Last weekend I took my three girls on a road trip to visit
with family. They were so excited to go
because they were going to Grammy and Pappy’s house - yay! Also while we
were there we were going to be attending a Mother Daughter Banquet held by
their grandparent’s church. Dressing up and sitting at a big, fancy table with
many forks at your place setting equaled great excitement for them. Our evening was made even more special
because my sister-in-law and their aunt, was the guest speaker.
My sister-in-law, Melanie, gave an inspiring message to all
of the mothers in attendance that night.
She talked about motherhood, heritage, and raising kids in a Christian
home. She stressed to all the mothers
in attendance that our greatest mission field is our children. Then she said something that has stuck with
me in the days since, “Our goal is not to raise the most popular kid in the
class.”
How true that is! Our
goal as parents should not be to raise children who are the most popular or the
smartest, etc. Our goal as parents is to
share with our children the love of Christ.
To teach them that Jesus is our one and only Savior! What is truly important for us as mothers, is
to love Jesus, allow your kids to see you loving Jesus, and to teach them how
to love Him too.
But, how do you do that when there is a nagging voice in your head,
questioning your every move?
You’re doing it wrong. As a parent, I’ve felt that way so many
times. That voice whispering in your ear
that beats you down more than you would like to admit. It can make you question all your parenting
decisions…
“You are a working mom and other
people are caring for and nurturing your baby all day long… You’re
doing it wrong.”
“You are a stay-at-home mother and
what are your kids doing right now? Watching TV! Get it together… You’re doing it wrong.”
“Everybody else’s kids sleep
through the night. My
child wakes up almost every night for one reason or another… You’re doing it wrong.”
“Your kid just ate a well-balanced
meal hitting all the categories on the Food Pyramid? Nope, my kid refused to
eat anything except french fries... You’re doing it wrong.”
“Those kids have a bunch of Bible
verses memorized and can recite them perfectly while I can’t get my kids
settled down enough to even listen to a Bible story… You’re doing it wrong!”
I could go on and on.
That voice can make you crazy sometimes! Constantly questioning if you
are doing this whole mothering thing right or not. Kids don’t come with instruction manuals,
although don’t we all wish they did?!
Being a mother is the toughest job you will ever love. And being a Christian mother is even more challenging. How do you model Christ’s love for us and
make sure those little hearts you have been entrusted with grasp that? How do you extend grace to your children and
then humbly ask them to give it to you when you mess up? How do you raise them up, teaching them God’s
precepts, while the world is going against all you have worked so hard to
instill in them?
We all have different approaches to parenting. I’m not endorsing one way of mothering over
another. What works best for one family
may not be best for another. Different
moms raise kids different ways and that is ok.
That is a beautiful thing. I
don’t think God intended for all of us to be Xerox copies of each other.
As a mother though, my heart is for my girls to fall in love
with Jesus deeply. My constant prayer is that they will have a strong faith in
God that will impact their lives and the lives of others from a very young age
and that that faith would grow as they do.
My husband and I only have one chance to raise our children, and we are
constantly praying that God lead us in doing that job well.
But I can’t do that well if I am comparing myself to others
and questioning every motherly decision I make.
My eyes need to be focused on what lies ahead and not be distracted with
what is going on to my left or to my right.
God gave my husband and me the job of raising these three girls because
He knew we were the best ones to raise those specific little ladies!
Your child or children are yours because God entrusted them
to you. He knew YOU were the right mom
for the job. He blessed your life with
them! You, sweet friend, are not doing
it wrong. If you are loving those little
ones (or big ones for all you moms of teens & young adults!), taking care
of their needs, protecting them, and always pointing them toward Jesus, then
you are doing it RIGHT! Mother them,
raise them, and love them in the way God created only you to!
You’re not doing it wrong : )
“Train up a child in
the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs
22:6 (NKJV)
“And you yourself must
be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do
reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.” Titus 2:7 (NLT)
“These commandments
that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.
Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you
lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)
Post by: Marcy Gates
