MORE THAN A MOTHER
When God set the world in place, when He hung the stars up in space, when He made the land and the sea, then He made you and me.
He sat back and saw all that was good, He saw things to be as they should. Just one more blessing He had in store; He created a mother, but whatever for?
He knew a mother would have a special place to shine His reflection on her child’s face. A mother will walk the extra mile
just to see her children smile. She’ll work her fingers to the bone
to make a house into a home.
A mother is there to teach and guide, a mother will stay right by your side. She’ll be there through your pain and strife, she’ll stay constant in your life.
A mother will lend a helping hand until you have the strength to stand. She’ll pick you up when you are down, when you need a friend she’ll stick around.
A mother is one who listens well,
will keep her word; will never tell.
A mother never pokes or pries
but stands quietly by your side, giving you the strength you need,
encouraging you to succeed.
A mother is one who can be strong
when you need someone to lean on.
You’re more than a mother to me; a reflection of Him in your face I see, a love that knows no boundaries.
I’m glad that you chose to be all this and more to me. You share a love that knows no end, you’re more than my mother, you are my friend.
~By Kari Keshmiry~
It takes more than giving birth to a child to be a Mother. It takes unconditional love, dedication to your child’s well-being, sacrifice and a determined belief in your child. Today, we see babies having babies. We see “career women” having babies so they can have it all at the expense of neglecting their children. We see women having babies and discarding them like they were yesterday’s newspaper. The truth is that they are tomorrow’s newspaper, full of hope and promise. Then we look at the world around us and wonder what happened. Perhaps it can be summed by asking, what happened to the fame, glory and respect that was given Motherhood? ” A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold ” (Proverbs 22:1). Yes, it is true. Even the best of Mothers have children that don’t turn out like they expected, invested in and wanted, but ” Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it ” (Proverbs 22:6). Keep praying for them. Keep living the Godly example in front of them. Don’t give up on them. God is still on the throne and His Word is still supreme. Yes, it is true that some of us must work. However, this is no excuse to put being a Mother anywhere but on the top of your priority list. Your child’s spiritual, physical and emotional welfare must still be your focus just behind your relationship with God. This child you have is a gift from God, a blessing from God, Himself. ” Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward” (Proverbs 127:3).
Unconditional Love: This is the basic need of every individual on earth yet is the need most often not met by earthly arms. ” That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children ” (Titus 2:4), to love your children is so important that the God of the Universe distinctly wrote it in scripture. But, more importantly, He demonstrated it Himself. ” Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God :” (I John 3:1). It isn’t enough to say you love them, you must actively love them. Jesus bestows His love upon us daily and shows us what unconditional love truly is. I John 1: 9 says, ” If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness .” ” Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
Dedication to your Child’s Well-being: Christ’s entire purpose for leaving the splendor of heaven was to save your soul. ” For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost ” (Luke 19:10). He demonstrated the limits of His love for you-there are none. He was and is watching out for you (” For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him “, II Chronicles 16:9) and has commanded you to do so for your children. Looking out for your child’s well-being includes teaching them about Jesus. He has commanded you to love Him and to teach His love and His ways to your children. ” Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates ” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
Sacrifice : ” As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love ” (John 15:9). ” For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life ” (John 3:16). ” Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends ” (John 15:13). He set the example and commanded you to walk after Him. He has given you a precious child to have and to hold, to nurture and grow. He has allowed you to leave part of yourself in this world by placing you in another. He thought nothing for His own life as He paid the ultimate sacrifice for you. As a Mother, a calling from God, you too must lay your life down for your children.
A Determined Belief in your Child : ” I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me ” (Philippians 4:13). ” Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ :” (Philippians 1:6). ” For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end ” (Jeremiah 29:11). ” The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance ” (II Peter 3:9). He knew us yet He loved us. ” We love him, because He first loved us ” (I John 4:19). He knew that we would reject Him. He knew that we were unworthy, yet, God and His Son Jesus saw something in us that made us lovable. It was that we were created in His image (Genesis 1:27) and He loved us. He loved us so much that He did all that it took to reconcile us to Him (” And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself” , Colossians 1:20). He believed in us enough to commission us to be His ambassadors. ” Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me ” (Isaiah 43:10).
It is no easy task to be a Mother but thanks be to God that in His strength you can do all things (Philippians 4:13) and ” all things are possible to him that believeth ” (Mark 9:23). He as called you to a Holy and High calling. Your hand rocks the cradle that rocks the world. You have been chosen to be a reflection of God in the face of one He has given you. Don’t take it lightly but by all means feel honored, blessed and proud to be chosen to “baby-sit” for the children of the Most High God!
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I would like to take this time to thank my God for His wonderful blessing to me to give me a Godly Mother. She prayed when others would have surely fainted. She stood when others surely would have fallen. Her prayers gave her strength and she passed that strength on to her children. She always gave and rarely took. She was never too busy, never too tired or never out of our reach. For the countless hours she spent picking me up and placing me on the counter and going over and over and over again with me my memory verses, I am forever grateful. For the fact that I knew my whole life that I could do it because she had instilled in me the belief that I was worthy, I thank her. She made sure I knew that God made me worthy and that she would surely be proud. But most of all, I thank God for the unconditional love I found in my Mom, her belief in Him and her Godly walk in front of me. I know what it means to be a Mother for I had the very best!