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By Guest Writer:
Sis. Renee Cutlip (Member of Abundant Life Christian Temple, Pergamum, GI)
All scriptures used in this article are from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible.
I am a mother. I have 8 children. I am very proud of all 8 of my children. I am the mother of Ernest (27), Michael (25), Abigail Hancock (23), Reggie (20), Eric (18), Erica (18), Greg (15), and Miya (12).
Mothers are very important. They make the world a special place. Children are a gift from God. “Children are a blessing and a gift from the LORD. Having a lot of children to take care of you in your old age is like a warrior with a lot of arrows. The more you have, the better off you will be, because they will protect you when your enemies attack with arguments,” as stated so eloquently in Psalms 127:3-5. Although at times, it does not seem like it.
The responsibility of the mother is great. While our husbands are to help us, most of the responsibility falls on the mother. We have many roles when it comes to motherhood. Let’s look at many of them below.
Mothers are to be available. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 states “Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning.” We should find ourselves spending time with our children. If our children need us, we should be willing and able to help them.
Mothers should be involved in our children’s life. “Parents, don't be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4) We should interact with our children on a daily basis. We should discuss life with them. We should teach them about life.
Mothers should teach them how to be Christians. This is the most important part of our duties. Psalms 78:5-6 states this perfectly, “God gave his Law to Jacob's descendants, the people of Israel. And he told our ancestors to teach their children, so that each new generation would know his Law and tell it to the next.” It is up to us to teach them the ways of the Lord. Deuteronomy 4:10 further let’s us know our duty, “Do you remember the day you stood in the
Lord's presence at Mount Sinai? The LORD said, ‘Moses, bring the people of Israel here. I want to speak to them so they will obey me as long as they live, and so they will teach their children to obey me too.’” So much of our responsibility lies with teaching our children the Word of God.
Mothers should train their children. This means that we should help them develop the skills that they will need to get through life. We must also help them discover what they are good at, so that they will know what roads to travel in life.
“Teach your children right from wrong, and when they are grown they will still do right.” (Proverbs 22:6).
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Mothers must discipline their children. This is key to their maturing and functioning in
society. Without discipline, children will have a hard
time. Proverbs 29:15-17, powerfully states, “Correct your children, and they will be wise; children out of control disgrace their mothers. Crime increases when crooks are in power, but law-abiding citizens will see them fall. If you correct your children, they will bring you peace and happiness.” Disciplining your children, leads to law-abiding citizens. If you discipline your children, they will not cause you a lot of problems.
Mothers must nurture their children. We must show our children unconditional love, support, acceptance, and affection. Unconditional love and support is key. This lets our children know that they can do anything and even if they make a mistake, they can still count us for our love. We must show them acceptance. This does not mean that we must accept their sin, but we must accept the child as our child, still praying for them, loving them, correcting them, and chastening them. We must show them affection. This will help them be nicer people. A hug can go so far to making a person a happier person.
Mothers must be good role models. Our children should see us living a Christian life. Children usually do what they see us do, so it is vital that they see us doing the “RIGHT” things. Proverbs 10:9, “You will be safe, if you always do right, but you will get caught, if you are dishonest,” is a scripture that I taught my children from the time they were able to talk. I wanted them to know that if you do the right thing, they will be protected by God, their father, and me. They also knew that if they did wrong, they would eventually be caught. My children were also taught, Proverbs 11:3, “If you do the right thing, honesty will be your guide. But if you are crooked, you will be trapped by your own dishonesty,” to let them know that lying would not benefit them. Lying would only cause them more pain.
Mothers must be in a place spiritually where the Holy Spirit can influence them. The Holy Spirit will show us how to raise our children. When we need guidance for correction, intervention, and love, being in tune with God and the Holy Spirit is invaluable. Many mistakes can be made from making the wrong decision when it comes to your child. Being a good mother is an act of spirituality, as well as a physical, mental, and emotional act.
Nowadays, many children are growing up without the influence of a mother period, much less the influence of a spiritual mother. That presents a great problem for our society today. We must take responsibility for our part in the way the world is today. WE NEED OUR MOTHERS! We need them to stand up and raise our children. We need them to stand up and pray for them. We need to stand up and be examples of holy women of God.
I admonish all mothers to carefully look at how they are raising their children. Pause and take a few minutes to think about what you child is saying about you through their actions, words, and demeanor. Are they good representatives of you? Do you need to change anything? You play a continuing role in the lives of your child, through out their life, from infancy to adulthood.
Let me leave you with Proverbs 31:27-29, “She takes good care of her family and is never lazy. Her children praise her, and with great pride her husband says, ‘There are many good women, but you are the best!’”
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