“Why don’t I sit outside with the kids while you two make their plates?” I offered my girls before easing into the Adirondack chair in the side yard. For some unknown reason, nothing will grow in one mulch bed on the right side of the house. We preserved a dogwood tree and mulched around it when clearing our lot to build our house but it died within the first year. I’ve planted half a dozen other shrubs or plants over the course of a few years but nothing has survived. Fortunately, it’s the perfect spot for our grandchildren to excavate.
In the soil, we’ve unearthed incredibly healthy night crawlers for baiting hooks, we spotted a snake once, and we’ve identified several varieties of mushrooms. On this unseasonably warm Christmas Eve, I grabbed the chance to take a seat and watch my four grandkids tussle over whose turn it was to use which excavator next. Thomas and Amelia are older and faster for now so they pretty quickly grabbed their spots. Timothy protested for a bit but Ezra just wandered over to the the hedge row to pick dried flowers from the Abelia.
I had started putting the final touches on our Christmas meal around 6:30 that morning. My daughter’s family had arrived from out of town around 9:30 and our son’s family came in shortly afterwards. It was nice to be able to take a load off, as my grandparents would have said. It lasted for about two minutes. Four babies scattered in three directions and I was up again, keeping the youngest ones in sight. Plates were ready soon and we all headed inside for lunch.
Mothers guided their little ones to various spots at the table where prepared plates waited while simultaneously fielding questions from the dads and separating sparring siblings. Once the appetites of the two smallest boys had been sated, the moms finally got to make their own plates. I served myself last and we gathered around the table to ask a blessing on the food just as Timothy and Ezra slid from their chairs to explore the living room toy shelves. It’s rare for either of my daughters to finish a meal in one sitting. You won’t hear them complain but I notice and try to offer them an occasional opportunity to enjoy their meal while it’s still warm.
I remember my own babies being young. I don’t recall all the details I thought I’d never forget but I remember enough. At my parent’s table recently, my mom tried coaxing Amelia to taste something new. “You like chicken, don’t you?” my mom asked, to which three and a half year old Amelia replied, “I used to when I was little.” I’m preserving these stories while they’re fresh so I can enjoy them again in time with an older version of each child and grandchild. I’ve heard it said that a mother has her finger on the pulse of her family. She is child bearer, caregiver in sickness and in health, confidant, counselor and encourager. Christian moms disciple their children with the same passion and weight the apostle Paul describes to the church at Corinth.
“For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself.
I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ.
But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.”
2 Corinthians 11:2-3 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2co.11.2-3.NLT
A mother’s prayers for her children predate their birth and follow them all the days of their lives. Even when she is absent, her petitions find their mark, resonating with the heart of her Heavenly Father for whom all things are possible. All this would be too much for one woman to carry unless she finds her strength in Christ.
Mothers are mentioned by name in many places in the Bible including the genealogy of Christ. Those listed alongside the men in Joseph’s lineage include Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and finally Mary, the virgin mother. We can read their stories elsewhere. By the sovereign hand of God, they became ancestors of Messiah. By faith, they became children of God. While reading through Kings and Chronicles, I was stopped by two particular pairs of verses. Mothers are seldom mentioned in these books and even when they are, we aren’t given much back story. Notice what we learn by comparison.
Of Hezekiah, king of Judah, “He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years.
His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done.”
2 Kings 18:2-3 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2ki.18.2-3.NLT
Then “Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year.
His mother was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri.
Ahaziah also followed the evil example of King Ahab’s family, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong.”
2 Chronicles 22:2-3 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2ch.22.2-3.NLT
Mothers have been entrusted with incredible influence. Fathers have too but as a mother myself, I write from one mom to another. We set the tone for a conversation by combining our words and tone with facial expressions and body language. We can endear or embitter by sharing a slanted story. We have this God-given power to wield at our own discretion but control is an illusion.
From our child’s earliest moments, it can be tempting to believe we have some semblance of control. We cart our children around, arranging play dates and orchestrating friendships. We prepare their meals and set out their clothes. We plan trips and keep track of their activities. When they begin taking on some of their own decisions, we agonize over whether or not we’ve done enough. Have we taught them everything they’ll need to know to manage away from us? We feel their hurts as our own even as we celebrate their joys. Launching them into the world is a challenge because maybe for the first time, we recognize we aren’t the one calling the shots after all. If we’re honest, we know we never were. Our children are made in the image of God and given free will as we are. We enjoy a limited window of unrestricted access.
Mama, your faith matters. Walking with Jesus is mandatory if you would be prepared for the assault of the enemy on your soul and the souls of your children. The apostle Paul, writing again to the believers at Corinth, gives us our marching orders. “Follow me as I follow Christ. Imitate me just as I imitate Christ.” (I Corinthians 11:1) His reasoning is the same as ours. “I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.”
1 Corinthians 10:33 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1co.10.33.NLT
Jesus is our most important follow. Only in Him are we empowered to lead well. Walking in His steps, I am always in grasping distance of the hem of His garment. In Him, I am equipped for battle. His Word, my sword, is Truth and His Spirit is my guide. He loves my children even more than I ever could because He knew them and loved them first. They are the reason He came.
As another year draws to a close, take a minute to reflect on the goodness of God to you and to your children. Thank Him for the prayers He has answered and those He is answering at this moment. Place each of them in His capable hands and then get into His Word. Dig deeper. Ask. Seek. Knock. Do battle for them on your knees.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7 ESV
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