With Mother’s Day nearly here, this week Joe’s wife and mother of their six children, Denise, shares her thoughts on three things every mom needs to know.
As a mother, and parent in general, you can find yourself parenting out of fear. Fear that you aren’t doing enough, that you’re doing too much, and fear that you’re doing your job all wrong. But we can’t get caught up in that way of thinking. Even being the mother of six kids, it’s easy to wonder if you’ve got this right because each child is different from the next.
People laugh when Joe says it, but it’s true that we don’t become a parent because we are the most qualified, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do the job!
WHAT MOMS NEED TO KNOW
1. You are called – and therefore equipped.
You aren’t here by mistake. Don’t worry about “feeling” qualified enough. God will equip you. It’s up to you to seek Him.
…may He equip you with all you need for doing His Will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen. (Heb. 13:21 NLT)
This is your number one calling. As mothers, we are to teach our children to KNOW the Word and train our children to DO what it says. That sounds very “spiritual,” but it’s true. Our children are a reward from God and His heritage (Ps. 127:3). They belong to Him. He gave them to us and it’s our responsiblity to teach and train them.
This process takes years (parenting is a lifetime commitment), so we can’t get discouraged if one day, one week, etc. doesn’t go well. Remember — God equips those He calls and we are called, so we have what it takes to raise our kids!
2. Your influence in the family is great.
Even though sometimes it seems that no one is listening to you; that is not the case. Your work is not in vain. Moms are constantly having to talk, to arrange and to repair, so we can feel like our instructions get ignored, but that’s not the case. We may have to repeat ourselves, but keep at it because the message will get through. Teaching and training our children is like planting a seed and seeds don’t sprout over night. There is a lot of work going on underneath.
Those little “teachable” moments that we have with our kids make a big impression on what they believe, how they think and how they act. Keep teaching and training. When we plant that seed of God’s Word, we will see a result.
Beyond our words, our actions are part of our influence. We don’t have to be perfect to be a good example for our kids. As moms, we will mess up, we will make a wrong call at times, but when we set the example by getting back up, repenting and moving forward, we are teaching our children even then.
3. A little ME time is good. Schedule it.
It’s important for moms to recharge their batteries at times, for the benefit of everyone. If we aren’t taking care of ourselves, we can’t take proper care of our families.
No one is going to schedule this for you. You need to schedule time to be alone or with others (whichever helps you most). We also have to make sure we schedule time alone with our spouse. Our marriage will be better for the time we put into that relationship. Marriage is forever, children are passing through. One of the greatest things we can do for our kids is to keep our relationship with our husbands healthy and strong.
All this takes purposeful time management because, again, it won’t just happen. We have to go to God on a daily basis in prayer, to be meditating on His Word, and ask for wisdom to get what needs to be done, done.
Remember, God has called you and that means He has equipped you.
OUR “TO DO” LIST AS MOMS
- Pray always.
- Study the Word of God.
- Teach our kids the Word of God.
- Live a godly life in front of them.
- Be a DOER of the Word and teach them to DO the same.
There aren’t any perfect moms, but their are strong ones. We can do all things through Christ (Phil. 4:13). When we make mistakes, we can’t let that stop us or make us parent out of fear. When we repent, God forgives, He restores and He redeems.
Through Christ, we can be the mothers that God has called us to be!
For Families,
Denise McGee
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Joe McGee, author, national conference speaker, father, and former school administrator, is the founder and director of Joe McGee Ministries, Inc. and Faith For Families Ministries.
Joe presents some of the most entertaining yet practical and insightful teaching on the family available today. Packing more into one sermon than anyone you've ever met, Joe's insights into relationships will open up scriptural secrets and common-sense applications which will powerfully change your marriage, your family and your life. He comes with years of experience and a humorous easy to listen to style that will help families become who God intended them to be.
A husband of more than 30 years and father of six children, Joe, along with his wife, Denise, has invested the past 20 years in family, marriage, and parenting issues.
Joe and his family currently make their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma.