My mother taught me how to make scrambled eggs, a skill I still utilize every day. She taught me how to do housework. As much as I hated it, the Saturday cleanings she forced me and my sister to participate in were useful. She also taught me to love books. She never said no to the books I wanted from the Scholastic book forms I brought home and she took me to the library until I'd read every Nancy Drew book on the shelf.
But the most important thing my mother taught me was about God. I've been in church since I was a baby thanks to her. We rarely missed a Sunday. Even when my dad didn't go, my mom got us dressed and took us to church. She took us to Bible school and revivals, and when I was about eight years old, I was saved at a Vacation Bible School.
Now that I'm a parent myself, I realize the most important gift we can give our children is a relationship with Jesus.
So many of the things we do as mothers seem inconsequential. We give baths, hold cranky babies, make lunches, clean up spills and change diapers. We do them over and over again every day and sometimes we can feel discouraged by these small routines. It can seem that our small jobs are not as big or as important as what we could be doing.
But the truth is God gives mothers a unique mission field: the ability to reach our children's hearts from the very beginning and feed them the truth right from the start. With God's help, our influence could last generations.
Is there really anything better we could be doing than that?
Melissa Stover
afamiliarpath.com
Melissa, sounds like you and I (and our mothers) have much in common. Thanks for sharing over here today. I generally valued my mom when I was a kid, but grew to value her more as I grew up, especially when I had kids of my own. And I miss her so now that she is gone.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the priority within motherhood of preaching the gospel to our children in an everyday way. That's the same way I have to preach it to myself! The truth of Christ's work long ago and in us daily is so much more meaningful when taught day-by-day by those who know us best and love us most (not to take anything away from the church's role, but I think you know what I mean).
Thanks for your faithfulness in reminding us that the sacred should be present within all the daily stuff.
So beautiful and so true! And I'm all swoony over that last pic of you and your babe.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post. "do not grow weary in doing good"
ReplyDeleteAmen, sister.
ReplyDeletethere is no better gift! our kids, especially when they are little, see God and who He is through us. they will grown and make their own choices... if we teach them to hide God's word in their hearts, it will never leave them, even if they end up being prodigal children. they learn the most by example. they learn to face life, death and daily decisions through us! it is a humbling thought. i am so glad that we do not have to do it alone, that God gives us direction and guidance and much much grace!
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