Revisiting Mothering – Week 7 / February 1st

by admin

 

                                    “My son, hear the instruction of your

                                    father, and do not forsake the law of

                                    your mother; for they will be a

                                    graceful ornament on your head, and

                                    chains about your neck.”

                                                            Proverbs 1:8-9

 

 

Mothers fulfill a unique and amazing calling in the plan of God since they provide a loving, caring and secure environment for their children. This enables their children to grow up emotionally balanced and with a sense of well being, confidence and security. These are essential ingredients that every child should have in order to take hold of the many challenges that life will bring his or her way. Godly mothers also have a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that men very often do not have because women are naturally intuitive and when saved and reconciled to God by the atoning work of Jesus Christ they have a sense of spiritual discernment that when listened to can save their families from great troubles. The wisdom that God gave Moses’ mother not only saved Moses but also a whole nation!

 

Also, it is no coincidence that churches are more filled with mothers than fathers! The unsaved male nature is very often proud and arrogant whereas the female temperament is quiet and cautious. Scripture acknowledges this when it states:

 

“Do not let your adornment be merely outward…

rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with

the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,

 which is very precious in the sight of God.”

1 Peter 3:3-4

 

So then:

1. Children need the love that mothers can give them.
2. Children need the spiritual guidance that mothers can give them. Paul, writing to Timothy acknowledged that Timothy’s spiritual strength came from his mother and grandmother.

“……when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that

is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and

your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”

                                    2 Timothy 1:5

             This is not to say that Fathers do not have a primary role in teaching their

children about God; they do and scripture affirms it but sadly in many cases

this unique privilege and obligation is neglected and it falls upon the

shoulder’s of mothers to discharge and carry this calling. It is no coincidence

that the majority of Children Church teachers in our churches are mothers!

 

3. Children find caring support in their mothers after have been corrected and

disciplined by their fathers. This support never contradicts the discipline meted out by the father but rather it affirms it and nevertheless reminds the child that he or she is greatly loved. Where there is no mother in the home the father’s discipline can damage the child because he is left with a feeling of alienation and rejection. Fathers should give attention to this. (Ephesian 6:4)

4. Children need the respect that their mothers give their fathers. We live in an

age when children do not respect their fathers as, too often they see them as authority figures that have to be rebelled against. This can certainly be the result of poor parenting but undoubtedly the spirit of the world encourages this at every level and scripture warns of this (2 Timothy 3:1-5) All of this makes the calling of being a mother just that more important and critical. By contrast Paul admonished mothers in this way:

“…older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior

not slanderers, nor given to much wine, teachers of good

things; that they admonish the young women to love their

husbands, to love their children…”

Titus 2:3-4

And;

“Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his

own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects    

her husband.”

Ephesians 5:33

One of the finest examples of godly mothering is found in the life of Susanna Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley and rightly designated the “Mother of Methodism.” Susanna Wesley had nineteen children and, though some died early in life the rest were given a very good education which included being fluent in Greek and Latin and the study of classical literature. Susanna certainly had her hands full but she still found time to pray for two hours every day! Her children were a remarkable gift to the world and this was not because of coincidence or luck. She was a very good mother and made it her goal to rightly prepare her children for life. Today with gender roles being confused and marriage being torn apart it is no coincidence that we are raising a generation that is rapidly becoming more lawless with every passing day and that cannot cope with the demands of life.

 

Final thoughts

Fathers equip their children for life by teaching their children valuable lessons that build integrity and faithfulness into their characters. They are also charged with teaching their children about God and what He has done for them in Christ. However, mothers prepare their children for life because they impart to them love, compassion and the appreciation of others. The result is children are raised ready to enter the world and able to impact it for good. Susanna Wesley’s two boys, Charles and John, are certainly examples of this. Children need a mother and a father to ensure that they grow up well adjusted and sure of their place in the world.

 

So, now we know why the Devil is determined to destroy the biblical concept of marriage and family as when it functions as God intended children are birthed into the world and equipped to destroy his work in society. We need godly mothers more than ever!

 

Malcolm Hedding

 

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