We all have our ideas of what constitutes a good mom. One may feel they are a good mom because they attend every activity their children are involved in, while another sees no value in the extra stuff but spends time doing fun family things. One may give high marks to a mom because she makes sure her children have a good education, while another thinks life skills are more important than book knowledge. Yes, based on our own upbringing we have our ideas of what makes a good mom. All of the things mentioned are good in their own time but what about eternity? A godly mom is not just teaching and training to live for today but for eternity.
A godly mom must first know God herself and her focus must be on what pleases Him. A godly mom looks for opportunities in daily living to teach about her God. A child brings her a flower from the yard and her concern is not where he picked it but uses this beautiful display of love to connect with creation. A perfect time to teach that God created the heavens and the earth and all that is within it. A godly mom doesn’t let a teachable moment slip from her hands because she is frustrated at the lack of time she has to achieve what she desires. When frustration and anxiety occur, she turns to the one who is in control of everything and understands she must keep the main thing the main thing. This is a difficult thing to learn because we tend to live in the moment, but we can train ourselves to turn to God instead of lashing out at our children.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
A godly mom apologizes when she loses it and screams at her children. She doesn’t say she is sorry for making them obey. She is sorry she lost her temper. When we sin in front of our children, we must allow them to see our repentant hearts to teach them of God’s mercy and grace. When we are trying to teach our children to obey, we must be consistent. That is where self-discipline comes in. We are to discipline them in a way that is so unpleasant they would rather obey than receive the consequences. When we blow it and apologize, we are teaching them how to take responsibility for our own actions. We also tell them we ask God to forgive us, and then we pray with them. Will a godly mom still make them do the task? Absolutely! When David and many others in the bible didn’t obey God, they suffered the consequences even after they ask for forgiveness. God still didn’t change his mind on what He told them to do, and neither should we. Teach them that God commands children to obey their parents. Ephesians 6:1-3 are great verses to start as early as two! Start with verse 1 and add 2 and 3 as they get older. A godly mom will take the time to teach them what the word obey means and that it is not an option to obey.
Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. (2) Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),(3) that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
A godly mom loves so deeply that her first responsibility to her children is to make sure God is first in all things. Doing this prepares the proper way to react to others and to God himself. Putting God first teaches them not to be prideful but humble, selfless not selfish, giving not covetous, loving not hateful, respectful not disrespectful, and obedient not disobedient. She is established in the word, and she passes that along to her children. She understands her role is to not make them happy but holy, not good but godly. If they follow her instructions, they will have a very fulfilling life of joy and peace only God can give. They will rise up and call her blessed. Will it be an easy task? No, but it will be much easier than living with the idea that they will struggle to find God’s best for their life because she was unwilling to raise her children in God’s way. Being a godly mom means the reward is out of this world for her and her children.
Proverbs 31:28 “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:”
