Mamas in Faith

The idea of talking about motherhood being a huge part of all our own ministries on a daily basis has so many ideas on where to go with such a broad topic. Fortunately for us there is plenty of opportunities to work through different examples in the Bible on how we can live out our motherly ministry and it might surprise you that it has less to do with the women in the Bible and more to do with Jesus’ examples of his own ministry. 

         Before we begin diving into the topic I wanted to give you a couple recent statistics involving motherhood itself 

• There are nearly 2 billlion moms around the world today, with an estimated 80 million in the US alone
• That fact was somehow less shocking to me than the one that stated that only about 85 percent of women said that they enjoyed motherhood. 

Now you don’t have to raise your hand, but I know that those of us who are currently in the trenches of motherhood would agree that not every single moment of motherhood is enjoyed but the overall experience should not be determined by one bad day or one bad experience within motherhood. 

I think that we can all agree that not all the duties of motherhood are the most exciting, motherhood overall can be enjoyed, but what if those that said they didn’t enjoy motherhood are simply looking at it from the wrong perspective, much like how are worldview can impact how we read the Bible our worldview can impact how we view what is happening in our experience with motherhood. 

If you have your Bible handy I’d like to invite you to open it to Mark 10:35-45 so we can read through the passage together…

Suffering and Service

³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.

³⁷ They answered him, “Allow us to sit at your right and at your left in your glory.”

³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

³⁹ “We are able,” they told him.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with. ⁴⁰ But to sit at my right or left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

⁴¹ When the ten disciples heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. ⁴³ But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant,⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (CSB)

Now that I may have some of you wondering how in the world this applies to motherhood give me a minute we will get there. I also know others of you likely know where I am going with this. 

There was a quote going around the beginning of summer that said something like “it’s not just their childhood but it’s your motherhood too” … well it’s not just your motherhood it’s their childhood and together it has the ability to help shape both of your lives.

I truly believe that ALL mothers can perceive motherhood with joy. 

All mothers can experience joy within motherhood by shifting three main perspectives. 

Yes, just three shifts in perspectives can help.

Number 1. We must view motherhood as a service and not something that serves us. 

a. You are a provider- from the moment you conceive a child your duty to that child is to provide. While may come as a shock to some women after being very well pampered by their husbands, you are a provider, likely in a way that you never have been.

b.  Motherhood is a servanthood – we can be examples of how Jesus serves his people when we serve our children. If we look back at verse 45 we see Jesus say, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

Now what I am not saying is that you are not a parent, you are not to let your child walk over you in the sense of the social contagion of gentle parenting but that’s another topic for a different day. 

Number 2. Motherhood is not to be done alone. 

Im sure we have heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. This Is not what I mean, I am not here to tell you that having more people to help with you child will magically shift your perspective from not enjoying motherhood to being, so joy filled you shout from the mountain tops that EVERYONE NEEDS A VIIALGE 

I am here to tell you that you journey in motherhood cannot, cannot be truly joyful without Jesus. 

Let us thing on this for a moment we have the choice to accept that suffering will happen and also choose that the joy on the other side of whatever that struggle or suffering is, is for the better. While I am only about a decade into my own motherhood we have faced quite a few struggles amongst four children, sickness, NICU stays, attitudes, solo parenting, working mom life, stay at home mom life, marriage tension and more. God never promised Christians an easy life but what he did promise was that if we accepted Jesus and followed his ways that life would be worth it because we would be saved. 

Which brings me to the third perspective. 

Motherhood requires prayer and not just in one area

• Praying for guidance 
• Praying for your children 
• Praying for you marriage

Much like Jesus points out in the scripture for today James and John didn’t know what they were asking for and honestly

We don’t necessarily know what we are asking for when we ask for something…

Longing to be pregnant 

– suffering from various things that happen in pregnancy

Longing for pregnancy to be over 

– the pain that comes with birth 

Longing for the baby days to end 

– the longing of having them little for just a little longer for one more sweet baby coo as you have them snuggled on your chest with their perfect sweet-smelling head 

I have yet to experience the this but the longing for them to grow up 

– having an empty nest 

There are so many things within motherhood that we think we know we want but we are not yet prepared for the suffering that comes along with what we are asking God for. 

What I don’t want us to get stuck on is that we must only endure suffering and not be able to witness and experience the Joy that God has for us in motherhood. 

All mothers can experience joy within motherhood by shifting just three perspectives. Switching from being served to needing to serve others, having it in your grasp that motherhood is not to be done alone and that every aspect of motherhood just like you walk with the Lord can only be strengthened through prayer. 

Now that we have talked through some perspectives that we can change to help us find more joy in motherhood I would like to leave you with a question and a couple of possible action steps. 

• How will you take a step into viewing motherhood with more joy?
• This week I encourage you to pause in the moments that are hard and think about what Jesus did for you, how he suffered so that you sin could be wiped clean. 
• And lastly I would like to invite you to join me in a gentleness challenge that will begin on Friday, if you’ve read “M is for Mama” you probably know what im talking about but if not id love to tell you more so talk to me after this. 

Prayer

Id like to close out with a prayer before we leave today

• Dear Lord, please help guide these women as they leave here today to stand firm on the foundation that you have already built for them. Allow them to lead in their homes as servant leaders. Allow them to see in the moments of struggle that you have not left their side, you are there with them in their homes. Let us all see you as an example of how we are to model our lives especially when we are thinking about our journeys with motherhood. Let us remember that you called us not to be tyrants but to serve those that are in our lives. We may not know what we ask for but please lord help us to understand your will and guide our steps so that we can raise up the next generation that is on fire for you lord. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.