27 comments

Jani Ortlund

Being “All There” for Your Kids

Posted on 01.17.13 by Jani Ortlund | Twitter: @JaniOrtlund

Here at True Woman, we believe that children are a blessing from God. That we as women are uniquely designed as nurturers of life—whether it be our own children or other children in our sphere of influence. So today, as we’re celebrating five years of blogging, we’re featuring a post about motherhood that was especially well received by you, our readers, on October 5, 2010.

Leave a comment below by Monday, January 21, and we’ll choose one of you at random to receive Beyond Bath Time: Embracing Motherhood as a Sacred Role by Erin Davis. Oh, and if you want to read more on motherhood, check out The War of Learning Self-Control and Training the Troops in the Mall for starters.

Being a mother is just plain, hard work. At times, it feels like slave labor! Moms can identify with the cartoon of a toddler looking at a wedding album with his daddy and saying, “So that’s the day Mommy came to work for us!”

In Titus 2:4, the apostle Paul instructs older women to train younger women to love their children. He must have known there would be times it would be hard to love our kids.

Do you ever wonder why it’s more rewarding for us to plan a themed ladies retreat for two hundred women than to plan an indoor picnic with our preschoolers on a rainy afternoon? I think it’s because the rewards are more immediate and the demands are not so relentless.

Remember, though, that God has called you to this ministry of mothering. He knows there are no neutral moments in your child’s life. Someone is going to influence your children, instilling values in their impressionable young minds. Let it be you!

God calls us to the ministry of character development in our children, and honors us with the position of a constant trainer in their lives (“Train up a child in the way he should go . . .”). Through your ministry, you get to pass on to the next generation all the values you treasure most: love, faithfulness, sacrifice, honesty, generosity, self-control.

You have received this commission from God. As a mother, your privilege is to teach your children how to respect their daddy and be kind to their siblings; how to choose good nutrition and wholesome entertainment; why they should value courtesy and orderliness; and which causes are worthy of their efforts, their reputations, and even their very blood. 

God has called us to love our children from home-base (Titus 2:4–5), and we can’t improve upon God’s design. This means more than staying at home. It means fixing your heart on your home. It’s important to understand that we as women can leave our homes through more avenues than work or outside ministry. Cell phones, emails, and chat rooms can all take a mother away from her primary calling. 

Mothering means being “all there.” It means rejoicing that you get to show your children how to peddle a tricycle, make their bed, build memories, and share their toys. You serve your family—and ultimately your Heavenly Father—by helping your child do that puzzle for the umpteenth time, washing those sticky fingers, planting a little garden, acting out Bible stories, and praying together.

Your ministry is one of answering those deep questions in the heart of your child: “Am I a burden? Unwanted? Unappreciated?” Or, “Am I loved with a love that cannot be broken? Is someone totally committed to me? Do I bring someone joy?”

Remember this: you have the privilege of passing on to young hearts a  knowledge of the very character of God. And that, ladies, is worth getting totally exhausted for.

"But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded." (2 Chron. 15:7)

 

Comments

  1. Being a mother is honestly the hardest work, but it does come with the greates rewards. It is a thoughtful process, though that does require being "All There". Great blog, loved it!!!
    posted by Arian Buffkin
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 9:24 am
  2. A very timely reminder. Thank you for reminding me that my job as a mommy of 3 has eternal significance.
    posted by Jessica
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 9:34 am
  3. Perfect timing! God knows when we need to hear something! Thanks!! This is one weary Mama working to find the joy in motherhood again! Thanks again!
    posted by Amber
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 10:31 am
  4. So needed to hear this today! Reinforces what the Lord has been get through to me. Thank you for posting it again
    posted by Laurie
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 10:32 am
  5. Thank you for these encouraging words today!
    http://www.cranberryteatime.com
    posted by Rachel Lundy
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 10:41 am
  6. Thanking God for the gift He gave to me in my mother, and how I am able to pass on much to my daughters because of it.
    posted by kathy
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 10:42 am
  7. Thank you for the reminder! If I don't hear encouraging words on a regular basis, I am so much more prone to listen to the enemy's whisperings in my ear...Thank God for His faithfulness!
    posted by Susan
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 12:14 pm
  8. Just brought home baby #4 a week ago, and I was so blessed and encouraged to read this today! We need to be encouraged and reminded of the high calling and priveledge of motherhood!
    posted by Tina
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 12:34 pm
  9. Thank you so much for this reminder. I needed this. My two children (4 and 6 months) needed me to hear this as well.
    posted by Heather MacKenzie
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 12:43 pm
  10. I'm a mom of 4 almost grown children. Some days when they were little I was waiting at the door for daddy to come home so I could run away! I wouldn't trade even those days for anything-- they really do grow up quickly even if some days you can't believe they will.
    posted by Becky
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 1:03 pm
  11. As a mother of 5 daughters, the most impacting and important thing I do daily is to get up early and spend time in God's Word, gaining strength for the day ahead. This helps me reorient my sinful heart and be reminded that He is my strength when I am weak, which is often! Praise Him for this access to His throne!
    posted by Jeanine Sanchez
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 1:14 pm
  12. You gotta make sure your kids are all there too.
    Turn off all electronic devices. It helps a lot to eat meals together. Listen. Look at time spent with kids as an achievement. Redefine success as communicating and seeing your kids grow. Sometimes you don't realize they heard you until a month later when they repeat you advice in their own words. Sometimes quite funny.
    posted by R.Sorenson
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 2:25 pm
  13. Thank you, great article!
    posted by Ellen
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 2:34 pm
  14. I like to think of motherhood as mission work. Missionaries choose to give up many creature comforts and pour themselves out to lead others to Christ. Motherhood is much the same but what a privilege! Thank you for this excellent post.
    trainingheartsathome24.blogspot.com
    posted by Ruth Adams
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 2:56 pm
  15. I am a new mom and really needed this encouragement right now! Thanks for being a blessing to me in my time of need. God bless you!
    posted by Christa
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 3:11 pm
  16. I am a mother of five. Our oldest is about to turn 16 and our youngest is 2. God is so faithful when we wait on Him for wisdom and strength. Thank you for a great article!
    posted by Joanna
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 3:37 pm
  17. That last sentence made me well up with tears- as a pregnant mommy battling chronic fatigue. There is a constant tug of war on our hearts- even with good things. Today it was because my 4year old was waiting to play with me while I cleaned the kitchen and listened to "Entrusted" (EWACH) in my earbuds. Thank you for this article- I might just print it off!
    posted by Sarah M.
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 4:22 pm
  18. what a great reminder of the importance of being a mom... even the seemingly boring and mundane daily tasks are an influence on our children's lives! i feel so truly blessed to get to stay home with my four kids :) thank you Lord for this amazing blessing!
    posted by jenna
    on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 10:07 pm
  19. Amen! Needed this today, having a very challenging week. Fighting to look to the Lord for supernatural strength and believing the day to day ways of serving my little people will bear great fruit in our Savior's eyes (Heb 13:20-21;Gal 6:9). Thanks for this article, it is encouraging.
    plantwatergrowth.wordpress.com
    posted by Jalaylia
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 12:04 am
  20. When our 3 were little I placed a sign above their bedroom doors that said "you are now entering into your mission field". Today my three grown children are raising our 6 grandchildren the same way. It is a challenging ministry but with eternal reward. Lay up for yourself treasures in heaven...we can taken these treasures with us to eternity.
    posted by Patricia Armitage
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 12:04 am
  21. Thank you Lord for this blog! YOUR answer came at the right time. Thank you Father for Jani and inspiring her to write this message. I needed this encouragement and words of wisdom. God is faithful.
    posted by Karen
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 4:39 am
  22. It is so hard to "be all there" when we are pulled in so many directions, wearing so many hats. Thanks for the gentle and encouraging reminder to make my children and my home a priority, my calling from God.
    posted by Jeni
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 8:55 am
  23. Thank you so much. I struggle with being all there when I am pulled in so many directions. Great post!
    posted by Betty-Jo
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 2:52 pm
  24. Lord give us the strength to do your work as moms!
    posted by Leah
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 3:38 pm
  25. This is so true.
    http://www.thecirlotfamily.blogspot.com
    posted by Anna
    on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 11:38 am
  26. Thanks for sharing this article. As a mom to three kids (one having special needs), I am tired and worn out at times. I needed the reminder that I need to be "all there" for them and I know the Lord will give me the strength and grace I need!
    http://keithandmelissasanders.blogspot.com
    posted by Melissa
    on Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 8:04 pm
  27. Congrats, Betty-Jo! You just won a copy of "Beyond Bath Time." Check your inbox for details.
    posted by Paula Hendricks
    on Monday, January 21, 2013 at 1:40 pm

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