Wow, sister!
What an incredible role you have been called to as a mama to your littles & wife to that handsome hubby. Do you know just how important your job as a mama is? Being a mother can teach you so much about your own character & lifestyle habits. It's a difficult, yet rewarding, transition from caring only for yourself as a single, to learning the give + take relationship of a marriage, to the selflessness of parenting.
And what a beautiful thing it is!
THINK ABOUT IT:
You are raising the next generation of world changers. They know nothing of how the world works, nor do they understand ALLL the how-to's that will govern their lives from their first birthday & onward---how to eat, how to read, how to play, how to learn, etc.
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All the time, and in many church buildings, pastors are constantly pressing for funds to send to this or that ministry, or calling for volunteers to go on this or that mission trip. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, BUT all too often, those shepherds forget to teach their congregation that their current home, school, job, is also a mission field.
As mothers, we are charged with the sole spiritual care of our precious children. If we believe we can simply rely on only the Sunday morning sermons and/or Sunday School lessons, and maybe the Wednesday evening worship for the weekly dose of a relationship with God, we are so very badly misled. There are many---praise God!---who are called overseas as missionaries, but there are even more so who are called to the Home.
Sunday services & church gatherings are so necessary for believers to build fellowship & to grow in accountability in our walk with Christ, both individually & as groups. But that should not be the only place our children learn of our great God.
As their mamas, it is entirely up to us (with the full partnership of our husbands!) to cultivate godly character & good behavior in our children.
And that is certainly easier said than done.
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Your mission, should you choose to accept it...
Christian parents will---or should---rely on the rock foundation of the Bible as grounds for teaching their children godly character, morals, & logic. How incredible it is that God gave us an "Instruction Manual for Life" in His never-changing, always-relevant Word? That's not to say you may find the answers you're looking for right away. It takes study, an open mind & heart, and the willingness to listen to what He has to say.
Your mission as a mama to your precious little ones MUST HAVE a strong foundation. Both you & your husband MUST BE on the same page in the way you teach, discipline, & disciple your kiddos. (Hence, the reason communication is so insanely important in a marriage!) Otherwise, your teachings fall on deaf ears, and one parent may be respected (or even feared) and the other altogether ignored. Those are the unhappy ingredients to an unhappy family life.
Godly character MUST BE cultivated.
All children are naturally sinners. It's in our very nature to do wrong, to rebel, to test boundaries. From infancy onward, you must learn to cultivate godly character in your children. It is YOU who will introduce them to Jesus! It takes TIME, Effort, Diligence, & an enormous amount of Patience to cultivate such things & to bring them to Jesus when they have done wrong. But believe me! it is so beyond worth it all. Your children will know & understand they are loved. They will be quick to obey, quick to learn, respectful to all, & more affectionate. Children understand far more than we give them credit for. And they love to learn!
Before the Lord blessed us with our little son, Gabriel, now almost two years old, I knew I would not tolerate bad behavior. I wanted to be the family who could sit & relax in the restaurant without the chaos & mess unruly children cause. It was my goal that others in the restaurant, grocery store, or shop, would see Gabriel (& any future kiddos God sends our way) exhibiting patience & good sense, and that they would comment to themselves or even us as the parents as to how & why our children are so well behaved. Those kind of scenes always bring a good kind of pride & encouragement that, despite all the hard work, our efforts to train & teach well ARE making a difference.
That's not to say my son doesn't ever act out in public, throw a tantrum now & then, or test the boundaries---he certainly does! But that's all a part of the learning process, which also serves to teach us exactly what areas we need to work on. For example, when Gabriel throws the fifteenth tantrum of the day & my well of patience has run extremely low, I find I must take a step back, breathe, and regain my composure to discipline out of love---firmly, if necessary---but NEVER out of anger or frustration. In doing so, we lose our children's respect & love, and instead they learn to obey out of an unhealthy fear. That should never be a goal.
Much like godly character, good behavior (& any other virtue---patience, diligence, respect, generosity, selflessness, etc.) is also something to be cultivated & nurtured in your children. It MUST BE taught. Please don't ever simply expect your kids to fully understand what it is you wish them to do the first time. Especially if it's a new task, or a new ability or trade they are learning. As their parents, they need you to come alongside them & work it out together. If you tell your toddler to put his toys in the box, make sure he knows which box. If you ask your kids to sit quietly for the Sunday service & to use their ears for listening, don't expect them to know right away how exactly to do that. Practice at home! Put in a certain period of time each day for reading their books, coloring pages, playing quietly with their toys, etc. before you know & they know that they really can sit quietly during a sermon.
It all comes down to the time, effort, diligence, and patience you put in & exhibit yourself that will nurture good behavior in those wonderful kiddos.
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MAMAS ON A MISSION
There's so much more that could be said on these topics, but for now,
we have our mission orders.
Do you think of your home as your mission field?
Do you truly grasp the importance of your role as a mother?
How do you plan to accomplish this mission?
Bear in mind, there will be difficult days, but you must press on! It IS POSSIBLE to have well-behaved, adoring children who are coming to know Jesus for themselves as the days come & go.
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