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The ABC’s of
Motherhood
(Definitely not an
exhaustive list!)
1. Always point her to Him. Sing about
Him, read about Him to her, and pray with her (and for her) to Him.
2. Be a shining example to her of what it
means to be a woman after God’s own heart. 1 Tim. 4:12, 15-16,
Set an example...in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity...Be
diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may
see your progress.
A Little Girl Follows Me
A careful woman I ought to be;
a little girl follows me.
I do not dare to go astray,
for fear she'll go the selfsame way.
Not once can I escape her eyes;
whate'er she sees me do, she tries.
Like me, she says she's going to be
that little girl who follows me.
I must remember as I go
Through summer sun and winter snow,
I'm molding for the years to be
that little girl who follows me.
~Author Unknown
a little girl follows me.
I do not dare to go astray,
for fear she'll go the selfsame way.
Not once can I escape her eyes;
whate'er she sees me do, she tries.
Like me, she says she's going to be
that little girl who follows me.
I must remember as I go
Through summer sun and winter snow,
I'm molding for the years to be
that little girl who follows me.
~Author Unknown
3. Cherish the moments
because everyone that implores you to enjoy her- because it goes so fast- are
utterly and completely speaking the truth.
4. Discipline her in love
knowing what a Godly woman of the past, Sarah Edwards, knew. That if a child is
not brought to obey their parents, they will not be brought to obey God.
5. Embrace the wonderful,
messy life! There will be diapers to be changed, waking in the middle of the
night, spilled milk, sticky hands, sand stuck in sandals…I know I don’t have to
tell you it’s all worth it!
6. Fall in love with itty
bitty toes, chubby cheeks, and the way she delights in learning something new…
7. Give her a love for
reading by reading lots and lots of books!
8. H is for Home.
A small child, after watching his house burn down,
was quoted as saying, “We still have a home. We just don't have a house to put
it in.” How perceptive of that child. Our home should be a trauma center for
the whole family. We don't have to be perfect at home- just forgiven and
forgiving. We can grow, we can make mistakes, we can shout for joy, we can cry,
we can agree, and we can disagree. Home is a place where happy experiences
occur. It's a shelter from the problems of the world, a place where love
happens, acceptance is given, and security provided. Home offers a respite from
the tragedies that seem to plague the world outside our door, as recounted on
the newscasts. Within our four walls we can offer a place of peace.
~Quiet Moments for a Busy Mom's Soul by Emilie Barnes
9. Ingredients for irresistible
parenting are the fruit of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. And, of course, season it
all with grace.
10. Joy-filled
mothers know that the joy of the Lord is their strength.
11. Keep a record of all
the sweet and memorable things you don’t want to forget!
12. Love her daddy well
that she may see that “his heart safely trusts in you, that he would have no
lack of gain, and you will do him good and not evil all the days of your life.”
~Proverbs 31:11-12
13. Make memories! Don’t
waste your time or opportunities for special moments. We always think we’ll
make history another day. The truth is we’re “writing it” right now! It is not
“around the corner.” It is always THIS moment.
14. Never forget God loves
her more than you do and see it as a glimpse of how much He must love and value
you! Then you may start to “get it.”
15. Orchestrate special
traditions for your family.
Noel Piper writes, “I’m praying that
the traditions of our lives will be filled with the treasure that fills our
heart on ‘everyday’ days and on ‘especially’ days…Why do traditions matter?
When God entrusted a child to us, in an instant that baby became so intimately
a part of us that we couldn’t picture life without him-ever. I couldn’t imagine
what my chubby child would be when he grew up. But what I yearned for had little
to do with his adult career. I longed that he be part of us forever-that he be
God’s forever.”
16. Press on even on the
hardest of days and remember to cry out to the Lord for help and strength and
to lean into support from family and friends. Ann Voskamp writes,
“Relationships cost. It’s not that you
aren’t going to blow it. It is what you do with it, when you do…Perhaps there’s
something more powerful to experience than a perfect mother: the wonder of a
committed Mother who simply humbles herself…No one gets it perfect. And that’s
exactly why we sing Amazing Grace- and it really is! Motherhood does not
require complete perfection and a Superman cape. It simply requires an
imperfect commitment and the surprising humility of Christ.”
17. Quelch comparing
yourself to other moms. When this happens, remember God gave your child the
exact mother she needs.
18. Remember mama said
there’d be days like this. There will be hard days. On days like that just do
the next thing:
In Elizabeth Elliott’s book, “The
Shaping of a Christian Family”
Doe the Nexte Thynge
"From an old English parsonage down by the sea
There came in the twilight a message to me;
Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,
Hath, it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.
And on through the doors the quiet words ring
Like a low inspiration: “DOE THE NEXTE THYNGE.”
Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, and guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrows, child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus, doe the nexte thynge.
Do it immediately, do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand
Who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing,
Leave all results, doe the nexte thynge
Jesus says, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for
tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew
6:34).
Looking for Jesus, ever serener
19. See mothering this
child as one of your greatest priveleges.
20. Train up a child in
the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs
22:6
21. Unite with your
husband on how you will raise this precious gift from above.
22. Veggietales and Vegetables. Familiarize yourself with
Veggietales if you haven’t already. Oh, yeah, and the real vegetables. Don’t
all children need vegetables?!
23. Worth
it.
I
have thought of the "costs" of
having children. There’s the difficulty of pregnancy, pain in the birthing
process, stubborn weight that does not want to come off, and other things along
that line. I have discovered children are SO worth any cost we may have to go
through. Any cost that may come through hopefully having them for the rest of
our lives here Lordwilling and, even more so, I pray for all eternity. We pray
their trust will be in Christ and they will all be the one and only thing we take into eternity with us-people. They are
worth every tear, every pain, every heartache, any inconvenience, anything we
have to sacrifice, any loss of sleep, any lack of accomplishment, any mess they
make, any embarrassment they may potentially bring, anything that may get
broken on account of them, any event that has to be missed, any not being able
to "keep up with the Jones'," any worry they cause, any anything not
listed here. After having children I can say there has not been one single
moment, truly, of their life when they were not worth it. Yes, they are worth
it, always have been, and always will be. No. Matter. What.
24. EXperience the world through your
child’s eyes. Everything is so new and exciting!
25. Your unconditional
love will help your child know she is loved for who she is, not what she does.
Just as there is nothing we can do to cause God to love us more or less.
26. Zoey.
This one comes from Derrick. I asked him to help me out with this last one.
Something beginning with z that has to do with motherhood. Almost immediately
he said, “Zoey.” I was kind of puzzled. He said, “Zoey means life in Greek.”
How fitting. Sarah is soon to give birth to Halle Mae, a new life. So, I leave you with Psalm 139:
Psalm 139:13-16
27. 13 For
you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
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