The Motherhood Training Manual
by Rhonda Stoppe
Do you remember before you had kids? Think way back to a life free of carpools, homework, and wiping boogers and bums all day.
Do you recall the kind of mother you wanted to be–the mom you meant to be?
Before I was a mom, I remember standing in the grocery store check-out watching someone else’s kid scream until…
…their mom gave in and bought them a candy bar. I laugh now at how sure I was that I would never allow my child to behave in such a manner.
Motherhood is certainly a humbling experience, isn’t it? The mom we intended to be gets lost somewhere in the sleepless nights, two-year-old tantrums, and demands of life.
As a young mother, I was desperate to find someone, anyone, to teach me to be the mom I wanted to be. I cried out, “I NEED HELP, LORD!”
Maybe you can identify with my struggle?
I found my parenting overshadowed with fear of doing it wrong. I gradually developed a sort of reactionary mode-my kids acted and I reacted. Rather than following a clear path toward shaping their lives, the fear of what I did not want my kids to be ended up becoming my standard. I was merely putting out fires rather than kindling the flames of their character.
I lacked fortitude for this new adventure of motherhood. I needed to become a kind, courageous, and confident mother if I was ever going to raise kind, courageous, confident children. To be a godly mother required strength. Where would I find the direction I so desperately longed for?*
Motherhood is one of the most important jobs of all time and it doesn’t come with a training manual…or does it?
Psalm 119:105 says Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I had memorized this verse when I was a young girl, but never did it become so real to me as when I was raising my kids–especially when they were teenagers!
But how does God’s Word lead you as a mom? We don’t simply open our Bibles, close our eyes, and pick out a Scripture for guidance, as if we were playing in a cosmic game show. No–in order to know God’s will you have to be transformed through Scripture by daily renewing your mind in truth (Romans 12:2).
Jesus’ prayer was that His followers would be sanctified–set apart–by the truth of God’s Word (John 17:17).
Through Bible study and prayer God changed me into a mom who was no longer overwhelmed by the job of parenting. Over time I became the kind, confident, and courageous mom I had hoped to be. (Not perfectly mind you, but with each day I spent in the Word, God’s Spirit changed me into the mother He wanted me to be.)
In the same way, God can transform you to become the mom He meant for you to be as well. His Word will direct your decision making and give you His perspective about what is important in life.
As you are set apart by Truth, the miraculous result will be God’s wisdom for doing one of the most important, God-ordained jobs in all of history – Raising the next generation for God’s glory!
~Rhonda
