At church last night, the sermon was on the 4 different kinds of mothers in the Bible. I started thinking to myself, which one am I? Which one should I be?
In Exodus 2 is the well known story of Moses in the basket in the Nile River. His mother was very Protective of him. She sent his little sister along to keep an eye on him to make sure he was okay. I'm sure as a mother, I wouldn't have wanted to see any harm come to my child, so I probably would've sent my daughter to watch too...knowing Meghan though, she would've been treading water with him making sure he was okay all the time! :)
There are so many ways to protect out kids...emotionally, physically, morally and spiritually. I pray that in the many years of raising my kids I have in front of me, that I can protect them. I need to protect them from danger, from teaching them right from wrong and what the Bible says about it. I need to protect them from things that will hurt them and that are not honoring God. And, most importantly, I need to teach them how to love, serve and follow God in their lives. I know that if I continually follow the Lord, He will continue to show me where I need to be and how to be a good and godly mother to my kids.
In 1 Samuel, we meet Hannah...Samuel's mother. She was an amazing woman of faith. So much so, that she was unable to have a child and prayed to the Lord that we would bless her with a son and that she would give back to the Lord. That's a tall order. I dedicated both of my kids, but really didn't "give" them back to God. The dedication was more for Adam & I and raising our kids up in the Lord. Hannah actually GAVE Samuel back to God by taking him to the Temple so that he would be taught to be a man of God. She came every year and brought him a coat...doesn't sound like much, but it was all in love for her son. Hannah was a Supportive mother. I wonder if I will be that kind of mother if Bryson or Meghan come to me and tell me they want to be a missionary to Africa, or China, or Timbuktu!!?
I pray daily for my kids and need to remember that God answers prayers about them ...I need to give my kids to the Lord so that he can use them how He sees fit...be it in the ministry, or in their own ministry in their home raising a family. I need to support them always!!
In 2 Timothy, Paul talks to Timothy about Timothy's mother and grandmother, Lois and Eunice...what great women of God they were. They taught Timothy about the Lord...they were Instructive!!!! It made me think...how am I instructing my kids in the matter of Christ? Am I teaching them about tithing, about being faithful? Will my kids look back at how I raised them and say "wow, my mom was a hypocrite" or "Wow, my mom was a godly woman who loved the Lord"? I pray that it is the latter, but I need to teach by example...lead by example. We joke at our house that Meghan is "monkey" because she "sees and does" what others...usually Bryson...is doing. That is a HUGE responsibility for me!!! But, it is even more reason for me to draw close to the Lord daily!!! To seek His face!!
Lastly, we meet the most well known mother, I feel, in the Bible...Mary. She was a Loyal mom!!! I can't imagine what she went thru...with child before she was married and learning that He was going to be the Savior of the world!!! Or, what she went through watching her son being beaten and hung on a cross to die. But, I do know, that she never left His side. She was loyal to the end of His earthly life. I don't ever want to give up on my kids. I feel that so many parents do, especially when times get rough with their kids. No one said parenthood was going to be easy...it is BY FAR the HARDEST job I've ever had!!! But, it is the best job too!!!
I want to be a culmination of all of these moms. I want to be Protective, Supportive, Instructional and Loyal!!! I want to raise my kids to be full time Christians...no matter what they do when they grow up. I pray that they will live their lives without filter for Christ. It is my heart's desire, but a lot of that weighs on me as their mother. I just pray that I will walk with the Lord daily and guide my children in the way that He has me.
