Mothering is a joyful gift of precious moments and fulfillment of a beautiful purpose. Yet, it is not always a glorious walk in the park. There are also moments, and there will be a lot of these, of frustrations, doubts, and exhaustion.
Rachel Jankovic, a wife, writer, and mother of seven children, sometimes wonders how she is able to juggle everything together. She believes that children are a gift from God, a reward from the Lord. She believes that mothering is precious in the eyes of God. But, there are moments when she needs encouragement from her husband, parents, close friends, and church community to continue with the journey of motherhood.
"As it turns out, this tremendous blessing of children that God sent into my life was the ground on which I learned the glorious truth that baskets full of fruit are heavy. Glorious, bountiful, fruitful, faithful living does not feel easy, carefree, relaxing, simple, or streamlined. The life of faithful mothering, it turns out, must actually be full of faith," she expressed.
Mothering is 'kingdom-building, dragon-slaying, gospel-proclaiming, glorious work'
There will be moments in a mother's life when the flesh deceives and tells her that she has now become a "fool without ambition." Jankovic said that mothers should always remember that the flesh will never be on their side.
Overcome the flesh by faith. Do not give it the power to be the authority in one's mothering journey. Do not listen or believe; only hear what God says about your identity as a mother.
In an article she wrote for Desiring God entitled "Let God Decide What Mothering Is Worth," she reminds exhausted mothers not to think that what they are doing is never enough, or worst, never seen and unappreciated. Society might say that you are not a good mother if you don't have it all together, but in the eyes of God, He sees a faithful woman serving Him through serving her children. He sees a helper, hand in hand working with Him as she takes care of the next generation and leads them to fall in love with Him.
Mothers have one of the most important jobs in the world. But most of all, mothering honors God. What mothers do matters eternally, and that is what matters the most.
A mother should remember this, especially when she is "physically exhausted, emotionally frazzled, and spiritually thin." It may be difficult to believe, but she has to know and believe that in the middle of a chaotic home and in front of a crying toddler, what she is doing is a "kingdom-building, dragon-slaying, gospel-proclaiming, glorious work."
What God says is reality
Jankovic, who also authored the book "You Who? Why You Matter and How to Deal with It," invites mothers to always put these verses in their hearts. Mothers need to be soaked more deeply in the truth of God's Word than exposed to what society defines them. Let the doubts and unbelieving thoughts be drowned by reality. What God says about them and their children is the reality.
The Bible in Psalm 127:3-5 describes children as a heritage from the Lord, and a fruit of the womb is a priceless reward. Children are equated to arrows in the hand of a warrior. Parents are blessed to have quivers full of children. They are their protection, their salvation. Enemies will not have to stand a chance against them.
At moments that the world is pulling a mother away from the language and truth that Scripture says about children, she should not give in because if she does, it is also pulling away from the blessings of God.
The real worth of a mother is not based on what the world dictates. It is based upon the eyes of a living, loving God. What He says about a mother's identity should be the reality of every mother in the world.
