"She senses the worth of her work"
(Proverbs 31:18 - Message)
Being a mother is a hard job! On a daily basis we perform countless tasks, many of which are things we do not enjoy doing, and most of which go unseen. When we become mothers our whole life changes, we can never return to who we once were because never again will we be able to imagine life without this precious one who has filled our hearts. However, in the daily grind of cooking, cleaning, changing dirty diapers and separating whining children it is all too easy to forget what it is being a mother is all about.
So what is it all about? For me, it is to raise my children to know the one true God, for them to have a deep and fulfilling relationship with Him and for them to know just how much He loves them. That is the goal I am working towards. That is why God has entrusted these four lives into my hands. It is not about the meals I cook for them, the clothes I wash for them, the house I clean for them...it's about the character that I build in them, the love I show them and the Christian life I model for them that matters. "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14)
I believe that God is calling me, and all Christian Mothers, to a higher standard as Christ's ambassadors to our children. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us" (2 Cor 5:20) Through us our children will learn what it is to be a Christian, they will learn of His immeasurable love for us and they will learn how to live a life of faith. Of course as Christ's ambassadors we are called to a higher standard of living. A standard that demands we live a purposeful and intentional life before our children. Letting go of these high standards set before us has consequences for generations to come. These standards include demonstrating the fruits of the spirit to our children, showing Christ-like behavior even in circumstances that make it difficult to do so, and modeling a relationship with Christ to our children.
So with that huge task God has set before me I am able to truly sense the worth of this work. It is the most important job on earth. It is the most challenging and the most fulfilling job I am ever likely to have. It is also an impossible job without prayer, without God's word and without His grace, but we hold firm to His promise to us... "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matt 19:26)
