Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother

I am loving this bible study that we are doing at the FBC. It really has opened my eyes to the way Ive been going about things. I feel completely renewed. I want to share some of what I have been learning. For legal purposes, I will be quoteing word for word from the book. The author's name is Caroline Mahaney.

Transformed by Titus 2: Chapter 3 - The blessings of Loving my children

"Quit it!" "MOM!! She is touching me! Make her stop!" "Get over here this minute!" "Dont make me yell at you one more time!"

How many of us have heard that or said that before? I know I have on many occasions. Motherhood can be both exhilarating and exaperating. It can present us with a delightful experience one minute and baffle us the next. Our perspective of motherhood should not be defined by our diverse experiences & flucuating emotions.
Yet it's in the midst of trials and challenges of motherhood that the command comes to love our children. We are to love our children with Phileo (tender, affectionate and passionate) love. A sacricfical and dutiful love. We are to delight in our children.

"NO job on Earth takes more physical, metal, social, emotional and spritual strength that being a good wife and mother. If a woman is looking for an easy life she might try tennis. There is nothing easy about good mothering. It can be back breaking, heart wrenching and anxiety producing. And that's just in the morning." - Stephen & Janet Bly

Because mothering requires constant sacrificies, the temptations to resentment, complaining and self-pitty are always close by. I was so focused on the sacrificies that I had failed to appreciate the daily pleasures of raising my children. We can either resent the challenges and demands that accompany motherhood and persist in our selfishness, or we can draw from GOD's grace and receive HIS help to cheerfully lay down our lives for our children. [Matthew 20:26] If we set aside our selfish desires, and joyfully serve our children, we are glorifying GOD. That is the greatness according to the Bible.

But what if we lose our joy to sacrificially serve and love our children? Our only genuine source of refreshment comes from GOD. How do we do this? Luke 5:15,16 - Withdraw and pray. With everyone coming to mom for needs, remember to take time alone to spend with GOD.

Beware of Indulgence/Discipline
We must never beome tolerent of sinful behavior in effort to enjoy our children. [Proverbs 22:6]
"Far better that children should cry under healthy correction, than that parents should afterwards cry under the bitter fruit to themselves and children of neglected discipline." - Charles Bridges [Proverbs 13:24] avoidance of discipline is an expression of hate not love.

Love
What are some words that come to your mind when you think our your children? Work, responsibility, sacrifice, burden, more work? [Psalm 127:3,4] [Psalm 128:1-4] The psalmist describes our children as heritage, fruit, reward and arrows. "Blessed is the man" Love consists of insignificant activities. It includes faithful prayer and encouragement or small gestures of kindness.

Number our Days
Our children are only young for a very brief time. [Psalm 90:4-6,10,12,16,17] Our goal is not that our children be happy, fullfilled and sucessful. Our highest objective should be that our children would repent from their sins, put their trust in Jesus Christ and reflect the Gospel to the world around them. Only the Holy Sprit is able to reveal the truth of the gospel. Our tender love can be an instrument in GOD's hands. I am convinced that no one has more potential to infulence our children to receive and reflect the gospel that we do as mothers.
Responsibility and Grace
2 Cor 12:9 (grace and power) * Not one of us is equal to this task of mothering, but HE will help us in our weakness.

Like I said, Im learning so much from this study. I pray I become the wife and mother that GOD wants me to be. I pray that he works in my heart and through my hands to love Aaron and my beautiful children. Thanks to Christy Hill for leading this study. She is truly and inspiration to me and one of GOD's angels.