Because sometimes we do lose heart…

“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.”

 

I’ve been reflecting on 2 Corinthians 4:1, and how it applies to motherhood.

I know Paul was talking about his ministry sharing Jesus with Gentiles. But it got me thinking about how ministries are given to us by God himself.

As you probably know, the hope of this blog is to allow the whole counsel of God to shape how we see motherhood. 

“This too shall pass” is not enough to really keep you going when motherhood is tough. And God’s word has so much more to say about motherhood than that.

So I’ve been turning over this verse and what is means for us as we raise our children.

 

 

Motherhood is a ministry given by God.

We’ve been given the privilege of

• serving our children as their mother
• serving the church by being a mother to our children
• serving the Lord, as the mother to our children

The ministry of motherhood in CAPITAL LETTERS

I know it’s a ministry, but sometimes it’s worth remembering in CAPITAL LETTERS at the beginning of the day. It helps to set my expectations right.

Motherhood isn’t all sweet roses and kisses.

It isn’t all pudgey hands around my neck and listening to the belly laughs of 4 year olds and seeing the wide-eyed wonder of a 6 year old learning about the size of a whale (although those things are wonderful).

It’s serving others –  laying your life down for them.

But remembering that motherhood is a ministry also helps me to fight the world’s negativity about being a mom.

It isn’t a ball and chain; it isn’t a waste of your life; it isn’t a career break.

It isn’t private self-indulgence, as if society (and the church) isn’t entirely made up of people who were once helpless babies who needed to be mothered.

It’s a privilege to lay your life down for others. Just as Jesus did.

 

We do not lose heart

We do not lose heart.

Well, sometimes we do. A little bit. Momentarily.

Moms all have different things which press their buttons. For some it’s screeching, for others it’s mess; for some it’s toilet training, for others it’s sleep deprivation.

And then I think for all of us, it’s bewilderment, at times. We are raising a little person, who is emotional, opinionated, precious and beloved. It isn’t a walk in the park.

Sometimes we lose heart.

 

 

 

But it doesn’t depend on us

Sometimes we lose heart, but it does help to remember that we have this ministry by the mercy of God.

By the overflowing mercy of God.

It doesn’t depend on

• our performance statisics (no potty accidents today and only one spilled drink)
• our temperament, (she’s just the unflappable competent super-multitasking type)
• our qualifications as superwoman of the year (did you hear she cans her own beans and always does her hair properly?)

It depends on Him.

On His all-sufficient grace for the task at hand. On His all-knowing wisdom in giving me as a mom to this individual child. On His abundance of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, poured into our weary and sometimes frazzled hearts. 

So we do not lose heart, although we might feel a little wobbly sometimes.  It depends on Him. 

 

“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.”

 

 

 

Linking up with Salt and Light – have a read for more encouragement for women.