I hope all of you are well, and had a wonderful weekend celebrating the Moms and women in your life that have impacted you.
I write this to say how grateful I am for my wife, my mother, my sisters. They are the women who have deeply impacted my life. They all have loved me unconditionally, have listened and cared for me in my times of deep emotional despair, and struggles in life, have prayed for me many times over. I have also seen the sacrifices they all have made for their families. I have seen the passion that they have for the well being of their families, Ive seen in the midst of deep pain and the struggles that life brought them their incredible strength, the strength to go on, the strength to love even when the hurt and the pain was more than seemed possible to bear. I am incredibly blessed for the women in my life and will be forever grateful for them. And to them I say thank you! To my Wife most of all who is an incredible gift to me, and our children. I admire your passion and heart for God, your Incredible strength and courage , your wisdom and all the sacrifices you make for our family.
I know that you as mothers , women feel overwhelmed sometimes or a lot of the times, but I want to encourage you, as you will prob Never know the deep impact that you have on your family, your kids and others around you.
You as a woman , as a mom, as a wife are all gifted uniquely, never compare yourself to other mothers, or women, God created you as you, and he created you with a great purpose in mind. You are worth more than you can ever imagine.
Only heaven will reveal the full effects that a Mother has on the direction of both her family, as well as society in general, and yes, even the church. When a Mother prays all of Heaven rejoices while the forces of evil tremble at the realization that someone of so much influence in the family unit desires to touch God on the behalf of her family.
James 5:16b says; “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail much.” Of course, this scripture is referring to the prayers of both man and woman as accomplishing much in the spirit realm.
Moms, keep on praying!
The tender and compassionate care of a Godly Mother is unmatched, other than the amazing love God has for humanity which required the ultimate sacrifice. However, we also realize so many Mothers would lay their very lives down for their Children if that challenge ever presented itself.
Yet, most Mothers simply live their lives in sacrifice on a daily basis as their time is invested in the lives of their children and families in a myriad of ways. From waking up in the morning with the needs of her children foremost in her mind, to falling off to sleep at night with thanksgiving for making it through another day with God's help.
We live in a day when the lines are seemingly blurred in what makes a woman be the woman God intended her to be, yet a visit to Proverbs 31 is a powerful reminder of some of the things which define a Godly woman. While there is probably no woman alive now, or ever been that meets each and every one of these characteristics, it is certainly worthy of careful examination. One verse I love in particular in this chapter is: Proverbs 31:30 (NIV) 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Moms, keep on fearing the Lord!
Another area so desperately appreciated and needed in this day and age is to provide loving and Godly mentorship to the children God has placed in your care. Dictionary.com defines a mentor as “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher”.
The only way we can teach something is to know it first of all ourselves, as well as live it out in practice at every opportunity until it becomes not only “what we do," but “who we are”. In other words, it becomes part of our character the more we do it.
Finally , one of the verses in Proverbs 31 speaks so powerfully to the reward one can enjoy while functioning in this of Godly Mother. Again, there are exceptions to this as I know there are widows, or single Mothers, and even at this moment, children who may be away from the Lord, yet listen to the beauty of this verse found in Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Let me just say that those things don't just happen automatically! Husbands, make it a point to bless and appreciate your wife, and yes, even praise her! Call out for wife’s gifts, and her beauty, encourage and pray for your wives.
I want to encourage each and every one of you not to simply look to others, or even ministry leaders as your source of inspiration. Take time out of each and every day to look to the Lord in prayer, steep yourself in his Word and who God says you are , to become the amazing woman God intended for you to be. Moms, we love you!
Have a Blessed day Pastor Matt