Mothering to His Glory

Romans 8:28

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love

him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

As a little red-headed girl all I wanted to do was be a mom. I mothered puppies and abandoned bunnies and kittens that were born in my Grandparent’s barn. I fed them through eyedroppers, and they thrived. Whether you’re a mom or not, you still are mothering someone. Maybe it’s a niece or nephew, neighbor, or little one that you teach in school or at church. To mother is to love unconditionally, teach, lead, care for, and raise in a way that would be beneficial to the child and that includes discipline. To be a mother is a gift, but it is also tough. With every season there is a new hurdle to jump, new milestones to achieve, new hurts, and unending schedules to keep.

As Moms, we make mistakes. We strive to do it right but there are minutes, hours, and days that we don’t. Isn’t it wonderful to remember God doesn’t expect perfection from us, He expects a relationship. We can be so hard on ourselves, but God is there to bring good out of all things. Romans 8:28, is one of my favorite verses because it reminds me that God will use all things for good and that’s all things, including the good, the bad, and the

ugly. So, you can rest assured that when you make a mistake, lose your temper out of frustration, or find yourself overwhelmed, God is right there to help you pick up, make it right, and move forward. That wonderful gift of conviction and repentance is used to bring us closer to God and allow our children to learn how to make things right. Think about that. When you have a bad day or your children watched you in your frustration, God will use that situation to grow you both at the same time.

Matthew 19:14

"Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.”

God values our children and desires to have a personal relationship with them. The personal relationship starts with you. After taking the frustration of your day to the Lord, you can then go to your children, tell them you’re sorry and ask for forgiveness. They will see what it’s like to have a personal relationship and how they make things right with The Lord and others when they make a mistake. There is not a greater blessing than cleaning out what hinders our relationships, which is sin.

In every season and stage of life, God is using your children to grow you closer to Him. I grew so much in raising my children. The situations and circumstances varied every day but my prayer life soared.

We may allow pride to keep us from being truthful in difficult situations which can hinder our growth in Christ. The more truthful I am with The Lord, the closer I get to Him. I love that the trust I have in Him, comes back to the trust He has in me. He trusts me to be honest with Him in everything. He trusts me to allow Him to prune what needs to be cut away. He trusts me to remain faithful and steadfast. He trusts me to call out for help when I need it. He trusts me to resist temptation. He trusts me to spread His word and to proclaim it to my grandchildren. He trusts me to walk through the doors He opens. He trusts me to tell Him everything. He trusts me to Praise and Worship Him without hinderance. He trusts me to care more about what He thinks than what others think. He trusts me to use the gifts He has given me for His Glory and one of those gifts is mothering.

Deuteronomy 11:19

“You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting

in your house and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie

down, and when you rise.”

Mothering never stops. It doesn’t stop when your children are grown or when you are old and gray. We are called to continue to speak of how The Lord has blessed, rescued, protected, and loved with His steadfast love. I “love” loving because I have been lavished in His steadfast love. His steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in Him.

Lamentations 3:22-24

“The Steadfast Love of The Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to

an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion”, says my soul. “Therefore, I will hope in Him.”

So, sweet mothering souls, we have the blessing of encouraging each other in love and truth, following the ways of The Lord until we walk together in eternity. You are not alone, though. At times you feel isolated. You are not the only one who struggles, we all do. You are not the only one who feels they’ve made wrong decisions. You are called to do what you are doing. And Jesus values You.

The God of Preparation has prepared you to mother. He will sustain, enable, supply and provide, speak and guide, strengthen and deliver all you need for this task. You are called to love regardless of how you were loved; you are trusted to deliver what only God can supply, and you are worthy of this calling because it is He who called you. You are to mother to His Glory.

Prayer Points:

• Lord, please open my eyes to anything that may be hindering my relationship with You, that I may use the gift of repentance to make things right, for Your glory.

• Help me to be truthful in all situations, not caring what others think but what You think.

• Please lead me in admitting when I have done wrong in the eyes of others so I can make it right with them.

• Allow me to bless others with the same steadfast love You have lavished on me.

Dearest Father God,

I praise You alone for the steadfast love You have lavished upon me all the days of my life. Your mercy and grace have followed me every step of the way, to Your Glory. Thank You for continuing to chisel away what hinders my relationship with You and others. Please stand guard at the door of my tongue when speaking to those I love and allow me to show them the same mercy and grace that You have showered upon me. I trust that You will open the eyes of my heart that I may see when I’ve wronged someone, Lord. Please give me Your timing and Your words to make things right with whomever I’ve offended. Please give them boldness to speak directly to me in those situations so we can reconcile through Your direction. I’ll make many mistakes tomorrow, but I thank You ahead of time for using those mistakes to teach me Your ways. You, Oh Lord, are faithful and loving, generous in Your mercy and grace, perfect in Your planning, deliberate in Your direction, precise in

Your preparation, and endearing to all who call upon The Name of Jesus. Thank You ahead of time for all You are doing in and through the situations around me. You are a miracle worker, and I love You, Lord.

In the Mighty and Majestic Name of Jesus,

Amen

Nikki Fenske

Mid-Way Baptist Church

Flourish Women's Ministry

www.mid-way.com/women