"An Average Christian Mom"
by Samantha Sivils
There are few things in this world as rewarding as raising Christian children. But being a Christian mom isn't always easy. Between fights, messes, diapers, and manners sometimes it is hard to maintain self control, grace, and patience.
First Peter 3:4 tells us that a quiet and gentle spirit is beautiful to God. So often I find myself yelling over kids, and I don't feel very gentle or sound at all quiet.
I think the most important thing to remember is that we can't do this on our own. We have to have God in our lives. For Him to have an active part in our every day life, we must spend time with Him daily in prayer and Bible reading. James 1:5 from the New Living Translation reads, "If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking." And Hebrews 4:16 says, "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it." God is ever ready to help us. Especially when it comes to parenting. The Bible is an instruction book full of details on how to raise our children. We just need to be willing to ask.
So often I feel like I fall short as a mother and as a Christian. Satan is going to put doubts in our minds though to discourage us from keeping on. We all fall short, but we have the liberty to repent of it and go on from there fresh. If we have done something such as hollered or spanked our children because of our own mood and not because of something they did, we should also ask their forgiveness. It is important for them to know that sometimes mommy messes up too. Just because we're grown does not mean that we don't make mistakes.
We also need to ask ourselves who is in control? Am I in control? The kids? My spouse? My job? Galations 5:22, 23 says, "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." If the Holy Spirit is not the one in control now, ask him to be.
Am I perfect? No, God is speaking this to my heart and convicting me through this too. I do love God with all my heart and want to honor Him in everything I do. I also want my children to have a relationship with Him and when they look back on their childhood later remember that "Mommy taught me all about God." I want to make sure that they know how to live a Christian life not only from reading the Bible, but also because they had an example set before them by their parents.
My kids teach me everyday that I don't have all of the answers. They only have one childhood though. I want to do the best that I can for them and for God. And I know that through God's grace I can.
