As I look back on my life from the beginning of my Motherhood until now, the definition and meaning of what and who a mother is has changed. As a child, the capacity to understand the significance of the role of a mother is limited by our inexperience. As we grow and mature and begin families of our own, our thoughts, ideas, and understandings begin to transform. For me, my journey as a mother began a bit earlier than intended. I was but a child having a child. For me, my journey as a mother began at the age of 16. Not only did I defy the odds against me as a teenage mother, but I am now a Mother to a Generation of teens. Being a mother is more than just birthing God given life into the world. It’s more than adopting the lives God has created. It’s more than teaching a child to ride a bike or helping them go to school, wiping runny noses and cleaning up messes, drying tears and reading stories. It’s more than feeding them all 18 plus years of their lives, providing a home for them, or even loving them unconditionally. All these things and more come with the job title of Mother. As best as we can, we work hard to fill the role of what we think a mother should be. But when I look at my life, and look at the lives of other mothers, and look at my own mother, and then look at God, the word Mother seems like a word with endless description. Mother, how do you define Mother?
Well I don’t think there is any perfectly complete description…to me Mother means Increase! God promises to increase and enlarge our territory. I have come to know this in many different aspects of my life and being a Mother is one of them. As a mother I have increased in ways that I could never have imagined. As a mother I have grown in knowledge and understanding. I desire to know more because I have received the revelation of my role. God has charged me with the responsibility to bring HIS CHILDREN to the knowledge of Him and walk in fulfillment of all that He has called them to. I am to raise up His Mighty Warriors and Awaken them to a Life lived for Him so they will Impact the World and People around them. My children, my own 3 children I have birthed, the children I have been able to speak into their lives, my Youth-ers who God has given me such a heart for, and all those who will cross my path before Christ returns…I am a Mother.
A Mother is a Calling…you are Called and Chosen to be a Mother. Many do not accept or respect or receive this call, but God has made a plan for us all if we would but follow it. A Mother is special in so many ways, affects so many lives, is responsible for so many things, carries so much on her shoulders, is a mighty force behind, on the side of, in front of, all around the many people she comes in contact with. A Mother is one of God’s special gifts and blessings to His people. As a mother I look at my children and God shows me things about my relationship with Him and how I can cultivate it more. He breaks the walls around my own heart so I can see through the eyes His heart. As a mother I have to push past myself, my tiredness, my flaws and imperfections, past my own ways and seek after God to help me be who He has called me to be. I want to give my children, all of them, my best the best God says I am, beyond what I think to align with His thoughts. My own mother is so precious to me and I have loved the transformation in our relationship to the special bond that we have now. God has truly blessed me. I also have other mothers, who are spiritual mothers to me, and they all have helped shape and mold me into who you see standing before you today. Where would I be without the influence of mother’s in my life? Where will my children and my youth be without the influence of me as a mother in their lives? I am not perfect…but mother doesn’t mean perfect. We say no limits…and for the titles and labels we feel we need to paste on everything around us so it will fit into our understanding and reasoning…we must move past it and stop looking for it. Let God define us, not man, not ourselves. God’s definitions are bigger than the capacity of our minds…it’s wrapped in His love, His grace, and His mercy.
A Mother needs no definition…we sometimes desire affirmation, but with or without it we are mothers nonetheless. If I must describe a Mother to me, I will say that a Mother is a Marvelous, Outstanding, Terrific, Honorable, Extraordinary, and Radiant Woman who God specifically created and designed as a blessing to His people. For myself as a Mother, I aspire to:
Move forward with purpose and passion and Might
Overtake all Obstacles before me
Triumph always in Truth
Humbly laying my life at the feet of the Holy One
Eloquent, Equipped, and Elevated to new levels in Him
Radiating the Love of Christ, ALL POURED OUT as a Role Model to His people.
MOTHER…not just a word or name…but a God created, special blessing for all of us to enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment