Mission of Motherhood

I'm reading a new book that is just totally rocking my world! It is challenging me in so many ways in regards to my heart-attitude about life in general, but also specifically about my children. Wow. I HIGHLY recommend it! I'm only on chapter 5, but still, just an amazing book.

Its called "The Mission of Motherhood, Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity" by Sally Clarkson.

Here's an excerpt from chapter 4 (The Servant Mother, Mothering with the heart of Jesus) that I just had to share:

"In a flash, I realized...my children didn't need me to be on top of all my chores or even to be perfect in taking care of all of their needs. What they needed was for me to be content and patient with life. They needed me, as a mature Christian, to walk by faith that God was in control, allowing his Spirit to give me peace and joy in the midst of life's inevitable ups and downs. In a sense, they were looking to me as a barometer of how our lives were faring.

This is one of the best ways I can be a servant leader to my children. When I model patience in the midst of difficulty, joy in the midst of messes, contentment in the midst of lack, then I provide them a pattern for their own lives. They will learn that my joy is not circumstantial but real because I have an endless source of strength through the power of the Holy Spirit in my life.

This doesn't mean that...I always wear a cheerful mask in front of my children or hide my feelings. Feelings, after all, are just part of being human, and...I certainly don't want my children to get the message that they should never admit feeling down or discouraged.

At the same time, we mothers need to recognize what a powerful effect our attitude has on our children. Laying down our lives for them can indeed mean giving up, for their sakes, our right to wallow in our negative feelings. And choosing the path of servant leadership certainly means making the effort to respond in faith to our circumstances and our feelings, turning to the Lord for help in maintaining a hopeful attitude. The beauty of such an effort, of course, is that is has the power to lift us up even as it sustains our children's spirits.

...my service to God is not just in what I do, but in what I choose to believe in my heart and how I learn to live out those beliefs through my attitudes and words and actions in my day-to-day life."