My late grandmother loved plants. Early mornings I would watch her till the soil, at times with her bare hands. She cared for seeds until they became plants. She told me that the soil would affect how well your plants grow. She spoke about the importance of getting the soil ready so that whatever was planted had the proper nutrients to grow and a substrate to anchor their roots. She prepared the soil by adding manure from her chicken coop or fertilizer from the store. I watched her work so much that I developed a love for plants myself.
As I think about my late grandmother and plants at this stage of my life in which I am a mother, I cannot help but think about how seeds need the right soil to reach their full potential and how God uses motherhood to help us grow spiritually, becoming more like Him.
Dear Friend,
How is God using Motherhood to make you more like Him?
I love being a mother and watching my children’s faces. I love when they talk. I love hearing their voices. I love when my babies bury their tiny faces under my arms at the end of a challenging day. Motherhood is so rewarding, even alongside the challenges.
What do you enjoy most about motherhood?
Motherhood is also associated with many challenges and situations to which we do not always have answers. Situations that manifest as we grow, our children grow, and as we change.
Motherhood is like a mirror that shows what is inside us: the good and the ugly.
For someone looking in, they can see the beautiful faces and the heart-melting smiles, but if we are being open, that is not all motherhood entails.
As a Christian mother, I believe that motherhood is one of the most fertile and nourishing soils for developing the fruits of the spirit in us as Christian women.
Motherhood is not a role that we can just walk away from when we are tired, upset or cannot seem to figure things out. Motherhood is a bond infused with love that lasts a lifetime, and it is a role we will laugh and cry in.
Galatians 5:22-23
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
Motherhood is teaching me to be Patient.
“Put the toys away.” “Wash your hands after eating!” “Be nice to your sister.”
As a mother, there are some things I desire for my children to learn quickly or to do quickly, but God does not do things in my timing. Sometimes it is repeating the exact phrases countless times for the day only to have my little ones do everything but what I am requesting.
There are things my children will understand once a request is made and adjust to making the necessary changes, but that is not always the case. Some things take time. Some changes come with maturity, and others by praying and seeking God’s face for the next steps or an answer.
Sometimes, as mothers, we are faced with situations that need to do their course.
Being a mother has taught me and continues to teach me how to remain calm when faced with delays and challenges daily.
Each day has challenges; if I were to respond to all the challenges faced when dealing with young children,
I would lose track of all the times I was angry. In fact, I would be angry all the time. Is it always easy to remain calm? Not at all, but God continues to meet me where I am, bringing me from grace to grace.
Motherhood is teaching me to be Selfless.
As mothers, we are not exempt from not-so-good days. Some days as a mother, I wish I could do exactly what I wanted. Stay in bed for an extra hour. Curl up on the sofa with a good book. Just tap out of the hustle and bustle when I need a break. This is not an option when you are a SAHM with young children depending on you for their every need without another adult being in the house for most of the day.
I make a choice daily to put my own needs aside. I remain with my children when I am tired or feeling sick. Sometimes I get so carried away with being a mother I neglect my own needs. Motherhood has taught me to see beyond myself. My world is focused on caring for the four little humans that call me mom. They look to me to provide for their needs, to figure out difficulties, and for answers that will bring them stability in their worlds. They look to me as a fair judge and mediator for all their squabbles. I often times think, as I plan and prepare for my children, how God knows about all the details of our lives even before we were born. He provides for all our needs according to His riches in glory.
Motherhood is teaching me to love unconditionally.
When my children’s actions cause me to hurt or become angry, I choose to love. After all, I am human, and I make mistakes and will, at times, need their forgiveness when I do not handle a situation well. When I see how imperfect I am, loved by a perfect God, I am compelled to extend unconditional love to my children. As mothers, we invest so much into our children, and because of all the love invested, when things are not going as we imagined, we can become disappointed.
God is using Motherhood to teach me to love in the good times and not-so-good times. When I am disappointed with a negative choice or their inability to learn and adapt to a command quickly, it does not alter my love for them. I am disappointed and do not love the situation we might be in, but my love for my children will always remain unshakable. When we sin, God does not turn His back on us. When we repent, He is faithful to forgive.
1 John 1:10 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
We are called as Christian mothers to demonstrate this same love to our children. We must help our children understand that we will love them in the good and bad times. That a bad situation will not alter our love for them so that when they find themselves between a rock and a hard place after seeking God, we are the earthly ones they will turn to for support.
Motherhood is teaching me to apply grace upon grace and to be gentle.
When I think about how much grace God has bestowed on me, how can I withhold grace and mercy from others? How can I not be gentle with my little ones?
Lamentations 3:22-23
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.”
There will never be a time when my children will exhaust my grace. They will never need a chance, and I refuse to extend my hand to help them in any Godly way that I can. God never has and will never give up on me when I do not figure things out quickly. He is so gentle with me, and His gentleness pushes me to repentance.
My mother told me that gentleness is power under control. What better example of power under control do I have than the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ? Jesus did not need to stay on that cross, but He did it out of love, grace and mercy.
Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
As a mother, I feel unconditional love for my children daily. My emotions will range from being calm and relaxed to feeling like this is the last straw for today. But no matter what emotion I am feeling, I aim to be like Christ. I choose not to be harsh when I am frustrated or heated. I make a conscious effort to be kind-hearted, applying grace when inside, I am feeling the opposite. Our actions speak volume to our children. They may not be able to understand our words when they are young, but they interpret our actions to mean good or bad.
Motherhood is teaching me Self control.
When I am a mediator for my children’s daily disagreements, I want to say, “I told you this would happen!” “Why didn’t you listen?” “This could have been avoided.” When I come to a point where I am dealing with an issue for the tenth time, everything in me wants to scream. I hold back when a day seems so long, and a break is needed. Do I always? No, I am becoming better at not responding negatively in situations where I feel I want to explode. I ask myself the question, What would Jesus want me to do? I take deep breaths at times, not speaking until I am calm. I tell myself, let your actions do no harm. What do you want your children to learn from challenges? To listen and talk through challenges or to break down and scream through them? I want to work on building strong relationships with my children so that my children will feel safe to approach me with any and everything they might be dealing with. I want to be the mother they know will listen without judgement and give advice out of love and not anger. Motherhood is teaching me to pause when things are heated and respond out of love and not anger. I have had enough experiences exploding to know that it causes more damage than good. I am still a work in progress, and I know I might blow, but Motherhood has taught me and continues to teach me to pause and think of the greater good. To deny my impulses when my being is screaming because I am dealing with souls.
Motherhood is teaching absolute unmatched unspeakable intangible Joy.
Motherhood is one of the hardest yet best things that has happened to me. On a daily basis, I get to experience unmatched unspeakable joy. Yes, I would not change the sense of purpose and accomplishing the will of God that comes with impacting the lives of my children for anything in this world. I get to love, feel love, and reflect on the love of God for me daily. Over the last year, I have been battling some health issues, and every day, I am praying and being prayed for. The one-line prayer that I am sure God is hearing is, “Lord, please help mommy feel better.” When the cares of life are pushing and pressing, there are little hands that distract me, and I feel so overwhelmed by their love for me and how much I am needed in their worlds.
I am never alone; my hands and heart are always full. With all the strong emotions I feel on any given day, laughter is scattered through it all. I am just so grateful for my children and for being a part of their lives. They are my sunshine when life becomes cloudy.
The joy they bring to me cannot be measured. A monetary value cannot be placed on it. They will always be my babies, and I am so blessed despite the challenges I am facing. God sure knows what we need. They are light for me as I walk on from this journey here into eternity.
As a young mother, I am growing and becoming more like Christ daily as I care for the souls He entrusted me with. I embrace the role of Motherhood, knowing it is making me into the image of Christ. I encourage you, friend, to laugh through the Good times, and when things get rough and tough, pray and ask God, the one who has entrusted you with your blessings, “What are you trying to do in my life?” “In our lives?” “What is it that you want me to develop in me?”
Friend, He will answer you and help you every step of the way.
Motherhood is fertile soil for our spiritual development and provides the environment for us to grow to be more like Christ. We need a relationship rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ to navigate the world of Motherhood. A world that is rewarding even with its challenges.
Friend motherhood is revealing to me how much God loves His children and that He is faithful when we fail to be. You see, I will never be a good parent like He is, but in all my humanness, I will never stop:
• Loving my children.
• Looking out for their best interest.
• Helping them when they need a helping hand.
• Showing them right from wrong.
•Loving them through the good times and the bad.
As I continue on this rewarding journey with bumps along the way, I am excited to become more like my father and to get a glimpse of His reckless love for me.
I hope these words are a blessing to you. If they are, please leave a comment and share this article with someone that will find it helpful.
Thinking out loud because life is better shared.
Kimberlee ✍🏿
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