The Ministry of Motherhood

[sincereheart]

The Ministry of Motherhood
by Rick Atchley

I’ve seen her in every congregation where I have ever preached. She usually sits at the back of the auditorium. She is accompanied by two or three young children, but no other adult. She attempts to sing or listen to the sermon, but most of her time is spent just trying to keep her kids quiet. Coloring books and Cheerios spend much more time in her hands than the Bible.

    If this wasn’t frustrating enough, she has to endure countless gazes from those around her who have forgotten how their own kids behaved, and are now terribly “distracted” by hers. When the assembly is dismissed, she looks exhausted more than uplifted. She trudges with her troops back to the car, and wonders if it was worth it.

    To many, she and her children were a nuisance. To me, she is among the grandest of all saints. Before you take another look at her, read on.

    You are probably aware that the only family Paul ever mentions are his brothers and sisters in Christ. He never married. He never had kids. Yet there was one who was a son in the faith to him, and as dear as anyone he ever knew. That young man’s name was Timothy.

    Paul met him on his second missionary journey when he returned to the town of Lystra. In that little band of saints, there was an elderly sister and her daughter. Though both were Jews, the daughter had married a gentile man who apparently had never converted to the Christian faith (Acts 16:1-3). To this marriage a son had been born, and through the influence of these two ladies, he became a Christian. The brothers in Lystra spoke well of him, and an immediate bond was established between Timothy and Paul.

    This young man, Timothy, apparently filled a void in the apostle’s heart that had been there since John Mark’s departure. Later Paul would write, “I have no one else like him ...Timothy,has proved himself because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel” (Phil. 2:20, 22). It is not surprising, then, that the last letter Paul ever wrote that became Scripture was to Timothy. It might be surprising, though, to learn that some of Paul’s last words to his son in the faith were to remind Timothy of the ministry of his mother! What had this grand lady done? First, she had instilled in her son a respect for the scriptures.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:14-15).
    First, notice that Timothy’s exposure to Scripture began when he was a very young child.

    The first thing Timothy learned about was God. Paul reminded Timothy of that and of “those from whom you learned it, " namely his mother and grandmother. Eunice and Lois did not take those early years for granted. They shared the faith of their people so this young lad would have the moorings he would need as he grew up in a predominantly pagan environment. Surely, this training prepared Timothy well for the first time he heard the gospel, and motivated him to accept Jesus as both Messiah and Lord.

    Second, this great lady instilled in her son an authentic faith.

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded, now lives in you also (2 Tim. 1:5).

Faith is not hereditary — it is learned. And so Eunice was not just a mother; she was a model. She understood that it would not be enough for her young son to read about faith from a scroll. He needed to see faith lived out in a life.

    The word Paul uses to describe Timothy’s faith as being sincere literally means “non-hypocritical,” and Paul adds that this same quality of faith lived in his mother Eunice. In other words, her love for God and his will was not phony. It was genuine to the core, and Timothy picked up on that. After all, no one knows better whether a parent’s Christianity is authentic than the children. Timothy saw something sincere in his mother that was appealing.

    Third, this godly woman must have instilled in her son a desire to minister.

    Apparently, Timothy eagerly accepted Paul’s invitation to travel with him and be trained on the mission field. He had already been doing some preaching in the area. Even the fact that Paul had been stoned and left for dead the last time he had come through town did not deter the young man from answering the call. Now how can that kind of commitment to ministry develop, if it has been discouraged at home?

    Could that be the reason why the number of young people among us who want to enter the ministry is in decline? Yet there was a woman who loved her son enough to share the Scriptures and her faith with him, and loved God enough to let him go when the call came. Ask any mother of a missionary if that is easy. When Timothy left Lystra it is probable that he never made it back. It is significant that Eunice is never addressed in any of Paul’s letters. No doubt tears filled her eyes as she watched her boy walk out of town. But how her heart soared as she witnessed the fulfillment of what she had prayed and prepared for since before he could crawl.

    Fourth, and finally, perhaps the most amazing thing about this wonderful sister is that she did all of these things for her son with no encouragement from her husband.

    That is not to say that Timothy’s father was a bad man. He may have been a good man in many ways, but he left no spiritual deposit on his boy. That is not how God meant for it to be, but in that home, and in millions since, that is the way it was. Nevertheless, Paul found in the young man a deep sensitivity to spiritual things. Never underestimate the influence of a godly mother.

    Now take another look at that woman mentioned at the first of this article. Does she need your glares and frowns? Does she need more discouragement? Or, could she not instead use some support, some respect, some appreciation? It bothers me that all some church folks seem concerned about with such a woman is how to keep her kids quiet. It seems to me that we need to ask how we can help that sister hang in there when it doesn’t even seem worth it, and how the church can assist her in making a spiritual deposit in those kids in the absence of a father who will do so.

    Perhaps I empathize with these ladies more than most. I should, for I owe my salvation to one. You see, my grandmother was one of those women who dragged her two boys to church Sunday after Sunday by herself. At my birth, she was the only one of my grandparents who was a Christian. Yet her influence upon my father was profound, and I enjoyed the tremendous blessing of being raised in a Christian home.

    Today I’m blessed to serve with a great church and have been afforded the privilege of addressing saints across the nation. My grandmother, on the other hand, served the Lord in an inconspicuous way in central Texas. She is not well known, she has received no honorary doctorates, her name has never appeared in any major publication, yet I want you to know that I would not be a Christian today, much less a preacher, if it were not for the stubborn faith of Ona Atchley. (By the way, her husband, my grandfather later did accept Christ and became an elder and served the Church. Godly wives can have great influence, too.)

    So, take special care of those ladies who sit at the back of the auditorium. That little boy beside her could be the next Timothy. I wonder who will be his Paul?

http://www.heartlight.org/ Reprinted from Image Magazine, Vol. 3 — No. 14; September 1987 with special thanks to Howard Publishing Company.

[sincereheart]

I Am a Child
by Joyce Hardin 
 
    I am a child. I am an infant. I am innocent and vulnerable. I have no power and no guile. I am without experience and without remorse. I live in the present and know no tomorrow or yesterday. I am an empty book whose story is just begun to be written. I am Jesus in a manger of hay. I am the center of a living family. I am the victim of society’s ills.

    I am a child. I am a preschooler. I am a learner and an explorer. I question and I experiment. My thoughts go beyond my ability to communicate. I see people but only as they affect my environment. I am declaring my independence but I need the security of a well protected launching pad. I am Samuel given to the prophet Eli. I am loved and protected. I am abused and abandoned.

    I am a child. I am an elementary child. I have a world beyond my family. I am social and I need to belong. I seek freedom within limits. I learn that the world can be exciting and fun but that it can also be mundane and dangerous. I am discovering myself and am seeking something greater than myself. I am the boy David among the sheep. I am blessed and built up. I am forgotten and lost.

    I am a child. I am a preteen. I am growing rapidly: mentally, physically and socially. I make decisions and begin to see consequences. I am my peers. I am looking for role models in order to define myself. I question values and hate injustice. I am beginning to sense the adult I will become. I am Jesus in the temple. I am a young Christian. I am a gang member.

    I am a child. I am a teenager. I am casting off childhood but I am not ready for the responsibilities and decisions of an adult. I am self centered. My focus is more physical than spiritual. I define myself in terms of relationships —child, friend, sibling, student, peer. I am experience oriented and knowledge is relative. I am Joseph in a slave pit. I am a youth leader. I am an unwed mother.

    I am a child. Help me to become a child of God.


Joyce Hardin is a wonderful mother, grandmother, and missionary with years of ministry service, speaking and writing.
http://www.heartlight.org/

[sincereheart]

    A number of years ago, on a beautiful warm spring day, my wife was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on supper. Her day had been long and tiring. Our daughter burst into the hot, percolating kitchen. It wasn’t her first burst! She had repeatedly slipped into the kitchen just to be around her mom.

    There were no earth shattering needs. She wasn’t hurt. There were no pressing emergencies or great demands. She just wanted to be near. “I need some ‘tention (attention),” as she put it. Her interruptions were childish ones. Her need, however, was significant to her mom!

    Even the most patient moms reach their limits during supper so it was suggested that our daughter go play in the yard till supper was ready. “That’s a great idea,” she said, as she flew out the door.

    Of course, it wasn’t long till she bounced in with a handful of wilting buttercups for mommy to put in water. A few minutes later, in she flew again. This time she was stuttering with excitement. She had forgotten to tell mommy about the huge, scary bee she had seen on the flowers. Ten minutes later, just as we were getting ready to eat, in she bounced again. This time she held up her crayon drawing. It was done in the “Early Preschool Impressionistic” motif—you know, “Wow! That’s beautiful, what do you call it?” stage.

    As my wife stirred gurgling pans of food, put vegetables into serving bowls and ice into glasses, she managed somehow to maintain eye contact, keep up with the conversation and look at the beautiful work of art!

    In the picture was a house. There were also flowers. Then there was a huge bee. The bee was bigger than the house and the flowers combined! Down in the bottom were loops, scratches and a heart: “Look, it says ‘I love you mommy’” our little angel declared. Bowls were put down, preparation came to a stop, and as she gathered our daughter in her arms and gave her a big hug and kiss, she said: “I love you too!”

    God used this moment to reveal something of himself to me. You see, my wife didn’t tell our little girl, “Listen, I’ve got important things to do.” She didn’t say, “Wait a minute, talk to me like an adult or I won’t listen. She never demanded, “Go back and draw your picture in the right proportions.” No, for a crucial moment, a moment that may not be consciously remembered but will forever will be etched our little girl’s heart, she was loved and received attention from the most important person in her life!

    God is that way. He doesn’t push us aside because he has more important things to do. He doesn’t make us have to be impressive in our speech so we can be heard by him. He doesn’t ask us to get our problems and our world in the right proportions. In fact, when we come into his presence, he drops everything and gives us his undivided attention: the attention from the most important person in our lives.

    Who could ask anything more of a mother, or from The Father!

http://www.heartlight.org/

[sincereheart]

[sincereheart]

Sometimes Our Kids Drive Us to Jesus


    The king's official said, "Sir, come {to my house} before my
    little son dies." Jesus answered, "Go. Your son will live."
    The man believed what Jesus told him and went home.
                            -- John 4:49-50

 
KEY THOUGHT:
Sometimes the circumstances with our children drive us to Jesus for
help. Deep inside our soul, we already know that we should daily seek
Jesus with all of our heart. Unfortunately, everyday "busy-ness" and
routine distractions choke out our apparent hunger to be in his
presence. Then the crisis comes and we realize again how much we need
him. The real question for us is whether we will come to Jesus for help
in our time of need. If your concern for children or grandchildren is
heavy on your heart, please turn to Jesus for a listening ear, a
sensitive heart, and the power to act. If you aren't at the point of
crisis, now is the best time to bring your children and grandchildren
to the Lord in prayer and through time spent with them with a focus on
the Lord.


TODAY'S PRAYER:
Father, give me the courage to seek you in my crises and trust Jesus to
act in my world to provide the opportunity for change. Give me the
discipline and the will to bring my family to you before the crisis.
Make my house a house in which your name is praised and your love is
shared. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 http://www.heartlight.org/

[sincereheart]

~Things Moms Learn~
I gave you life, but cannot live it for you.
I can give you directions, but I cannot be there to lead you.
I can allow you freedom, but I cannot account for it.
I can teach you right from wrong, but I cannot decide for you.
I can offer you advice, but I cannot accept it for you.
I can give you love, but I cannot force it upon you.
I can teach you to share, but I cannot make you unselfish.
I can teach you respect, but I cannot force you to show honor.
I can advise you about friends, but cannot choose them for you.
I can advise you about sex, but I cannot keep you pure.
I can tell you about drink, but I can't say "no" for you.
I can warn you about drugs, but I can't prevent you from using them.
I can tell you about lofty goals, but I can't achieve them for you.
I can teach you about kindness, but I can't force you to be gracious.
I can pray for you, but I cannot make you walk with God.
I can tell you how to live, but I cannot give you eternal life.

~Author unknown~

[sincereheart]

   

http://www.momof9splace.com/

[sincereheart]

How Great the Father's Love!

I overheard a young mother recounting her nighttime ritual of laying
her head on her pillow and asking herself, "Did I love my family enough
today? If something happens to me tonight will they know exactly how
much I loved them?"

As an "older and wiser" woman -- and more skeptical and a bit jaded, I
suppose -- my first instinct was to laugh: "Well, of course you didn't
love them enough! How silly!" Jesus conceded that though we are
imperfect parents (He literally called us "evil"!) we still do the best
we know how! (Luke 6:11-13) Chances are, I did NOT love my family
enough today or on any day.

Her question, however, haunted me. I continued to turn it over again
and again in my mind. The question seemed a bit less daunting and a lot
less accusing if I rephrased it: "Could I love my children more, could
I love my children better, tomorrow?"

Well, Lord willing, I will be given tomorrow with my family. And yes, I
will try to love them more completely tomorrow. However, none of us is
promised tomorrow for our families or ourselves.

I have wept with mothers who have kissed tiny foreheads for the last
time to send them to "The Land Where There Is No Tomorrow." I have
prayed and pleaded with mothers whose children have been precariously
close to the edge of "The Land Where There Is No Tomorrow." Those women know what it is to lay their heads down at night and ask, "Did I love them enough ...?"

My husband and I have tangoed around the line of calling it quits on
"happily ever after." With our new resolve for our marriage, I am
painfully aware of how fragile a marriage can be. I am fully aware of
his choice to be here. I am intentional about daily letting him know
that I appreciate his choice and all that he is to our family.
Thankfully, I have not faced the horrific loss of one of my children.
But, I think I have failed to be intentional about letting them know
how thankful I am for them, as well.

The old apostle John, near the end of his life, reminded us, "How great
is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called
children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1) My loving
Father has LAVISHED His love on me. Surely, that lavished love should
run over and splash on my family.

One small thing I am realizing more and more is that as my children
grow, the frequent opportunity to touch or hug them is diminishing. I
don't lift them in and out of car seats or high chairs any more. I
don't help them in and out of the bathtub, wipe their faces, or even
brush their hair for them any more. They are no longer at an arm's
distance or underfoot all day, so I must be intentional about
meaningful touch for my children. I know that my arms ache when my
husband is not in town to hug and touch me. My children need touch and love even more!

I also realize that sometimes I really have to try to listen carefully
to what my children say. I am frequently guilty of multi-tasking which,
I've come to realize, means doing several things poorly at the same
time. It really doesn't take very long to sit, look into their eyes,
and really hear what they are saying -- and sometimes, if I am really
listening, I can even hear what they aren't saying. I think about how
much it means to me when someone has obviously heard what I said and
then later asks me about it. I want my children to know they are
valuable enough to get my full attention!

Another thing that I've realized that means a lot to my kids is to
simply sit together and hang around together. Of course, the TV should
be off for this -- although it's also a good idea to know what they're
watching and talk to them about it. My kids like for me to talk to them
about my day, as well as listen to them about theirs. We dream and
scheme, hope and plan.

Meaningful touch, intentional listening, and being together are not
huge undertakings. They take a very little amount of time -- my kids
really like to limit how much time they hang out with me anyway -- and
they require no money at all! I just have to be intentional about doing
those things.

And tonight I will wonder, "Could I love them more tomorrow?"

---------
  (c) 2006 Sarah Stirman

[Kelly4Jesus]

I have been a stay at home/work at home mom for years. I used to work around the naps and school schedules, or when they went to bed. I have 5 children (living, one is with Jesus), including 2 sets of twins. 2 of my children are autistic, and one has mild cerebral palsy. There were times I wondered if God gave me more than I can handle. However, He taught me that, He trusted me to do this, and He provided our every need.

There were times when I thought I would bust, after listening to Barney or Teletubbies ONE MORE TIME. There were other times when I would be singing the Sesame street song while making the baby food. However, even through all the frustrations and tears (there were many, since I had 3 that were hospitalized..sometimes, all at once while 2 were home), the laughter and Joy of God's gift to me far outweighs anything else.

I am proud that I chose to stay home with the kids. You will hear many times, "we can't afford it". Granted, they won't have fancy cars (my minivan runs on prayer) or vacations (which, to me is more than 5 hours sleep). You won't have a big, fancy house or fine clothes (my house is very old, but provided by the Lord for me..my clothes are donations from the church). But the GOLD that comes to you isn't material things. It is something only God can give you. I praise Him for showing me that, this indeed could be done, with His help and strength.

God Bless,
Kelly

[airIam2worship]

I have been a stay at home/work at home mom for years. I used to work around the naps and school schedules, or when they went to bed. I have 5 children (living, one is with Jesus), including 2 sets of twins. 2 of my children are autistic, and one has mild cerebral palsy. There were times I wondered if God gave me more than I can handle. However, He taught me that, He trusted me to do this, and He provided our every need.

There were times when I thought I would bust, after listening to Barney or Teletubbies ONE MORE TIME. There were other times when I would be singing the Sesame street song while making the baby food. However, even through all the frustrations and tears (there were many, since I had 3 that were hospitalized..sometimes, all at once while 2 were home), the laughter and Joy of God's gift to me far outweighs anything else.

I am proud that I chose to stay home with the kids. You will hear many times, "we can't afford it". Granted, they won't have fancy cars (my minivan runs on prayer) or vacations (which, to me is more than 5 hours sleep). You won't have a big, fancy house or fine clothes (my house is very old, but provided by the Lord for me..my clothes are donations from the church). But the GOLD that comes to you isn't material things. It is something only God can give you. I praise Him for showing me that, this indeed could be done, with His help and strength.

God Bless,
Kelly

Kelly, I'd like to extend a big welcome to CU, I am already inspered by your very first post. It is indeed a blessing to read testimonies such as yours, to many times we tend to focus on what is wrong and not on what is good.
You sure have had your share of tears of joy and tears of sorrow, yet you seem to be able to get above any trial and come out shining like a true champion for Jesus. God bless you, and your family, Kelly. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Your sister in Christ,
Maria.