By Vivian Gordon
I have had the great privilege of having a mother for 51 years
and being one for 28 years. The older I get, the more I
appreciate the most wonderful gift that God could have ever
given me, my own mom. I see myself in her in many ways
and in other ways, I'm nothing like her. I have made many
mistakes in my life, ones that my mother would never have
made, but she respected me as an individual and never
tried to interfere. She knew she gave me a firm foundation
on which to come back into. I can't say she wasn't heart
broken at times for some of my decisions. But, she had faith
in God and His promises. And this is what makes a godly
mother.
She took me to church on Sundays and she made sure I
had a proper upbringing. She taught me how to be secure in
who I was, and made me aware of my own moral beliefs. I
was fortunate to have a godly mother who introduced me to
a loving God by showing me that same love, unconditionally.
She passed down these attributes to me and by the time I
had my children, they were also aware of the love I had for
them, no matter what they may have done.
In looking back on my life, I have to admit that I turned from
the right path and chose my own course for awhile, and God
wasn't a very big part of it. It's a typical human reaction to
retreat and hide from God when you know you're behaving
badly. Once these circumstances catch up with you, God
then becomes the main focus again and this is where He
takes us into the woodshed and teaches us the lessons we
thought we could do without! It goes to show that you can
never hide from God, He'll find you every time and He will
correct you.
"Train up a child in the way he should go (and in keeping
with his individual gift or bent), and when he is old he will
not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 (Amplified)
When we are raised in God's Word, or have raised our own
children that way, we must trust that everything will turn out
for the good even when it seems like all is lost. It's not a
matter of "If" but rather "When" things will turn around. Just
like my own mother, she never lost hope that I would come
back to Christ. I thank her for her prayers.
Once God's Word has entered into your life, you will never
depart from it. Thank God He knows the disobedience of
children and the rebellious condition of their hearts. He is
always ready and waiting to forgive. And God gave mothers
this unconditional love also.
There are several mothers mentioned in the Bible that set
examples for us today. A godly mother is a rare commodity
in today's society and she is more precious than gold. What
makes a mother like this so special in God's eyes? Let's
look at a few examples.
First there was Hannah. God had left her barren and as any
normal woman, she had strong maternal instincts. She was
one of two wives and her husband Elkanah's other wife,
Peninnah, had no sympathy for Hannah's childless
condition. Hannah laid her burden before God in prayer and
promised Him that if He would allow her to conceive, she
would give him back in lifetime service.
That's exactly what happened. God gave her a son called
Samuel and he was raised by Eli the high priest. Hannah
was a woman of her word and God blessed her and these
blessings were handed down to Samuel as well. (Read 1
Sam. 1).
Another special mother was Eunice. There isn't much said
about her, but Paul gave her credit when he wrote to her son
Timothy (2 Tim.) Eunice raised Timothy in God's Word. This
wasn't particularly easy for her since her husband was a
Greek and did not believe in Jesus. There are many women
today who have husbands that are non-believers but are
raising their children to be godly people, and they are to be
commended for their service to the Lord.
"But as for you, continue to hold to the things that you have
learned and of which your are convinced, knowing from
whom you have learned (them)." 2 Tim. 3:14 (Amplified)
Eunice didn't abandon her hope in raising Timothy to be a
Christian. Eunice also had a godly mother named Lois who
had a major part in Timothy's upbringing. They taught young
Timothy the word of God from the moment he was old
enough to understand it and for this, it stuck with him in his
later years. Paul recognized the great importance of these
two women in Timothy's life. Can you see yourself in any of
these godly mothers?
As anyone knows, mothers are the major factor in molding
us into the people we are and that in turn, we pass them
onto our own children and grandchildren. Mothers have
many roles in their life, just as God Himself. A mother is
gentle, loving, fair, patient, encouraging but also must be a
disciplinarian. A loving mother must always correct her
child in order to make them a responsible person later on.
Sometimes it doesn't make us very popular, but when all is
said and done, we will forever be remembered on our
special day. What our children may not see as a benefit
today, will look back and thank us. Children are foolish, but
since we are the adults, we have the wisdom and need to
use it!
"Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod
of discipline will drive it far from him." Proverbs 22:15
(Amplified)
The best gift we as moms can give our children is
discipline. It makes for a strong, secure and responsible
adult. Face it, the world is a tough place to exist and has no
patience for fools.
It was never my intention to give my two young sons
everything they thought they wanted. I made them aware of
the reality that was waiting for them. I wanted them to realize
that they would appreciate things better if they had to work
for them. Today both of them are earning their own way in
the world and doing a great job of it at that.
It is my goal in life that when I reach the end of my days, I
can look back not in regret, but rather that I have left a legacy
of God's Word in my own childrens' lives and they in turn will
hand this down to their children. That is the true meaning of
being a godly mother and succeeding in the plan that God
has laid out for each and every one of us.
When a mother has eyes of faith, she will see God at work
in everything.
If this article has touched you, won't you please add a
comment and give God the glory today?
Vivian Gordon writes inspirational and spiritual articles in which to help strengthen the Believer's walk in Christ. They are often taken from today's point of view and used in conjunction with what God says about certain situations and how we are to handle them. There is always an answer for every problem. These articles are not all about asking God "why?" but in finding the answers.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vivian_Gordon
No comments:
Post a Comment