In an instant, your whole world is changed. A child is placed into your arms, and suddenly you are thrust into the greatest adventure, the biggest challenge and the most powerful ministry that God has given to women: the ministry of mothering!
Maybe you never thought of raising your children as a “ministry,” but God has called you to impact the lives of the children He created and mold them to be effective for His eternal kingdom, one of the highest of all callings.
Biblical mothering is an honored and privileged ministry that has relentless demands, but you are not powerless for the task, for with it comes an anointing from God Almighty who calls you and empowers you for this adventure.
Shepherding your child’s heart under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is a powerful force that can shape not only the life of your child, but through that child’s life can change an entire city, future generations, a nation and even the world.
It has been written “a mother’s love outlasts all other human love, her faith endures the longest hardest test” and “no language can express the power, beauty, heroism, and majesty of a mother’s love.”
Being a mother may at times call for laying down your own dreams to pour yourself into molding the lives entrusted to you. Day after day, you faithfully keep on giving, serving and meeting the needs of your children regardless of your own needs. You pour everything you have into the task of loving and raising your children, suppressing your own needs for the greater love for your child. “Greater love has no man than that: that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
Be encouraged that God sees you. He sees the times you give up sleep to pray through the night for your child. He hears your agonizing cries to rescue the wayward one, to heal the sick one or to show Himself strong to the child who is seeking Him. God knows that for you to love your children with the kind of sacrificial love mothering requires, you need His grace and His anointing for this lifelong calling, and He pours it out to you in abundant measure as you seek His guidance to mold the lives entrusted to you.
No matter what season your mothering is in, whether it’s the diaper-changing years, the education years or the letting-go years, once you are a mother, you carry that ministry in your heart throughout your lifetime. You are always praying for the lives that God placed in your care. Remember, God blessed you with your specific children because no one else could impact their lives the way you do, and no one else can pray for them as powerfully as you do.
Mom, have confidence that God sees you. Have confidence that hears and rewards you as you seek Him for your children. If you struggle with feeling you aren’t effective, remember there’s no such thing as a perfect mother, only mothers who are perfectly dependent on the Lord for every moment of the journey.
Romans13:7 says, “Render to all what is due them: … respect to whom respect is due … honor to whom honor is due,” so this weekend, Mom, we honor you. Whether your children are of your womb or of your heart, whether you are just starting out on this journey or seasoned by many years of mothering, take a deep breath. His anointing is powerfully available to you for all that He calls you to do in this ministry of mothering.
“Look, children are a gift of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Ps. 127:3).
Father God, thank You for entrusting me with the lives of my children. In the midst of my daily routine, help me remember that mothering is a high calling. Lord, I pray that You would enable me to fully trust You for the daily strength and wisdom I need for this task.
Begin each morning with a prayer of thanks for your children. Over the next several days, read one of these Scriptures and remind yourself that you are not just a mom—you have a ministry as you mother your children: Deuteronomy 11:18-20; Proverbs 31:26; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 5:2; Philippians 4:13; 2 Timothy 1:5, 5:2; Hebrews 11:6. {eoa}
Sherri House has known and walked with the Lord for 53 years. She has been married for 46 years and has three children and six grandchildren
who all love and serve the Lord Jesus. Mentoring others in their walk with Christ is her passion. Her in-home tea ministry, teaching at her church’s
women’s conferences and devotional writing are ways Sherri shares the depth and richness found in Christ. Recently, her devotional writing was chosen to be published in the anthology Blessings in Disguise by EA Books.
For more information on mothering, listen to the podcasts included with this article!
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