I believe that motherhood can be amazing! And I don't say this lightly, because I am a mother myself—fully acquainted with the challenges this calling in life brings. But it depends on where we are looking. There is a plan for motherhood that comes from heaven, and motherhood can be amazing if we follow it.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will." Motherhood truly can be amazing, but it isn't found in any of the patterns we see around us in the world. Our views of motherhood could use a makeover—a total transformation. And it starts with renewing our minds to think like God thinks.
I am so passionate to see us rise above what we have seen and heard around us about motherhood from the world. The world is constantly screaming in our ears, trying to give us a viewpoint of what motherhood is like, recalling the worst-case scenarios and showing us images of the mothers who have been beaten down and battered with a seemingly hopeless task! To ever experience something better, we need to shut out these other voices and tune our ears to hear Heaven's plan. Then we will be able to begin hearing our good, good God giving us a picture of what motherhood looks like to Him. He has a perfect will—and it's a good and pleasing will—that we can test and approve—and then declare to the world that it works! That is very hopeful!
Our society has made motherhood look like such a burden in so many ways. Nearly all of the comments that people make about what it's like to be a mother are laced with sarcasm. I believe all this grieves the heart of the God so much! In a very real sense, He is the very first one to be in the role that we label "Mother." He gave us all life, bringing us into the world and giving us everything we need to survive. Genesis 1:27 says, "in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them" (italics added). Men and women, fathers and mothers—they are created in His image, an image that He calls that "very good"! I'll say it again: mothers were created in His image. That is why I believe it grieves God when we paint motherhood in a poor light.
When we search the scriptures, we find out what a mother looks like to Him: Proverbs 23:25 says, "May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful!" And in Psalm 113:9 it says, "He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord."
God intends for us mamas to be filled with joy doing what we are doing. He enjoys being our parent and loving us, and He hopes that we would look to Him to find that in our motherhood as well. Please understand, I am not saying it will all just happen automatically. He has a way for motherhood to be joyful and happy, and we have to discover that. But it is absolutely possible. It begins with turning to Him for answers in everyday situations.
I think it's such a unique ability to give birth and to be a parent! He designed women in a beautiful way to be just like Him! We give birth just like He does, and we create a new being just like He does. He is the only perfect Parent. Can you begin to see how beautiful this gift is? And so there is a way, I believe, that God has in His mind for motherhood. He says, “As the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9).
If we decide ahead of time to love our role as mothers—because God has chosen us to be like Him—and we understand that He chose our children for us, that is when we step into the joy and happiness He destined for us to have. When we understand that our children are a gift from heaven, He will keep giving us revelation after revelation about our child's destiny and the plans that He has for them. This is so much better than the world's pattern of being overwhelmed by the daily struggles! As we renew our minds to the truth that motherhood is amazing, we will no longer look at the present situations as hopeless. Rather, it will cause us to be in absolute awe of God and in awe that we get to train up little world changers. We will be thrilled to be with these little warriors of God—instead of agonizing that we're stuck with "terrible two" year olds. He will cause us to look at them as not merely children who make messes, but as individuals whom He has chosen and set apart from birth, whom He plans to reveal to the world for such a time as this.
This unique and beautiful period in our lives pulls us to live completely for others, being challenged in every way we've known up until then or been familiar with. It causes us to dig down deep into the One we depend on and get life from.
My challenge for us all is that we renew our minds—getting rid of our old thoughts and opinions about motherhood and trading them for higher, heavenly understanding. Let's focus on the good. There is no calling like the calling of being a mother! This calling of motherhood isn't something earthly. It's not something that was done to us. It is something incredibly good that comes from Heaven, from our good, good Father. He considered us capable and more than able to do the task. When we renew our minds to these things, we start to experience joy that comes from Him. Doing it another way is very hard, devoid of joy and also devoid of the strength that he promises us. When we renew our minds, He is able to renew our strength. On our worst days, days of sickness and days filled with seemingly endless tantrums, we can ponder on those things and keep our spirit lifted up, high above all the voices of the earth. As we listen to our Father, we will understand that Heaven truly has a good plan for us to be mothers.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will." Motherhood truly can be amazing, but it isn't found in any of the patterns we see around us in the world. Our views of motherhood could use a makeover—a total transformation. And it starts with renewing our minds to think like God thinks.
I am so passionate to see us rise above what we have seen and heard around us about motherhood from the world. The world is constantly screaming in our ears, trying to give us a viewpoint of what motherhood is like, recalling the worst-case scenarios and showing us images of the mothers who have been beaten down and battered with a seemingly hopeless task! To ever experience something better, we need to shut out these other voices and tune our ears to hear Heaven's plan. Then we will be able to begin hearing our good, good God giving us a picture of what motherhood looks like to Him. He has a perfect will—and it's a good and pleasing will—that we can test and approve—and then declare to the world that it works! That is very hopeful!
Our society has made motherhood look like such a burden in so many ways. Nearly all of the comments that people make about what it's like to be a mother are laced with sarcasm. I believe all this grieves the heart of the God so much! In a very real sense, He is the very first one to be in the role that we label "Mother." He gave us all life, bringing us into the world and giving us everything we need to survive. Genesis 1:27 says, "in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them" (italics added). Men and women, fathers and mothers—they are created in His image, an image that He calls that "very good"! I'll say it again: mothers were created in His image. That is why I believe it grieves God when we paint motherhood in a poor light.
When we search the scriptures, we find out what a mother looks like to Him: Proverbs 23:25 says, "May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful!" And in Psalm 113:9 it says, "He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord."
God intends for us mamas to be filled with joy doing what we are doing. He enjoys being our parent and loving us, and He hopes that we would look to Him to find that in our motherhood as well. Please understand, I am not saying it will all just happen automatically. He has a way for motherhood to be joyful and happy, and we have to discover that. But it is absolutely possible. It begins with turning to Him for answers in everyday situations.
I think it's such a unique ability to give birth and to be a parent! He designed women in a beautiful way to be just like Him! We give birth just like He does, and we create a new being just like He does. He is the only perfect Parent. Can you begin to see how beautiful this gift is? And so there is a way, I believe, that God has in His mind for motherhood. He says, “As the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9).
If we decide ahead of time to love our role as mothers—because God has chosen us to be like Him—and we understand that He chose our children for us, that is when we step into the joy and happiness He destined for us to have. When we understand that our children are a gift from heaven, He will keep giving us revelation after revelation about our child's destiny and the plans that He has for them. This is so much better than the world's pattern of being overwhelmed by the daily struggles! As we renew our minds to the truth that motherhood is amazing, we will no longer look at the present situations as hopeless. Rather, it will cause us to be in absolute awe of God and in awe that we get to train up little world changers. We will be thrilled to be with these little warriors of God—instead of agonizing that we're stuck with "terrible two" year olds. He will cause us to look at them as not merely children who make messes, but as individuals whom He has chosen and set apart from birth, whom He plans to reveal to the world for such a time as this.
This unique and beautiful period in our lives pulls us to live completely for others, being challenged in every way we've known up until then or been familiar with. It causes us to dig down deep into the One we depend on and get life from.
My challenge for us all is that we renew our minds—getting rid of our old thoughts and opinions about motherhood and trading them for higher, heavenly understanding. Let's focus on the good. There is no calling like the calling of being a mother! This calling of motherhood isn't something earthly. It's not something that was done to us. It is something incredibly good that comes from Heaven, from our good, good Father. He considered us capable and more than able to do the task. When we renew our minds to these things, we start to experience joy that comes from Him. Doing it another way is very hard, devoid of joy and also devoid of the strength that he promises us. When we renew our minds, He is able to renew our strength. On our worst days, days of sickness and days filled with seemingly endless tantrums, we can ponder on those things and keep our spirit lifted up, high above all the voices of the earth. As we listen to our Father, we will understand that Heaven truly has a good plan for us to be mothers.
