, and all the beauty that goes along with what mothering is. God created you to be this very person in your children’s lives and He will give you the wisdom along the way. If He can do an amazing work in me, He can do it for anyone.
Let us jump into what a mother's purpose is with her children.
To comfort– The definition of comfort is: to strengthen: to invigorate; to cheer; to console; to give new vigor to the spirits; relieve from trouble; relief from pain, relief from distress of mind
How many times do we comfort our distraught child to bandage up a wound or hold them tight when they are scared of the dark? How many countless hours have we paced the floor in the middle of the night completely exhausted with our crying baby? In those difficult moments, do you look at your sweet baby in the eyes and give him a smile? What I learned during those sleepless nights was they were interpreting the life around them by my responses. Your smile may just make the difference in their entire little world.
How about your arm around your child when she feels troubled? It is so comforting to know their mother is on their side rooting for them in any given situation. We need to be constantly encouraging them to be in God’s will and helping them use their gifts and talents for eternal purposes.
To nurture– According to Noah Webster, it is defined as: that which nourishes; that which promotes growth; instruction, education
Nurturing isn’t only nursing your baby or feeding the rest of your children at the table. It means you nurture those weaknesses of theirs to become their strengths.
They do not have the tools to know how to promote their own growth. They have to have direction and guidance from their mother with instruction and education. I find that 2 Timothy 3:16 is one of my favorite verses for this reminder.
To teach– to instruct; to inform; to communicate to another the knowledge of that of which he was before ignorant; to inform or admonish; to counsel and direct
To teach and train your children is such a privilege and it is something I never want to take for granted. I love being home with my children. I love reading to them, listening how they soaked up what they heard, and shaping their character through processing what goes on from day to day inside and outside our home.
Having these relationships blossom is a great way to teach all kinds of communication skills, admonishing one another, and for direction in their lives. Where there is no vision the people perish, right?
There is a famous Italian quote that reads:
“Una buona Mamma vale cento maestre” which means, “A good mother is worth a hundred teachers.” How beautiful is that?
Motherhood doesn’t have to be that complicated with some tools under your belt. There are so many mamas that need our encouragement and we can help be that light for them as we rear up this next generation. We all make mistakes, and we need to lift each other up in prayer. Mothering is a 24 hour a day, gospel work, so embrace those moments where life gets really busy. It is one that is well worth our efforts.
Our job is too important to waste it on the unimportant. Just remember, we are created to be the nurturer and trainer of our homes. We were born in this time in history to impact our family’s life. Let us leave a Godly heritage together for many generations to come.
I hope this encourages you today. Be blessed in the Lord as you give relief to their hurts, as you nurture their growth, and teaching them to be a light.
Natalie