LET US SING THE PRAISES OF OUR SACRED CALLING TO MOTHERHOOD!

"I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well." 

2 Timothy 1:5

I cherish the memories of my mother's care for me. Of course, not all mothers were like mine. Only now, as an adult, do I understand that the special love and sacrifices that my mother made for me are what God expects of all mothers. Let us think for a while about what God expects from us as married women and mothers.

God's Word has forever changed me as a woman, a wife, and a mother. He has changed both my goals and perspectives. And though that same Word was not very comforting at times when it cut like a sword through my heart, I always knew that it was authoritative, correct, and true, regardless of culture, circumstances, or perceived relevance. It is then that I realized that God did not want me at all to adapt His Word to my circumstances but rather to adapt myself to His principles of righteousness as found in His Word. It became clear to me that God expected me “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). This, of course, would include my gifts, my intellect, and my creativity. God demanded my absolute obedience and submission to Christ, even though our culture was dictating otherwise. As a result of this, my role as wife and mother became very significant in my walk with Him. All that was of great importance to me (my academic and professional training), I began to view in a new light. My commitment to please God, my Creator, in my marriage and my home gained and added a new dimension. 

Today, many women (even Christians) have become “liberated,” devoting themselves to ambitious busyness everywhere except the home. They are entangled and swamped in achieving goals of success, honor, prestige, and recognition. Sadly, many of these are wives and mothers whose primary goal is to generate professional pursuits that promise them power and money. As they do this, they cut the apron strings of motherhood. Modern culture urges young women to cut their mothers' apron strings, launching them prematurely into a menacing world!  Our mothers have been replaced by institutional daycare centers and the cold apple turnovers from McDonald's!  It is outrageous!!

Our women have been liberated to pursue their personal goals instead of following their God-given role of overseeing the home and rearing children as a heritage for generations to come. They have been brainwashed and deceived into thinking that if they don't become enslaved to a secular career, a titled occupation with a good salary, they are wasting their time, are a failure, and are imprisoned in a boring home. They don't realize that liberation, self-fulfillment, personal rights, and the breaking of barriers mean the opposite. Why? Because a paying job and titled position can indeed inhibit a woman's natural maternal instinct by reversing her priorities. Tragically, this is a total failure since it inevitably affects the rearing of her children and the sheltering protection of those that God has entrusted to her, her children. Lest we forget, that in our quest to be all that we want to be, we forget what we are meant to be by our Creator. The real question is this:  Is being a wife and mother really worth all our investment in life?

The heart of motherhood has been broken and perverted throughout history.  Modern society has corrupted God's divine design for the home. As a terrible consequence of this, families have been torn apart. Parents have failed in their sacred calling. And children have rebelled against their Creator because of this. Men and women have degraded and mistreated each other as well as their offspring. Those children have suffered the painful results and have passed them along to their own children. This is sad!

There is no higher calling for a woman than God's design for her as a mother, wife, and homemaker. It is such a blessing to be co-creators with the God of the universe, to be able to conceive and bear a new life. There is nothing in the whole world (prestige, money, fame, social status, honor) that can even come close to the supreme calling of motherhood as designed by our Creator. Indeed, there is no calling that is more challenging but, at the same time, more dignified than that of being a mother, a wife, and a homemaker. Our God in heaven wants us to embrace this sacred calling with great joy. God's purpose for me as a mother is to do His will and to glorify Him. It means that I must follow His design for marriage (cleaving to my husband, supporting him, and, most importantly, honoring him and loving him as my own flesh).  As a child of God and mother, I am to steward carefully all that He has bestowed upon me and make wise use of the gifts and talents He has given to me that I may bring Him glory and further His kingdom. That is, I am to delight, obey, worship, and praise my Creator in whatever circumstances I find myself.

God's sacred calling for me as a wife and a mother is to follow His design for the home. It means that I am to shepherd the hearts of the children He has entrusted to my care. I am to care for them gently and lovingly and to collaborate with Him and my husband in leading my children to Him through His Word in obedience, that is, to do His will. As a wife and a mother, I am to nurture and honor my vocation in the home.  How?  As I exercise my skills, training, and gifts toward those whom God has entrusted to me. The way I live my life as a Christian (whether it is walking in righteousness or unrighteousness) will have a definite impact on my children's lives.

God's design for motherhood is filled with purpose, joy, peace, and fulfillment. To embrace that design, I must understand Him and His purpose for life. He demands maturity so that I may make wise decisions. He requires that I develop my skills of hospitality, homemaking, spiritual nurturing, truth, morality, physical and emotional security, diplomacy, leadership, training, and much more. God's design indeed provides all that is needed for completeness in life. Motherhood is not just a lifestyle choice. It is a divine calling that will undoubtedly affect eternity.

My vision or perception of motherhood and a life that pleases God has expanded over the years as I have matured in Him, as I have learned to trust in Him, my goals for the family have grown bigger and bigger.

Sadly, the role of motherhood and homemaking has been dishonored and neglected in our society. God's purpose for the family has been viewed with disdain in our society and even in the church. Alas, many Christians have been wrongly influenced by our supposedly sophisticated, intelligent, and modern culture that views the “family” as passé, i.e., old-fashioned and out of date. But God is not impressed with our sophistication.

My prayer is that I may encourage mothers and wives to secure a spiritual legacy. Our children are like empty treasure chests that need to be filled with God's spiritual riches, nurturing, and love. Each child whose treasure chest is full of abundant riches will be able to endure life's demands. I thank God with all my heart for giving me a mother who helped me with wisdom and perspective during times of difficulty. A mother's relationship with her children will be dearly embraced for a lifetime. How blessed is the child who has that anchor of strength and support!

I.   IN THE BEGINNING:  GOD'S BEAUTIFUL DESIGN

In Genesis 1-3, we find God's original arrangement of creation. It is the perfect foundation for marriage and the family. Without a clear understanding of God's intent for marriage and His design for the home, dysfunction, moral anarchy, and chaos reign. You see, God had a design in mind when He created the family. And when we follow His perfect pattern for the home, we can bear much fruit. The family was to be the unit of life around which all of life should be organized.

Each of us was made with a different role to complement and help each other. God created women to be the life-bearers, the nurturers. This is what it means to be a woman. God made women to be queens of their homes. I am pretty sure you have heard the saying, “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” It means that the ones who teach the next generations are the people who decide who will rule and govern the world. So, who rules the cradle in our culture today?  The public schools, government, caretakers, strangers, etc. Sadly, there are fewer and fewer women today who accept the importance of the role of wives and mothers and of daughters and grandmothers. They ignore God's unique role for women as coheirs of grace to be helpmeets to their husbands and help bring up godly children so that they may beautify God's kingdom.

In Genesis 1:26-28, we see a clear picture of God's primary intent when He made man and woman to rule the earth and take dominion over it. Genesis 1:28 speaks of God's main purpose for families from the beginning. Men and women were to “fill the earth” with children; being fruitful was part of God's blessing. To “subdue” means to rule over and bring something into productivity.

II.   THE BLESSING OF CHILDREN:

The blessing that God pronounced on Adam and Eve carried an essential element. Not only were they (man and woman) to rule over and subdue the earth, but they were also to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” They were to have many children!

Before the fall, man and woman's greatest responsibility, as well as privilege, was procreation (i.e., to bring other human beings into this world). This was God's purpose for their marriage. These offspring were also expected to know God's design. It meant that they would learn the significance of being made in the righteous image of their Creator, to subdue the earth for God's glory, to populate the earth with their own children, thus producing a godly heritage.

We must understand and accept that children are a blessing and that bearing children likewise is an essential part of God's divine design for us. The Scriptures continue to support this design today.

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. “ (Psalm 127:3-5)  

There is no shame in having many children, even today! The shame is in not having children.

“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.” (Psalm 128:1-4) 

The man who fears the Lord and walks in His ways will labor for his house and seek children. He will rejoice when the Lord gives him a fruitful wife. He will not mourn should God give him children but rather rejoice.

What a beautiful picture of blessing that comes from fruitfulness!

The fruitful family was the foundational setting in which the Son of God was born to present His Father to us. In His earthly home, He was not an only child. When God, the Father, chose to send His Son, Jesus into this world as a full reflection of His glory, He chose to bring His Son into a simple family composed of a mother and father and several children. It was in this family context that Jesus was instructed, trained, loved, nurtured, protected, and prepared for His ministry that was lying ahead.

Throughout Jesus' ministry, He affirmed and upheld God's divine design for marriage and family. Likewise, He stressed the needs and concerns of children. In Luke 2:51-52, we read that Jesus willingly submitted Himself to the authority of his earthly parents and that He prospered in the role of a son to parents. Even when He was on the cross, Jesus expressed His respect for the family when He requested that His disciple John should take care of His mother, Mary.

Jesus portrayed a consistent concern and love for children when He compared the kingdom of God to the character of children. We read of Him spending time with children, talking, drawing them to Himself, and blessing them. He even demanded that we become like children that we may enter into His kingdom. Why did He do that?  Was it just a metaphor, or was He making a critical point about the value of children?

God's mind has not changed His design for the family and the centrality of children in His plan to bless and redeem the earth.

III.   MEN AND WOMEN WERE  CREATED WITH DIFFERENT GENDER ROLES:

Genesis 1 gives us a clear explanation of God's original design. Gender differences were an essential part of God's good creation from the beginning.  In Genesis 2, God created Adam first, assigning him various specific tasks such as cultivating and taking care of the garden for Him (Genesis 2:15). He was also to name the animals (Genesis 2:19-20). As Adam got involved in performing these tasks, God allowed him to notice his need for a companion, a helpmeet who would help him to fulfill his God-giving purpose on earth. But God was already thinking about finding a remedy for Adam's loneliness: "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.'"  (Genesis 2:18)  So Eve was created to be Adam's helpmeet (helper) in subduing the earth to glorify God. Eve was to be more than a helper. She was also to share, comfort, and love him in the intimacy of marriage (Genesis 2:24-25).

This design by God had a purpose and meaning. Man and woman were called together to subdue and rule over the earth and provide companionship for one another, a partnership for the purpose of producing children, procreation. God's primary intent was for this relationship to be a mutual blessing. And to help ensure this blessing, God created them physically and emotionally different, with different attributes and gender roles.

For example, the man, Adam, was more suited for arduous physical work since he was bigger and stronger than Eve. The woman was the weaker vessel, more fragile than her husband, even though she had many of the same traits. But she was blessed with a unique ability that made her vital for the survival of all that God had created. She was able to bear children.

In Genesis 3:20, we read that the first woman was named Eve, meaning “life” or “living” because she was “the mother of all living.”  She was the first woman as God's creature made in His likeness. She was to bring life to another human being. This was part of God's blessing. What a beautiful picture of God!  From the beginning, He supplied the woman with what is necessary to bring life into this world from her own body and to nurture a growing family!  How wonderful and precious it is for God to have given her a womb to bear children, breasts to nurse (“Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”  Luke 11:27), the makeup of the right hormones to be able to nurture and care for her children to maintain a special connection with them!

From the beginning, God equipped women for a particular role in the family, bringing life into this world to nurture. And though Genesis does not spell this out for us, I am convinced that this was God's primary responsibility for a family, to bear children and establish and maintain a home.

Proverbs 31 gives us a fuller picture of both a woman's gifts and the variety of ways she can be a blessing to her family as she fulfills her God-ordained role. All the activities listed in this beautiful proverb revolved around her dominion, her home:

• the preparation of good food, verse 14.
• clothing, verses 13, 21.
• ministering to others (hospitality), verses 17-20. 
• teaching or instructing her children as well as others, verse 26. 
• her faithfulness to God, verse 30.
• the work of her hands, verse 16. 
• her future and well-being, verse 25. 
• her productivity, verse 27.
• meeting her husband's needs, verse 11. 
• The sum of all these traits is “She looks well to the ways of her household,” verse 27.

Proverbs 31 contains a full-length portrait of how a woman of God ought to be.  Here we don't read of a woman's right or pursuits of self-serving interests, nor do we hear any mention of the husband being assigned to the domestic pursuits of his home. In fact, his occupation, as well as his other tasks, are clearly stated, “Her husband has full confidence in her... Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land” (Proverbs 31:11, 23). This beautiful Proverb is written as an acrostic, perhaps to emphasize the characteristics of God's ideal woman, committed to homemaking, chaste helpmeet, upright and God-fearing woman of strength. And though many women don't match her perfect skills and creativity, we can all identify our respective talents within this model and strive for this woman's spiritual excellence of strength and dignity. Half of this proverb is composed of personal and domestic strength. The only way to succeed in our task as homemakers and wives is to do it joyously as unto the Lord. The only way to avoid the drudgery of mundane tasks is to pray for God's help in the making and nurturing of our homes.

IV.   A “VERY GOOD” DESIGN:

Many in our culture look at the biblical view of the home and gender roles with disdain and difficulty. Of course, they are ignorant of God's Word when He said it was a “very good” design. It was God's perfect plan to bring about His purposes on earth and blessing to all people. When God's commands are obeyed, we all flourish because we live in harmony with the way we were designed and with the One who designed them. What makes us great women of strength in the eyes of our Creator is the obedience to God's Word, the joyful submission to our role, and the willingness to be used by God in the way He designed us to be. We are to glorify God in whatever circumstances and boundaries we find ourselves in this life, using our gifts well.

V.  WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO GOD'S DESIGN?

From Genesis and throughout the New Testament, the family has always been the center of God's design for all people. Men and women were created in God's image, being called together to a lifetime commitment. Women were created to bear children, to care for them, and oversee their household. The family was designed from the beginning to be a place of security and a stable foundation from which all life could flow. Men and women working together were God's perfect picture of mutual partnership of stability and unity. The love and commitment of both parents and children were to provide a clear vision of life to be handed down to each passing generation. When God completed His design, He pronounced it “very good.” Throughout the Bible, He has reaffirmed and elaborated on the goodness of His plan for the family.  So what happened to God's design?

Sin has destroyed God's original design for the home, as described in Genesis.  From the beginning of time, Satan has eagerly sought to destroy God and all the goodness of His design (I Peter 5:8-9). To destroy the foundation of the family as designed by God is a natural place for Satan to attack.  So what does this have to do with motherhood? As we look at our current culture, it is easy to see the implications. As men delighted in living a life according to the philosophies of this world, God's original design for the home was attacked continuously. Over the centuries, it has teetered on the edge of destruction because of various distortions.

I heartily believe Satan has succeeded in destroying God's divine design for the home for a significant portion of our people. He is breaking up marriages, denigrating the home, and trying at all costs to destroy us because he hates us. The role of wife and mother was held in high esteem just a few generations ago; and was also considered worthy of great honor, appreciation, and respect. The homemaker was seen as noble, sacred, strong, capable, intelligent, dignified, and irreplaceable in the home and society.

Sadly, much has changed. Satan has indeed diverted us. Over the last century, Biblical womanhood has been under extreme attack both from radical feminists and Marxists. One of their main attempts to annihilate the traditional (God-ordained family unit) is by removing women from their rightful sphere. One of their most successful strategies has been to belittle and demean the woman's role in the home. They fervently proclaim that it is the worst and least useful position and one that must be abandoned at all costs. They have succeeded in making many women fail to their God-given role, leaving their homes as though they are wasting their lives in mindless drudgery and that they are even a burden on society. Consider the following quotes from some famous feminists and humanists:

“The chief thing is to get women to take part in socially productive labor, to liberate them from 'domestic slavery,' to free them from their stupefying and humiliating subjugation to the eternal drudgery of the kitchen and the nursery. This struggle will be a long one, and it demands a radical reconstruction, both of social technique and of morale. But it will end in the complete triumph of Communism.” V.I. Lenin, International Working Women's Day Speech, 1920.

“The housewife is a nobody, and housework is a dead-end job. It may actually have a deteriorating effect on her mind... rendering her incapable of prolonged concentration of any single task. She comes to seem dumb as well as dull. Being a housewife makes women sick.” Sociologist Jessie Bernard, The Future of Marriage, 1982.

“A parasite sucking out the living strength of another organism … the housewife's labor does not even tend toward the creation of anything durable... Woman's work within the home is not directly useful for society, produces nothing. The housewife is subordinate, secondary, parasitic. It is for their common welfare that the situation must be altered by prohibiting marriage as a 'career for woman.'” Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1949.

Tragically, Satan convinced women to go as far as to the other side and be men, the ones they have criticized so much. In the process, they have denied their own womanhood. They now have two problems. 

Take, for example, abortion. Women were created by God to be life-bearers. Now the world of feminism tells them that it is actually noble for a woman to discard the fruit of her womb. She is just exercising her "right to choose."  

• What about the child's right to be born, nurtured, and loved by his mother? 
• What about those women who choose to abort their child even though their God-given instinct is to protect their baby? 

Such acts of lawlessness do violence to a woman's soul.

None can deny that Satan has been lying to us, and now multitudes of women have drunk deeply of the contaminated waters of feminism's well without realizing it. The shocking statements mentioned earlier by feminists have permeated the thinking of the entire world, even Christians. The consequences have been devastating.

VI.   WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD'S DESIGN IS IGNORED?

When God's ordained purpose for the home is lost, we start to see deterioration. Remember, God wants us to build a family and a heritage to glorify Him. Instead, we see homes crumbling every day as more marriages end up in divorce. All because men and women will not surrender to God's ordained design. Self-centeredness in the marital relationship is a problem ready for failure. The glue that was intended to hold together their marriage is just not there. They get divorced so that they may start searching for the perfect mate all over again. They jump from relationship to relationship all their lives, trying to find the kind of elusive love found in the movies. Others want to find fulfillment outside the family (work, affairs, sports, hobbies, charities, the internet, friendships, and so on). Some women even turn to their children for something meaningful. Of course, the main consequence of all this mess is that they are leaving behind God's ordained plan for the home.

When one willfully ignores God's divine plan for the home, it will be difficult to pass on God's ideals and ways to the next generation to build a godly heritage. Children tend to lose their proper place of value in life. And instead of being welcomed as God's blessings, they are valued by how well they fill their parents' own needs, turning their children into sources of emotional fulfillment. They have children for the same reasons they marry; to make themselves feel good. The children are considered blessings as long as they fulfill their needs. They put heavy burdens on their children to meet their expectations and emotional demands. The tragedy of this is that they teach their children to be self-absorbed, passing on a legacy of emotional neediness rather than godliness and righteousness.

Another consequence of this is that they regard their children as a burden, inconvenient. They utterly lose their sacred calling for having children. Therefore, children are seen as a time drain, a monetary expense, a career impediment, and an imposition on personal freedom. This has devastating effects on both personal and societal levels. It leads tragically to birth control, high abortion, child abuse, and neglect, all of which are clear symptoms of our culture today. Therefore, children are not important.  Why have them and raise them?

Once children lose their value in society, so does the work of bringing them into this world, tending and caring for them once they are born. It is nothing but the terrible consequence of leaving behind God's design for the home. Motherhood is devalued instead of being revered, honored, and supported by society. As a result of this mess, many women are confused and torn between our culture messages and God's eternal message. It is the plan He has written for them to put in their hearts. Sadly, many of my sisters in Christ feel this way.

The problem here is that once they are absorbed by this cultural message, they avoid having children, limiting the number of children so that they can have plenty of time and energy for their so-called “real” work. They even resent their own children because the care they need keeps them from being “productive.”  It becomes a choice between a successful career and a vibrant home.  My sisters, this ought not to be!

As a result, a whole generation of children ends up feeling rushed and pushed into a home with little or no stability, comfort, and joy. They forget that a home without a strong support structure can never pass on righteousness or morals to our society. When the biblical mission of motherhood is degraded, it quickly disappears from our culture, and the next generation suffers the consequences both morally, emotionally, and spiritually. Take heed!!

On the other hand, a minority of godly mothers who chose to devote their lives to nurturing their children so that they might pass it on as a godly heritage find themselves unsupported and unaffirmed by our culture and even the church that does not value the contribution they are making. Their sacrificial work of making a home a haven is often perceived as menial labor instead of godly. Consequently, many of these mothers suffer from feelings of isolation, loneliness, and even discouragement. Let us be wise!  We don't have to follow in the madness of this world!  Our homes deserve something better. Our families deserve a haven of refreshment, a thriving metropolis of productivity rather than McMansions devoid of life. Indeed, they are pretty to behold but are empty and lifeless while their occupants live a hectic, frenetic, 100 miles an hour life in the fast lane; trying to get ahead and get to the top of the corporate ladder; trying to squish as many activities as possible outside their domain, their precious home. I invite you to tour our beautiful neighborhoods and look for any signs of life aside from the family dog that might be barking in the backyard. They are sterile. They are dead quiet!

Mothers, daughters, wives, and sisters remember that we have in our hands the making of the future of our nation. We must rise up at once to our sacred calling. Ah! Throw away your weakening follies of fashion and soul famine and rise to God's challenge, the one He intended for you to achieve, the woman He designed you to be.

• Start making each of your homes from now on schools of true politeness, righteousness, and tender affection. 
• Teach your children what the kingdom of righteousness is all about, and start exercising your power now that you may reap the fruit of your ripe age. 
• Start being the wife, the godly wife God has intended for you to be. 

Take these words to heart!!

VII.   WHOLEHEARTED MOTHERING IN A HALFHEARTED SOCIETY:

Our culture has lost the vision of the crucial role mothers play in the life of the next generation. We are not encouraging our women to embrace motherhood with their whole hearts as an occupation worthy of our full life's devotion. Part of the design of our femininity has been devalued. God created us to nurture and provide a life-giving environment in our home, to be the center of life for those who live there. Let us be women of vision. We are not here to serve ourselves, to be lauded, petted, admired, or “affirmed.” We are here to do God's will in building men, godly cultures, and kingdoms. We don't have the time for self-pity! We have much to do and time is short! We must have a better vision of home than just ourselves. We must understand that we are at work to build God's kingdom for eternity. And where does it start?  At home!  It is not just about raising children who sit politely at the table; it is not about having homes that sparkle with cleanliness. It is not about having spouses who love one another, presenting a glorious picture of Christ and His bride, although these are very important. It is about bringing all these things together to build a godly culture. Let us put our focus on the things that really matter in life.

• Are we teaching our children to serve Christ, helping around our homes by doing acts of love, obedience, and kindness? 
• Are we teaching our children to be servants of all? We have Christ as our best example! (John 13:12-17). 
• Of course, we mothers must be examples to accomplish all this, leading in a godly way. There is no neutrality. There is no other way!

Mothers, we are building cultures, societies, and kingdoms while training our little ones at home. And if we don't train them well, someone else will, our rotten and corrupt culture. Let us then not forsake the God-ordained design for our homes. Let us return to God and our homes and start rebuilding a godly heritage that can reach into the future.

Sisters, take heart!  You are helping the generations to come. There is nothing more significant than the work you do at home for your family. Embrace your God-given work and responsibility with joy and delight. Let no one fool you. What you do with what God has set before you makes a big difference, either for good or ill in this world.

Grandmothers, aunts, and cousins, you are also a part of God's vision. It is a lie that only mothers can affect or impact future generations. We are all part of the Body that needs each member. The arm cannot say to the eye, “I don't need you; I can do this work by myself.” We must all pull together so that we may further Christ's kingdom, the one He has built for us. We sisters need the guidance and encouragement of the older sisters in Christ. Likewise, we need the servant-hearted help of our younger sisters in Christ. We are all a Body! We are all in this together!

So if we want to see a culture that values righteousness rather than lawlessness, we must return to the “old paths” spoken in Jeremiah 6:16. It is only then that we will “find rest for our souls.”  But we must be willing for others to call us foolish. We must die to ourselves that we may find true life. This world thrives on the “foolishness” of the world rather than on the wisdom of God! We must be willing to demonstrate the beauty of Christ in our homes and let the world watch in awe while we shine our Light. It is the only way to bring back biblical womanhood as ordained by God.

Don't forget that we are daughters of the King! We are building a kingdom that will have no end and that our homes are part of that kingdom plan. Let us be women of purpose and vision, serving the Lord of lords and the King of kings with all of our hearts and strength.

VIII.   CHOICE AND SACRIFICE: THE COST OF MOTHERHOOD

There is no higher calling, no greater privilege than being a vessel of life and a teacher of souls who will live forever. We must grasp this. Our children will live forever in heaven or hell. We have the privilege of introducing them to God and His Word. What an honor! There is no empire, nor credential, nor golden treasure, nor corporate success that can rival the glory of this calling, motherhood.

The church needs praying mothers, teaching mothers, and faithful mothers.  She needs mothers who will long for children, loving and blessing them to become warriors and maidens of virtue for generations to come.

Oh, motherhood, blessed motherhood!  Let us sing the praises of our sacred calling. Though bloodied by the darts and arrows of feminism, godly motherhood will not be crushed or defeated.

There is a cost to motherhood, and the price is no small sum. And we must be willing to pay this price that we might be encouraged with a joyful heart and be satisfied. The price of motherhood is no different from the price we have to pay to be a disciple of Christ. We see our duty as mothers flowing from our calling to Jesus Christ. So what does this cost?

• Our complete dedication to serving others. 
• Being servant mothers, mothering with the heart of Jesus (John 15:13). 
• Standing beside your husband, following him, and investing in the lives of our children. 
• Giving up our immediate satisfaction for eternal rewards. 
• Investing in the lives of others who may never fully appreciate our sacrifice or grasp the depth of our love. 
• And finally, it means doing all these things, not to receive the praise of men, for we will not, but because our Father in heaven made us to be a woman and a mother. 

There is so much joy in this higher calling! Motherhood requires living by faith and not by sight.

These are some of the reasons why motherhood is both the most biblically noble and, at the same time, the most socially unappreciated role to which a young woman may aspire. A mother that fears the Lord need never ask if her life matters. Upon her faithful obedience depends the future of the church and the hope of our nation.

Oh, that God would give every mother such a vision, perception of glory, and splendor for the task He has given to her; to nurture and train! Oh, that she would see that there is no other work as noble and worthy as motherhood! To marry and have children is the ideal life for a woman. To contribute to this world, splendid men and women. Is not this the noblest of things a woman could possibly do?

We, as mothers and wives, are to reflect the majesty of God. A strong and stable home can well influence our society. But we must equip them well with the Word of God that they may do the work the Lord has assigned for them to do. How do we accomplish this?  By teaching godly character, love for the Lord, and love for the lost without becoming discouraged ourselves. We must understand that many souls are at stake, even the souls of our children, if we don't teach them well. Our godly influence through our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren can impact future generations. We can't afford to neglect this noble vocation since our Lord has called us to do it, and we must obey. The Lord is using us as mighty instruments in His hand.

Our women today need to be taught the true meaning of what biblical motherhood looks like. There is nothing more beautiful than a woman who embraces her God-given role for the home wholeheartedly, understanding her noble and blessed purpose on earth. Such a mother does not allow the world to steal away what she was uniquely made for.

CONCLUSION:

God has designed mothers to partner with Him in His eternal work. He has promised to reward our faithfulness. Our children are precious souls whom God has entrusted to us. He has placed them in our hands, hoping that we will be faithful, hoping that they will follow our example in their own lives.

We must give our lives for our children's sake. In doing this, we are protecting future generations to be strong on the battlefield of their faith. We are God's authentic picture of love, strength, and encouragement for our children.

The home is like a kingdom where the mother is queen and the father is king.  In this kingdom, the children find a place of refuge, comfort, and inspiration. It is a place where great souls can be formed and shaped. It is a place from which men and women of great faith and conviction can emerge.

As a wife and mother, we have the power to impact this nation. We can strengthen and turn this nation toward God as we strengthen our marriages and our homes. The decisions to build can many times be sacrificial, but this brings so much fruitfulness.

Christian parents, brothers, and sisters in Christ, we can have no higher calling as Christians than to raise up the next generation of faithful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. But we must make sure that we are training them correctly, earnestly, honestly from the heart, soul, mind, and strength, offering reasonable service, their spiritual worship to God their Creator.

We need God's grace and strength. Therefore, we must pray so that we might not lose our purpose and become discouraged. Our strength comes from our joy in the Lord, and our joy in the Lord comes from trusting Him. When we trust in our Lord and His Word, we can rest in Him, and we no longer need to rely on our own strength but on His to hold us up and carry us through. Our trust in Him strengthens us to obey Him, and our obedience to Him leads to greater confidence.

Let us rise to the sacred calling of motherhood with the strength that comes from leaning on God so that we may glorify Him.

Our high calling of motherhood includes responsibilities: teaching the Word of God to our children and modeling Christ in our lives so that they might be inspired to follow our example. Let us be like Timothy's mother and grandmother, who were godly influences in his life (2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy was able to observe his mother's walk with God, living for Christ, studying His Word, and teaching the Scriptures to him relentlessly. As mothers, we must model godliness to our children. Children must see the beauty of Christ in their mother as she submits to her own husband and especially to Christ. They must see purity and godliness from the way their mother talks and conducts herself.  Let us take heed!

The preeminent responsibility of every parent is to teach the Word of God, the Gospel of salvation to their children so that they may be saved from the wrath of God. A parent’s greatest ambition is to see the children walking in Truth and righteousness. A godly mother leads her children to the cross, instructing them in the Truth. Motherhood is sacrificial in that it provides no breaks, no rests, no days off, and no slacking off. Our primary goal must be that of pointing our children to Christ always, in word and deed. Our labor is a labor of love, not just for physical needs but to nurture their souls for eternity.

A godly mother trust in her Lord all the time rather than in human ideas, especially when it comes to the eternal welfare of her children. She knows she must seek the Lord all the days of her life. She perseveres in her sacred calling of motherhood.

Our older women are responsible for teaching the younger women how to be good wives, mothers, and homemakers. It is God's mandate. Likewise, the younger women have the responsibility to listen to the counsel of older women and avail themselves of their wisdom.

I am afraid this rotten and corrupt world is teaching and shaping the hearts of our younger women. The world is constantly sending negative messages to them. In the eyes of our self-centered culture, pursuing our sacred calling of motherhood is a waste of time and of our lives, but what the world views as a waste, God sees as precious.

The spirit of feminism is still influencing the thinking of multitudes of Christian women and men. We are continually being attacked by a humanistic culture. We must be on guard and embrace God's plan for womanhood and accept the danger of abandoning such a realm. If we don't guard our hearts against this monster of feminism, we will lose our vision or perception and forget the value and worth of our vocation, becoming self-absorbed, miserable, and discontent. Let us be careful!  Our enemy, Satan, wants to render us weak, hopeless, and ineffective.

We must close our ears to the lies of feminism. We can defend ourselves by bombarding ourselves and filling our hearts, souls, and minds with the unchanging Word of God. The Light is a lamp to our feet; it is the two-edged sword with which we vanquish the enemy and build the little kingdoms entrusted to us by our Creator, our children. But we must keep His standard of Truth that we may press on.

The Bible home is under attack today.  The only way we will rebuild the Lord's church is by building strong homes and marriages. If we don't practice what we preach and teach, it hurts our influence before the eyes of a dying world. When we allow our homes to disintegrate, the Word of God is blasphemed. 

Imagine how much blessing it would be for the kingdom, the church to raise children as mighty warriors who know the Truth, speak the Truth and defend the Truth.  These are the arrows that will attack the enemy of the kingdom, the church.  We are molding children for eternity, doing their Father's will.  It is shameful that we have raised two or three generations that are too materialistic and self-absorbed to have and raise many children.  It is a shame that our churches and our culture are dying for lack of children to carry on our beliefs and convictions (our faith).  When we lack faith, we will be ashamed at the gate!  

Therefore, let us rise up and build better homes. As children of God, we must maintain the kind of homes that God intends for us to have upon this earth.  The family unit is the first divine institution ordained by God.  It is as ancient as time and revered as an expression of God's headship over all His creation.  God placed the first humans, male and female, in the Garden of Eden.  Likewise, He provided companionship in one for the other.  This reflects the perfect unity of the Godhead and the divine design for the family, reflecting God's wisdom and providential care for the crowning glory of His creation.

The world is in desperate need of homes where God is recognized as the Head, His Word as the only guiding light, and His glory as the only motivating power.  Apart from these Biblical principles to govern the home, our homes and family system are in danger of collapsing altogether.  This is leading us to a blatant ignorance of authority, flourishing in decadent societies.  God calls for faithful parents to guide, nurture, and train their children in His ways as His perfect arrangement (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4; I Timothy 5:14).  The godly home is our last line of defense against the ills that overtake the world.  It is commonly said, "As goes the home, so goes the nation and the church." 

Let us victoriously reclaim our thrones for the sake of our families and the furthering of the Gospel and Christ's kingdom.

May we rule our little corners of God's kingdom honorably and well. May we keep our eyes fixed on Him alone and His Word. May we seek wisdom and faithfully persevere in our God-given role, motherhood. May we never forget the might and power of our calling and our dependence on the Heavenly Father to fulfill our role as queen of our home. May we always treasure in our hearts the purpose of motherhood.  Mothers reflect God to the world.  May we lay down our selfishness at the foot of the cross. May we also remember that mothering is what we do as servants of Christ.  And may we enthrone the LORD in our hearts as godly and excellent women and wives so that all might see His glory shining in us.

Let our righteous deeds and our holy lives be carried out as excellent women of God.

The following is a poem that I adapted from an unknown author that gives a tribute to godly motherhood.

BLESSED MOTHERHOOD!

BLESSED is she whose labor of love is her willing hands and merry heart to perform the daily tasks of her duty and commitment, which becomes a privilege and a service to God.

BLESSED is she who opens the door to welcome both strangers and friends because gracious hospitality is a test of brotherly love.

BLESSED is she who, with her understanding, mends toys and broken hearts, for her kind, compassionate, and patient heart becomes a balm to those who are touched by it.

BLESSED is she who from a pure heart cleans and scrubs, for she knows that cleanliness and godliness are an expression of devotion and reverence to God.

BLESSED is she whose most precious and valuable treasure is love for her children, for to her, the love that she has for her children is worth more than fortune or fame.

BLESSED is she who while she’s working is singing, for she knows well that music cheers and lightens the heart of the heaviest load and tedious chore.

BLESSED is she who sweeps out and dusts away doubt, fear, and confusion, for she knows well that her faith and devotion will always triumph over all hardship or difficulties.

BLESSED is she who serves every meal with mirth and smiles, for her cheerfulness of spirit aids mental and physical digestion.

BLESSED is she whose sacred trust and calling can defend and maintain the sanctity of the home, for she sings the praises of her sacred calling to motherhood, which crowns her with dignity and praise.

By Luci Y. Partain