Dare To Be A Mom Who Cherishes Motherhood

 

I love hanging out with wise moms. I watch them, learn from them and am inspired by them. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been hanging out with Mary, Jesus’ mom, in the pages of Luke, chapters 1 and 2. She is a brave, wise, and pretty much amazing woman in every way. So what can you and I learn from Mary that will strengthen us in our high calling as moms?

 

There is a beautiful verse tucked into the story of Jesus’ birth that is worth our attention, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

 

What “things” did Mary treasure and ponder? She dwelled on all the wonderful things that were taught and told to her about the precious baby boy she held in her arms. This boy was the Son of God, Prince of Peace, Immanuel, the Messiah, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father. As Mary raised Jesus, she never lost sight of the amazing truths she had been told about Jesus.

 

Mary was like you and me in many ways. She had family, house and work obligations. There were demands on her time and energy. Her to-do list was endless. Mary could have easily allowed the busyness of life to distract her from the beauty of motherhood. But Mary intentionally treasured up truth about her child and pondered it in her heart.

 

Sweet friend, motherhood is a gift! Yet how often do we allow that gift to be mutilated by the challenges of parenting and life? How often do we rush from one commitment to the next, never slowing down long enough to look at our children the way God looks at them. They have been created by God and for God. They have been set apart for an extraordinary purpose. And you and I get to partner with God in raising them to walk in their God-given callings! That is nothing short of extraordinary.

 

Let us not forget these truths, but believe and treasure up each word!

 

This Christmas, dare to say no to society’s pressures to be all things to all people. Dare to say yes to simplicity, to margin, to family. God has called you to be a mom. Protect this gift that has been given to you. Take time to look into your child’s eyes and ponder what has been declared about them. Let those truths fill you with wonder at how God will use them to build his kingdom. Teach your children about the One whom Mary held in her arms and about the amazing things God spoke over them. Because of Jesus, you and your family have a future full of hope and goodness. Because of Jesus, you and your family are free to walk the path that has been blazed for you by God.

 

Sweet friend, I’m praying for you this Christmas season. Will you pray for me, too? Let’s ask God to help us enjoy this sacred holiday with our families and truly celebrate being a mom.

 

Want to know some of the extraordinary things God has declared about your child? Here is a long list! You may enjoy saving them and reading through just a few every day. Your heart will swell with love as you insert your child's name into each one. What a great God we serve!

 

 

God knows everything about (insert child’s name) and is familiar with all his/her ways, so when I need help parenting him/her, I can go to God for wisdom and direction. God is the Owner’s Manual for my child. 

 

God knows when (insert child’s name) sits down and when he/she rises up.  So, when he/she reaches the age when I can’t be with him/her all the time, I can know that God never takes His loving eyes off (insert child’s name).  He is my child’s ultimate care-taker.

 

(Insert child’s name) was made in God’s image.  How perfectly PERFECT!!

 

Because of God, (insert child’s name) lives and moves and has his/her being.  (Insert child’s name) whole life is found in Christ.  I can praise God for his/her very breath, his/her non-stop energy, and his/her creativity.

 

(Insert child’s name) is a child of Almighty God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He/she is a prince/princess in the Kingdom of God!  

 

God knew (insert child’s name) before he/she was even conceived!  (Insert child’s name) was chosen by God when He planned creation!  My child has a divine destiny!

 

All the days of (insert child’s name) life are written in God’s story book.  God is at the beginning, the end and every page in between.  I can trust God with every detail of (insert child’s name) life.

 

(Insert child’s name) was born at the exact right time and in the exact right location in history to fulfill a specific God-given purpose in His grand story.  (Insert child’s name) has a grand purpose!

 

(Insert child’s name) is awesome-ly and wonderfully made.  Each cell of his/her body was carefully crafted together by the hands of a Skilled Artist.  When kids begin to tease my child, I can tell him/her that it is a lie.  I can pray with (insert child’s name) and speak out loud God’s truth about him/her over and over until it drowns out the voices around him/her. (Insert child’s name)  WILL know who he/she is in Christ!

 

When (insert child’s name) is misunderstood, mistreated and cast out because of Jesus, I can know that when he/she shares in Christ’s sufferings, God will allow him/her to also share in His glory..

 

(Insert child’s name) was not created by a distant and angry God, but by the one true God who is the complete expression of love.  God longs to lavish His extraordinary love on (insert child’s name), not because of anything (insert child’s name)did, but just because he/she is His.

 

God offers more to (insert child’s name) than I or his/her father ever could because God is the perfect parent! Every good and perfect gift comes from His hand.  (Insert child’s name) is abundantly blessed!

 

God is (insert child’s name) Provider.  God will meet all his/her needs.  I can trust God to take care of (insert child’s name).

 

God has a plan for (child’s name) future.  One that is full of hope, blessing and favor.

 

(Child’s name) is loved with such a great and everlasting love...a love so high and wide and long and deep that it is impossible for the human mind to fully grasp.

 

God’s thoughts toward (child’s name) are as countless as the sand on the seashore. God NEVER stops thinking about (child’s name).

 

God rejoices over (child’s name) with singing!  All of heaven gets to hear God sing about my child!  How cool is that!

 

God will never stop doing good to (insert child’s name). And when God says never, he means NEVER!

 

(Child’s name) is God’s treasured possession.  So valuable, so rare, so precious.

 

God desires to establish (child’s name).  He desires to make (child’s name) spiritual roots grow down  deep and strong; to grow him/her up into a man/woman of excellence who has great character, confidence, courage and compassion.

 

God wants to show (child’s name) great and marvelous things!  How wonderful are Your works, O God!

 

When (child’s name) seeks God with all his/her heart, mind, soul and strength, God promises that (child’s name) will find Him!  In fact, God is waiting and wanting to be found by (child’s name) so He can come into his/her life and they can have a grand time together!

 

God promises that when (child’s name) delights in Him, He will give (child’s name) the desires of his/her heart, for it is God who gave him/her those desires.

 

God is able to do immeasurably more for (child’s name) than all I can ask or imagine.

 

God is (child’s name) greatest encourager.  I can help my child hear God’s encouragement by teaching him/her God’s Word.

 

God is (child’s name) Comforter in ALL his/her troubles.  When he/she is broken hearted, God is close to him/her.  As a shepherd carries a lamb, God carries (child’s name) close to His heart.  God will wipe away every tear from his/her eyes and one day will take away all the pain he/she has suffered on this earth.

 

God is (child’s name) Heavenly Father and God loves him/her even as He loves His Son, Jesus.  In Jesus, God’s love for (child’s name) is revealed. God is not counting (child’s name) sins.  He sent His one and only son, Jesus to die on a cross so that (child’s name) could be forgiven, enabling him/her to have a relationship with God and live forever with Him in eternal paradise.  Praise God this ultimate expression of love.  It is so great that words cannot fully express its magnificence. Because of Christ, my child is free from sin’s bondage and eternal death.

 

When (child’s name) receives the gift of Jesus, he/she receives God.  And, NOTHING will ever separate him/her from God’s love again.  God and the angels in heaven will throw a party so grand, that reality show producers would be knocking down heaven’s doors to display its grandeur.  

 

Anna Frye is a speaker, author, television host and founder of the Chosen and Crowned tribe. She invites moms and wives to celebrate imperfect progress fueled by the grace of a perfect God. She helps women bravely talk about the messy places of life, instead of hiding shamefully under them. She believes that lasting beauty comes when women courageously surrender their ashes to God and allow him to do something mind-blowingly amazing with them. If this resonates with you, then you belong with the Chosen and Crowned tribe. Connect at www.ChosenAndCrowned.com/blog