The Value of Staying Home: Embracing Motherhood
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
I discuss the significance of motherhood within a Christian context, emphasizing its value as a career choice and a blessing. I mention influential mothers in history who impacted their children spiritually. The message underscores the responsibility of parents to teach their children about faith and virtue in today’s world. I promote and encourage Biblical parenting.
Being a mother is radical these days. Be a stay at home mother. Be proud of being a mother. Be a content mother. Claim motherhood as your career, alongside all the other career choices women make before they choose or are blessed with motherhood.
The Bible is clear on the importance of motherhood. Christian mothers are lauded in biographies such as Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles. Amelia Taylor, mother of missionary Hudson Taylor, locked herself in her prayer closet and wailed, prayed, and pleaded for her son. God answered. John Newton’s mother Elizabeth only had a short time with her son. She died when John was 7, but in that short time she prayed fervently and she poured the word into him vigorously. Charles Spurgeon’s mother Eliza contentedly and persistently fulfilled her duty by her sons. Charles later wrote in his autobiography-
Charles gratefully wrote, “I cannot tell how much I owe the solemn words of my good mother…I remember on one occasion her praying thus: ‘Now, Lord, if my children go on in their sins, it will not be from ignorance that they perish, and my soul must bear a swift witness against them at the day of judgment if they lay not hold of Christ.’ That thought of my mother’s bearing a swift witness against me pierced my conscience…How can I forget when she bowed her knee, and with her arms about my neck, prayed, ‘Oh that my son might live before Thee!‘”
The men I’ve mentioned grew up to be famous preachers or missionaries or hymn writers. Not all boys (or girls) will grow up to make a mark in Christian history that we will know about. However, every Christian makes a mark in Christian history in Jesus’ eyes. Big, small, famous, obscure, every single person who claims Christ through repentance and His grace is important in the puzzle piece fabric of Jesus’ plan. He installs each and every saint for His purposes and that purpose is His glory and the edification of the body.
To encourage you, here are several links that discuss motherhood. (I personally know the author of the first link, a quiet, gentle, wise young mother; and I personally know the author of the second link, also a kind and wise mother).
Courageously raising up arrows
I think it’s imperative that we use our present liberty to develop and promote virtue and diligently teach our children the gospel and whole counsel of God. There’s not time to sit around and fret over the fate of our country. We press on and dig our boots a little deeper as we strive to be faithful with those who have been entrusted to us. As parents, we’ve been given the primary responsibility to do this, and I believe that is how we can affect change. We can’t let this generation get lost on our watch.
Angela Mitchell at Raising Apologists extends this word of comfort,
Many parents are feeling afraid right now. What can we do about it? We can strive to make the right parenting choices, but ultimately, we are completely dependent on God. This reality should inspire us to remember that if we have children in our homes, they need our full attention during this time. We must rise to the challenge of Biblically parenting our children in this cultural moment. Devoted moms and dads, along with Biblical churches, are essential to glorifying God in these dark days.
Here is an oldie from Grace Gems. Charles Spurgeon warns,
It is so easy to have been under religious influence from our youth up, and then to go on, year after year, never having raised the question whether we are true Christians or not! Many young people are like Joash: sinful human nature is held in check for a while-not the Spirit of God creating a new life, and infusing a new character into the soul.
Do not imagine that natural religion is spiritual religion. Do not mistake the lessons learned at your mother’s knee, for the teachings of the Holy Spirit! Though you were raised under the most hallowed influences, you only need an opportunity, a temptation, a peculiar stress laid upon you-and you will go off where the old nature carries you, and you will find out for yourself, and to the horror of others, that all your early religious training had effected nothing!
Emily Van Dixhoorn at Ligonier offers principles for holiness for mothers in her essay How Can I Be A Godly Mother?
“Love them,” our wise pastor advised me. In all my reading about discipline, schedules and developmental stages, he pointed this new mom to what mattered most: love (1 Cor. 13:1). Over the decades, I have come to appreciate the wisdom of his advice. While keeping love at forefront, I offer moms twelve biblical principles on holiness.
Jesus’ purpose for each of His daughters is perfect and wise. Even if you are single or have not been blessed with children, you can and probably already do make an impact for the kingdom with children. Missionary Amy Carmichael never had hoer own children and was a reluctant ‘adoptive’ mother at first, but her nickname in Tamil and her gravestone monument says “Amma”, Mother.
The Reluctant Mother: We can’t always identify life-changing moments as they occur. When a little Indian girl named Preena crawled into Amy Carmichael’s lap and called her “Amma” (or “mother” in Tamil) for the first time, neither of them could have known that this simple act would change both their lives forever, and the lives of hundreds of others.
