I have a high calling. I am not a world leader, I do not pastor a church, nor have I been called to the mission field. I am a mother. Today, more than ever before, mothers need to understand that we hold a high position in God’s kingdom. Training, nurturing, and teaching children God’s Word and His ways are perhaps the most important jobs on the face of the earth. As mothers, it is our responsibility to hand off the baton of the gospel to our children who will then take it to all nations.
I hold the highest respect for those of us called mothers. Dr. Dobson, a well-known Christian psychologist, said that there are few assignments in any human experience that require the array of skills and wisdom needed by a mom in fulfilling her everyday duties. She must be a resident psychologist, physician, theologian, educator, nurse, chef, taxi driver, fire marshal, and occasional police officer. Success in these responsibilities means we get to do it all over again…tomorrow!
Much has been said about the influence of mothers throughout history – everything from, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world,” or “The single most powerful word in any given language is ‘Mother’.” But my all time favorite is, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” It might be a comical statement, but truer words were never spoken! Mom, you set the tone for your home and we have tremendous influence over the moods, actions, and lives of everyone who calls us mother. You have no choice about whether or not you are an influence – the choice is what TYPE of influence you will be. Your actions and words will either shape your child for good or for bad.
I was studying the book of 2 Kings, and I kept running across a common thread. Every time a new king was mentioned, it read like this…
2 Kings 12:1-2 “In the 7th year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign, and his mothers
name was Zibiah…and Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.”
2 Kings 14:1-3 “In the 2nd year reigned Amaziah , King of Judah, and his
mothers name was Jehoadden, and he did that which was right in the eyes of the
Lord.”
2 Kings 21:2, “Mannesseh reigned 55 years in Jerusalem, His mothers name was
Hephzibah, and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.”
These scriptures have almost identical characteristics. The king’s name is mentioned, his mothers name is mentioned, and then it tells if he was good or evil. I began to search to see if these mothers were mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, but they were not to be found. That was their one claim to fame. I began to question, why were they mentioned? What was the point other than a record of the genealogy? Perhaps the kind of King that these men turned out to be was directly related to the type of mother that was raising them. And a record of their deeds was forever written down in history.
Were these kings taught, trained, and nurtured in the ways of the Lord? Were these mothers the type that built up her children with words of kindness and encouragement? Or was the way that they spoke to their children a result of what had happened at work that day, or the pressure they were under due to life not going the way they had intended?
We as mothers are to be encouragers of our children. The way we speak will have so much impact on them. I often find myself wanting so much for my sons that I am continually correcting and scolding. During any given day the commands can run the gamete, “Don’t run in the house!”, “Redo this homework with neater handwriting!”, “Get along with your brothers!”, “Don’t swing on the ceiling fan!”, “Say yes ma’am and yes sir!” With so much reprimanding and scolding, I can get so caught up in correcting the negativity that I forget to praise the positive. Praising the positive is like building blocks to our children’s self esteem. What are we speaking into the lives of our children? Are we speaking positive things of love, praise and kindness? Or are we speaking negative words of anger, bitterness, and stress? A famous proverb says, “A soft answer turneth away wrath; but grevious words stir up anger.” The Message Bible says it this way, “A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.”
King Josiah is my favorite King that is mentioned in the book of 2 Kings. He was a good king. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord. And yes, his mother’s name is mentioned. He is my favorite because he became king at the young age of eight years old. The awesome thing about Josiah is that all of his goodness was established before he became king. This proves to us the necessity of setting the tone in our home when our children are young. His mother succeeded in doing this at an early age so that greatness could come from her son’s life!
Dear Mom, Mama, Mommy or Mother, let the tone of your home be set with kindness, calmness and love. Let it be filled with warmth, grace, forgiveness and fun! You may be exhausted from feeding a crying baby in the middle of the night. You might be shocked by the 2 year old that constantly questions your authority. You might be overwhelmed with the changing teenager that now lives in your home. Never forget that God sees your sacrifices. He will reward you. Enjoy every stage of motherhood from rocking your newborn to making a heart connection with your precious teenager. It is your responsibility, with the Lord’s help, to make sure that your home is a place that everyone wants to come home to at the end of the day.
God chose you to raise your children and not another. He gave you the highest calling. When you accept this highest calling and take it to heart, the fruits of your labor will, in the end, rise and give you praise!
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