Musings on Motherhood

This is part 2 of my mom's post from a couple weeks ago :)

"Another thought that I had while "up North" is about my upbringing. My mom's mom died when she was 13. My mom was always busy with a full time job, a family, a huge garden and acts of kindness for friends and neighbors. As a result of these two things there were so many things that I did not learn that a mom should pass down to her daughter. Did you ever think of the things that life teaches us that we should pass down not only to our daughters but to our sons as well? Most of them we don't think about, we just do by example and perhaps by explanation. God has shown me much grace in teaching me many things. But if you don't know that you need to learn them you can't pursue that knowledge.

I still remember one time a friend's family member died. I did not know that family member so I didn't think that I should go to the funeral. Apparently, that was wrong thinking. I did not find out until after the fact that I should have gone. Big mistake for a pastor's wife. Really for anyone that loves their friend but I just didn't know.

All that to say, sometimes, at least I, under estimate my job as a mom. It is so important not to be so caught up with life that we neglect this #2 in priority ministry (#1 being our husband). I find myself thinking that so and so has much more need than my children. And perhaps they do, but my responsibility is to my children first and foremost.

Please don't get me wrong, my mom was and is a great mom. She did not and still does not know the Lord. And I am sure that that is part of the reason for the gaps in my knowledge.

I just want to take this time to remind myself, and perhaps there are others that need a reminder, that we have been given a great responsibility in parenting our children. Nothing should get in the way of that. We should take time to regroup and evaluate our effectiveness, prayerfully. We should consult our husbands and our children as to our effectiveness in this area. If we instruct without love our instruction falls on deaf ears and we are wasting our time. If we instruct without prayer this too is a waste. Our Lord will lovingly come along side us and teach us and show us the way that we should go if we avail ourselves of His instruction. We must know the Word of God inside and out and this means we must be diligent students of the Word. Not only does the Word give us instruction regarding parenting but also regarding life the way He wants us to live. He is our maker and therefore knows what is best. We are His children and we are given the joyful task of loving and glorifying Him. We rob ourselves of much if we don't take this task seriously.