I love being a stay at home mom. Todd and I were having a conversation about what our roles are suppose to be in the family. I have some days when I can't possibly get everything done. All the roles a mom plays is exhausting some days. I feel very blessed that I am able to be at home with my children. I look at my children as a gift from the Lord. Boy, He knew exactly which children were just right for Todd and I. I'm realizing God really does a sense of humor. I learn something everyday from each of my children . They are all so different. I guess the point of this is that I really want to raise my children the way God would have me to. While studying the Bible on what God says about being a mother I came across this question. It sums it up for me and put things in perspective. well, better run I have realized I have alot of mothering to go do.
Thanking God for my children,
I would love to hear your comments or any advice would be great.
Question: "What does the Bible say about Christian mothers?"
Answer: Being a mother is a very important role that the Lord chooses to give many women. Mothers are told to love their children in Titus 2:4-5 which says, “Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” In Isaiah 49:15a the Bible says, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?” When does motherhood begin?
Children are a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3-5). In Titus 2:4, the Greek word “phileoteknos” appears. This word represents a special kind of “mother-love”. The idea that flows out of this word is that of “preferring” our children, “caring” for them, “nurturing” them, “affectionately embracing” them, “meeting their needs,” “tenderly befriending” each one as unique from the hand of God. We are commanded in the Scripture to see “mother-love,” as our responsibility. Both mothers and fathers are commanded to do several things in the Word:
Availability – morning, noon, and night (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
Involvement – interacting, discussing, thinking and processing life together (Ephesians 6:4)
Teaching – the Scriptures, a biblical world-view (Psalm 78:5-6, Deuteronomy 4:10, Ephesians 6:4)
Training – helping a child develop skills and discover his strengths (Proverbs 22:6)
Discipline – teaching the fear of the Lord, drawing the line consistently, lovingly, firmly (Ephesians 6:4, Hebrews 12:5-11, Proverbs 13:24, 19:18, 22:15, 23:13-14, 29:15-17)
Nurture – providing an environment of constant verbal support, freedom to fail, acceptance, affection, unconditional love, (Titus 2:4, 2 Timothy 1:7, Ephesians 4:29-32, 5:1-2, Galatians 5:22, 1 Peter 3:8-9)
Modeling with Integrity – living what you say, being a model by which a child can learn by “catching” the essence of godly living (Deuteronomy 4:9, 15, 23; Proverbs 10:9, 11:3; Psalm 37:18, 37).
The Bible never commands that every woman should be a mother. However, it does say that those whom the Lord blesses to be mothers should take the responsibility seriously. Mothers have a unique and crucially important role in the lives of their children. Motherhood is not a chore or unpleasant task. Just as a mother bears a child during pregnancy, and just as a mother feeds and cares for a child during infancy – so mothers also play an ongoing role in the lives of their children, teenagers, young adults, and even fully-grown children. While the role of motherhood must change and develop – the love, care, nurture, and encouragement a mother gives should never cease.
