If you are one who loves Christ, who desires to see people come and know Him, and longs to find her purpose in the world, let me commend to you the role of mother.If you are a young woman who has been told all the horrors and sob stories of colic and tantrums and have somehow missed hearing about the joy of raising up interesting, unique individual men and women who will know and serve God, let me commend to you the role of mother.
If you are a gal of my generation, who was told you could "be anything you wanted to be" without ever even having it be hinted that that "anything" might include being "everything" to some little people, let me commend to you the role of mother.
If you are a lady who wants to change the world and make it a better place, let me commend to you the role of mother.
If you are someone who desires to impact people in a huge way, help others to overcome difficulties and find their strengths and God-given abilities, so that they might in turn serve God & contribute to this glorious world in a more weighty manner, let me commend to you the role of mother.
Mothers...
- ... have the opportunity to impact lives, day-in, day out-for 18+ years, more time than any professor or doctor or preacher or counselor will ever be able to have in the lives of the people they seek to impact.
- ... have the privilege to study and know their children so that they can train, counsel, and encourage them as they grow towards adulthood
- ... are given the blessing and responsibility of connecting deeply and wonderfully with their children in ways that are virtually impossible with the world at large.
- ... have the opportunity to love and be loved in a way that is entirely distinct from any other sort of relationship.
- ... are able to change the world through a mastery of various fields and talents that they themselves do not possess, as they spur on and encourage their children to find their God-given place of service.
- ... are able to teach and train and sharpen and shape and guide and gear their children in ways that will forever alter human history.
- ... have the privilege of praying with intimate understanding for the hearts and lives of people from the very beginning of their existence.
- ... have a purposeful career designed by God Himself, with His assistance and leadership guaranteed throughout.
- ... have the unique experience of watching the man they love grow into a man who loves in ways that were unseen and unknown before he became a father.
- ... have a God-given life with sanctification built-in by the requirements of hard work, selflessness, disappointment, perseverance, patience, grace, self-control, and a continual seeking of wisdom from above.
- ... have the unique opportunity to work hand-in-hand with God Almighty and the husband He has given to mold future adults.
God continues to do amazing things in my heart and life and draw me closer to Himself through this role of mother, and I would be a foolish woman indeed if I did not speak highly to you of this beautiful means of sanctification that God has given to women: the disciple-making, world-changing, heart-molding role of mother.
31 comments:
Absolutely beautiful. Thank you.
Thank you also for the link on your last post about building strong Christian marriages!
Wow! Just beautiful! I wish all women I knew could read this. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing these thoughts in such a beautiful way. They reflect the thoughts of my heart.
Summer
Beautiful. I totally agree.
Thanks so much for this. So much of the time when I think of the role I need to play in evangelism and desciple making I immediately think of who I can impact outside of my home. Why do I overlook the little ones right at my ankles waiting for my attention? I know they are the ones God has given me right now to encourage and build up for him to use to impact his kingdom.
Kari
Well, this came at the perfect time for me: God changed my heart two years ago (my sophomore year of college) in regards to kids and family vs. pursuing a career, but lately (as the wedding approaches) I've seen one too many episodes of "A Baby Story" or heard stories of pain and misery that made me rethink the whole thing...thanks for setting me straight!
Thank you, Jess for that post. That is just what I needed to read today.
I am a first-time mom, and amidst diapers, pureed squash, and all sorts of baby gear littering the living room, it's so easy to feel overwhelmed and frustrated.
You reminded me that what I do is not only important, but it's also priceless. You are right, every day I find that God is using motherhood to shape and mold my character. I feel I am a more patient, tender, and self-controlled person than I was 6 months ago, and that is only by God's grace as He has been working in my life through the many challenges of motherhood.
Thank you again for the encouragement. I just might have to print this off and tape it somewhere that I will see it often
As always, this post was right on time. Whenever I feel incredibly discouraged in my parenting or marriage, I can come here and find solace. I did not grow up with a godly view of a mother, and I am so glad that God is drawing me nearer to Him through your blog and many others! Thanks!
This is just a really great post. Thanks, Jess. (I'll be linking.)
This is so filled with truth and encouragement, Jess. I wish I had heard and understood these words many years ago.
It should never be assumed that moms know what they're doing is significant. We live in a world that constantly hammers into us that having children is what you do if you're not good at anything. They tell us it's tedious long hours of meaningless, brainless, ugly work (so you might as well pay someone to do it). They tell us we're "only" a stay-at-home-mom because we have no ambition. They even tell us we're lazy because we don't have a real job!
If we are to be "well rounded" we must be pulled in a million different directions, because being a mom simply isn't "enough".
Many modern churches aren't much different, asking us when we're going to get involved and make a difference for Christ when we ALREADY ARE.
So many distortions of the truth.
Thank you for this.
Thank you! I've just printed this out and it's going smack in the middle of my fridge door, to be read in the moments when I wonder what on earth I'm doing....forgetting that I'm changing the world. Love it.
-Erin
Oh wow, beautifully said, that made me feel good just reading that.
Beautiful! I love your "let me commend you to the role of mother" words!
As the mother of eight children with two of them grown and out of the nest, I, too, commend you beautiful ladies to the role of mother. Embrace your motherhood with your whole heart! Pour your life into learning how to become a strong, wise, discerning, god-honoring mother. Don't put your children ahead of the Lord but raise them with the awesome knowledge that you are leading them to Him :). You will be blessed.
Wow, I agree with you 100%. Having grown up without a mother, however, I am already sensitive to the amount of leaning I do on friends. It's really hard to have to be your own parent. Maybe someday I'll feel as if I have the support system I need to have a family. I can't tell you how impossible it seems, and has always seemed. But miracles do happen, right?
Cathy
Yes! I constantly wonder to myself why no one ever told me how much fun it is to be a mom! As young women we only hear about what a bother and chore it is! Not true!
Wonderful post Jess.
As a husband and father I really enjoy you blog... just so you know :)
Dave
Amen! That was fantastic! And so true!
By the way, I love the new background. It's so colorful and pretty!
Wow, such a BEAUTIFUL post. Thank you for sharing your heart in that way! I am printing that one to read and re-read. Much gratitude, Savannah
I whole-heartedly agree!!
There are so many pressures put on young mothers (and probably mothers of older kids, too, but I'm not around them enough to speak to that) to be busy outside the home. It's like people think SAHMs have loads of free time and are readily available to do whatever project they have in mind for us. I'm slowly learning to say 'NO!' to many, many of those 'opportunities.' But now I find myself wanting to make excuses of 'not having enough time.' But in reality, being a mother is enough!! Saying, 'I'm a Mom to 4 little kiddos,' should be the end of the excuse. No, I can't tutor at your program for underachieving students; I'm already tutoring four children full-time. No, I can't lead your discipleship group; I'm discipling four people already. And the list goes on and on ...
Thank you for continually validating the work we are doing by raising our children!! The courage is muchly appreciated!!
Well said my dear! and Oh, how glad I am that this sort of wisdom is being shared once again... for so long it has been lost in the days of(as you put it)"you can be anything you want to be." Sometimes we really don't know what we want to be... but God does know, and submitting to Him is the only way to get *there* from *here.*
I really enjoyed this, Jess. Thanks for sharing and for pointing out that being a mother is the perfect outlet for "being all you can be."
i loved this! it was perfect!
W
O
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May I please copy this and post it as a note on my Facebook? With due credit and a link, of course. My friends would so appreciate this.
I've never commented here before. But I just had to say wow. And thank you! I e-mailed it to three friends right away and saved it to read again. I needed that today. And every day. Thank you thank you thank you!
Sarah
Of course, Jen, thanks!
Another thank you, Jess! Very timely, I linked to you!
Jess, thank you so much for this beautiful reminder of the great priveledge and responsibility of being a mother. It's so easy to get sucked into the world's ideas of motherhood. I hope many women will be encouraged in their God-given roles by reading this post. I'll be linking to it shortly.
Jess, this is just wonderful and very encouraging!
And, I LOVE that picture of the children on the steps - that is so precious!
I'm looking forward to being "mom" one of these days. ;)
Thanks for the great post.
So glad I got to visit your family this last spring... hope to get to come back one of these days. Have fun in Cairo!! :)
I just discovered this blog and I am so pleasantly surprised by the valuable information shared. I am actually pregnant and ready to go the transition of becoming a full time mother. Giving up my "professional" aspirations has not been easy, but blogs like this one is very reassuring of the direction God is choosing for my family. I have been praying in my heart to find information about preparing for motherhood not only physically but emotionally and spiritually, and I have found a bonanza here. Jess, thank you so much for your blog and for this timely post. ( I know I'm commenting 6 months later, but this is timeless info, worth to keep on sharing!)
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