From last week’s post, “Don’t feel abandoned, don’t feel alone. Nothing escapes His eye. No one can fly under His radar. So let us all Be Encouraged!”
Embrace motherhood!
In this concluding part of the 8-part series (thank you for staying with me on this journey!), I want to ask us to embrace motherhood wholeheartedly and not look on it with fear or disdain. And to remind us all that motherhood is a high calling, not a by-product (side effect?) of being intimate with your husband. Embrace motherhood despite the fact that society (and sadly, even the Church) today, by and large, only pay lip service to but in actual fact discourage.
In Bible days, being a mother was highly sought after. Think of Sarah, Rachel, Hannah. They were barren and went to great lengths to become a mother. And one child isn’t enough. They wanted more! But today, we choose family planning, we choose barrenness. Modern, liberated women even Christian women, shun motherhood. And so did I until the Lord changed how I viewed children.
Getting a glimpse into God’s heart
Children are NOT an interruption to our lives. Children are tangible gifts from God to us. And by becoming a parent, we get a glimpse into God’s heart as He parents us. The heartache He feels when we disobey Him, ignore Him or do things for Him out of duty rather than love. And the love He feels when we turn and run into His arms in full faith and confidence, just like how our children run to us for help and comfort.
Many of today’s modern women go to great lengths to avoid being a mother. They have been heavily influenced by a global society which sells to us via the local and international media that children are not blessings but a liability, a curse even! Children interrupt our stellar career paths and our cool lifestyles. How can one drop everything and go to the Caribbean if one had to think about childcare duties???
Motherhood is a Ministry
Let me encourage us instead look at motherhood through a biblical worldview and be encouraged to embrace motherhood wholeheartedly. To look at motherhood as a ministry unto the Lord. This is where we are given both the privilege and responsibility of shepherding and discipling our children in the ways of God and His kingdom. And this is where we get rewarded with hugs and kisses!
Yes, motherhood is a ministry which calls for much sacrifices and self-denial, like any other ministry. A ministry that exposes our weakness and our fears. But, as we seek to serve Him in all that we do as part of mothering, God sees. Remember, He is a God-who-sees. And not from a distance, as a famous song goes.
Psalm 145:18 tells us, “The Lord is near to ALL who call upon Him, To ALL who call upon Him in truth.” So let us call upon Him when we are weak and discouraged, overwhelmed and in despair.
Be encouraged and embrace motherhood wholeheartedly!
Mothers, be encouraged to keep on keeping on. Let us not give up fighting for our children’s souls. Let us not give up trusting God. Motherhood is ordained by Him. He is on our side!
The Invisible Woman
To end, here is a dramatisation of a piece of writing that I first came upon back in 2008. It talks about the grand cathedrals in Europe, built by many men, taking over hundreds of years. Men who do not get to see the fruit of their labour but who toil on professionally, even in areas that men’s eyes cannot see because they are serving a God who sees.
Motherhood is a lot like that. No one really sees the work that goes on behind the scenes, but God does! He cares about our work. He sees the sacrifices made. And He sees into our hearts! Be blessed!
Some questions to ponder this week :
- Have you been afraid to become a mother? Afraid to be a mother again?
- Do you feel your lifestyle and/or career path have been derailed by the arrival of your child/ren?
- How can you change your view of children to how God sees children?
- What would make you embrace the call of motherhood?
And so we have come to the end of a very long 8-part series! I hope you have been blessed by this sharing, and if you know of other mothers who need to BE ENCOURAGED, please send them here!
The full series of Be Encouraged
- Part 1 – Be Encouraged: Introduction
- Part 2 – Be Encouraged to see motherhood as a ministry
- Part 3 – Be Encouraged to see our children as blessings
- Part 4 – Be Encouraged to fix our eyes on Jesus
- Part 5 – Be Encouraged, not afraid
- Part 6 – Be Encouraged while living out the daily grind of life
- Part 7 – Be Encouraged to know that He is the God-Who-Sees
- Part 8 – Be Encouraged and embrace motherhood wholeheartedly