Motherhood: A Work of Faith

I wanted to share my reflections on our excellent lesson at church today about Raising Children to The Lord:

We have different challenges then mothers of the past, but some things have not changed. Our primary concern is still the healthy physical and spiritual development of our children and our desire that they become the people God desires them to be. The task of raising children has always tugged at the heart strings of mothers as they tried to find balance between the critical chores of homemaking and the God given essentials of mothering.

Mothers of the past struggled to keep up on the menial chores, washing by hand, preserving food, cooking from scratch, and sewing clothes. These necessities of life took nearly every waking hour. Mothering happened as mother and child worked alongside each other finding time to teach as they worked. Mothers found confidence and comfort in the pace of life and clean culture around them that gave their children the healthy physical and spiritual growth they needed.

A generation ago, my mother's household chores were shortened by the aid of modern conveniences. The responsibility of Children to work alongside their mothers shifted from home work to school work. In this generation a mother found confidence and comfort that her children were getting plenty of healthy play and spiritual growth because their children spent their time in the freedom of unsupervised outdoor play while mother completed her household chores. Chores manageable enough to finish with enough time left in the day for mothers to play with and teach their children with less distractions.

Now mothers face a set of unique challenges that leave mothers struggling for the confidence and comfort of generations past. Mothers today are constrained by a changing culture where children are not as free to run and play unsupervised by mom. Children have very little time at home with their families with longer school days and school years and more organized after school activities to take them away from home. Children today spend less time in free play or working with their parents and are surrounded by constant destructions of electronics and media that compete for their attention.

Today mothers and fathers, perhaps more than in any previous generation, must make a concerted effort to set aside their chores and shut off the entertainment button to be sure their children are getting plenty of healthy play and spiritual development.

Modern appliances that have freed a mother from the demands of household chores are a great blessing. It seems to me these modern conveniences were given to us by a Father in heaven who knew it would be essential for mothers today to set aside their chores and be more involved in their children's play and learning.

As our children's time at home is so limited we can't waste a teaching moment; a moment to work together, to share the gospel with our children, and to combat the darts of the adversary that besiege us. These are perilous times, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against... The rulers of darkness in this world." (Eph. 6:12)

One thing remains a constant through all generations of time is the truth that the work of motherhood and fatherhood is a work of faith! Only coupled with the power of God can we be the parents we need to be. Only through faith will we overcome the challenges of our time and raise this generation to the Lord.