“I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations.” Psalm 119:30
No one has mastered perfection in obeying God. We obey even though we are imperfect, flowing out of a heart that desires to obey because we love God. This is why we have Jesus perfect sacrifice. Often obedience to God is seen as optional because Jesus somehow negated the need for obedience because we have his forgiveness. This is not so! Our obedience to God can affect our children and our children’s children---it can change the generations of our family. A mother’s obedience matters! “But he said, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28
Obedience is good for us. God is a loving father; He has laid out His plans for us and wants us to obey so that we can be in a right relationship with Him. Obedience brings peace to our hearts. We are no longer following our own faulty way but God’s way. We want our children to obey us because we have their best interest at heart. God is a perfect father and has our best interest at heart. “This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!” Jeremiah 7:23
God needs mothers who are willing to obey Him, no matter the cost. It will cost us our very life. We have to lay it down, and pick up the cross. We will walk imperfectly, but with a heart that longs to obey. We can follow after God no matter what our station in life! Somehow as mother’s we often fall prey to the enemy's lies that we must wait for a greater calling to come in order to start obeying. Mothering and having the heart of a mother is undervalued today. Yet it is the very means God uses to grow us up and remove the muck surrounding our hearts. “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:21
It's important as mother’s to study God’s word. In order to lead our children to Him we must know and be guided by His truth and wisdom. More than ever in today’s world God needs mother’s willing to focus on growing (with God’s help) the children He has given us. This looks mostly like everyday life. It is the laundry and the Dr appointments and the daily grind of life, but interwoven are talks, stories, songs, Bible verses and conversation. It is not hours and hours of sermons to our children, but a daily “sermon” that is lived out and built week by week, month by month and year by year. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
The small steps of obedience and faithfulness matter. Our small steps may influence our children to live a life of obedience to God, which may influence our grandchildren. When we obey God, who has the greatest plans for us, we can achieve our full potential. Just remember this may not look like achieving the world’s idea of potential! The smallest step of obedience, washing clothes or wiping tears or trying our best another day through the exhaustion, trials and ups and downs of life are the small steps God desires. Those steps just don’t always look large enough to us. They don’t smell like progress to our noses that are used to the grand smells of success.
This obedience to God doesn’t come with the world’s bells and whistles. There were no large crowds in a stadium cheering for Jesus when he died on the cross. Humans just don’t naturally cheer for self sacrifice, we are not even inclined to it. Obedience will even be painful at times, yet a depth of peace that this world cannot know, the hidden joy of the heart obeying God, and a lasting eternal fruit will begin to blossom in even the hardest heart. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” John 15:7-8
We cannot see with our eyes through the mundane how God will grow us into the woman He has plans for, yet in our small offerings of faithfulness He sanctifies us and matures us, and purifies us in the fire of wisdom and truth.
God needs “grown up” mothers willing to be wise enough to simply rely on Him with a childlike faith, like the holy women of old. Miriam, Ruth, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Mary, all faithful, trusting and obedient to God’s call. Simply following the ways of God and not deeming it a worthy cause to entangle themselves with the complications and trends of the culture. They simply walked with God and obeyed and left the outcome to Him. We need to model ourselves after God’s examples of women, throw away our petty childishness and be willing to walk as mature, wise women.
Sometimes there is fear in taking the first steps of obedience, as if God won’t notice or will let us down, that He will forget us and our obedience will remain unseen to Him. But even the sparrows are known to God, and he has numbered the hairs on our heads. “What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31
The world today needs an army of faithful mothers. Willing to do the work in the nitty gritty of life, mature into HIs women, mothers willing to be watchful over their children, protect their purity and innocence and send forth into the world a Godly generation. He needs women willing to throw away the world’s lies, not be taken with the thrill of it’s distractions and focus on obeying God and His call.
The world needs uncompromising mothers. Mothers who are willing to take a stand against evil and protect their children from it. Mothers who don’t let their children participate in things just because “everyone else is doing it” or their children are complaining to them that they are “unfair.” Mothers willing to correct their children and keep them from harm and prevent them from following the world’s ways. Mothers who are willing to stand strong in the old paths, being visionaries with God. Mothers who know that the fruit of their labors may not be seen now but as the years of uncompromising faithfulness pass the vine will be fruitful.
“I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations.” Psalm 119:30
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” John 15:13-14
"As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children."
- 1 Thessalonians 2:7
