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| Elisabeth Elliot in 2014 - photo from Bing.com |
Last week, I talked about my desire to be like Elisabeth Elliot, and this week will talk about her influence on me as a mother. You can read last week's post HERE.
My role models for motherhood were my paternal grandmother and my father's sister, Aunt Inez. I tried to emulate them, as well as the advice in the books I read. I'm not disrespecting my mother in saying these things. She had many problems, both physical and mental, and was incapable of teaching some things. While I know she did the best she could, I did not want to mother as she did. Because of this, I am eternally grateful for the books authored by G-dly women.
Elisabeth Elliot's books were very inspiring to me, and I love this quote from her book, The Shaping of a Christian Family:
“There is no nobler
career than that of motherhood at its best.
There are no possibilities
greater, and in no other sphere does failure bring more serious
penalties.
With what diligence then should she prepare herself for such a
task?
If the mechanic who is to work with “things” must study at
technical school,
if the doctor into whose skilled hands will be
entrusted human lives, must go through medical school
. . . how much
more should the mother who is fashioning the souls
of the men and women
of tomorrow,
learn at the highest of all schools and from the
Master-Sculptor Himself, God.
To attempt this task, unprepared
and untrained is tragic
and its results affect generations to come.
On
the other hand there is no higher height to which humanity can attain
than that occupied by a converted, heaven-inspired, praying mot her.”
I'd wanted to have children since I was five years old. When I married, at seventeen, I had to wait three years to become pregnant, and sadly miscarried that little one after only two months. After four years, and with great joy, I give birth to my first daughter.
I loved being a mother, and wanted more children right away, but my husband at that time did not . I prayed so hard for him to change his mind. I even got on my knees and begged him. He would not give in, but G-d had other plans. I had to wait six long years to bear my second daughter. After that, their father told me he didn't want any more children and had a vasectomy. I was heartbroken. All of my life I'd longed to have five children, and my dreams were squashed. Our marriage was not a good one, and we were divorced after eighteen years.
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| photo from Bing.com |
It wasn't always easy to rear them to obey G-d, and I certainly was not a perfect mother. Neither are they perfect people, but I'm pleased and happy to tell you that they are wonderful women and I am very proud of them. When we get together, they love to say I was the meanest mother in the world because I wouldn't let them watch MTV. This was back in the 80's when it first came out.
Just as I took very seriously my role as a mother, I also took seriously my role as a prayer warrior. I began praying for them to surrender to Yeshua very early on, and both were baptized as believers while very young. I also prayed for them to have good husbands, even though I had no idea what that meant. My father was an alcoholic, and certainly was not a model husband.
Because of G-d's grace, I am happy to report that both of my daughters have wonderful husbands. They are all that I hoped for and more. Even more surprising, my Heavenly Father gave me a wonderful husband, too. Rabbi Jem and I were married nine years ago, and I'm blessed to find true love in my old age. Our story is a beautiful one, and we're writing a book about it.
Now that my daughters are adults, my role as a mother has most certainly changed. My role as a prayer warrior for them, however, has not. I still take that role very seriously, and continue to pray for them regularly and specifically. My wisdom has grown through my study and application of the Torah and Messianic Judaism, so my prayers have expanded in their scope. You can read some of my prayers in my blog series 31 Days of Praying for Our Children.
Do you have a testimony of the power of a mother ?
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I'm sharing this post with some of my friends at :
Jennifer Dukes Lee Tell His Story
Hope in Every Season Homemaking Party
Charlotte at Spiritual Sundays
My Fresh Brewed Life with Barbie – Weekend Brew
Janis with Sunday Stillness
Kathy’s Return to Loveliness at Delightsome Life
The Gathering Spot Link-Up
GRAND Social
All Things Bright and Beautiful Link-Up
Kathy’s Return to Loveliness at Delightsome Life
The Gathering Spot Link-Up
GRAND Social
All Things Bright and Beautiful Link-Up
Thursday
Favorite Things
Friendship Friday
Faith Filled Friday at Missional Women
Fellowship Fridays at Christian Mommy Blogger
My motherly skills were used upon the hundreds of children I taught for I never had any of my own. My first marriage was not a good one from the get-go. Ten years later, we were divorced. During those 10 years, I taught primary-aged children so they were my kids. I loved them and taught them as best as I could, in the public school setting of the 1970s. Then I was single for 13 years and during that period, had to have an hysterectomy so never had any children. I am marriage to a beautiful man who had never married until me so at 45, we happily married and accepted the fact that we are childless. I still tutor and have children one-on-one. God has blessed me with precious many over the years. I know it is not the same, but it is what I have.
ReplyDeleteFollowing you at Barbie's today.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda
Thank you for encouraging all mothers with the words as well as sharing part of your own story. Being a mom is my greatest gift and I am blessed to have two sons who now have become men. They have turned out to be such wonderful role models. I cannot wait until they get married because I know they will be wonderful husbands. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteVery good post. Being a mother is the best thing in the world and I am happy to see that my girls have turned out to be great ones. I had a wonderful mother who passed away 11 years ago and I miss her so much.
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