Two Characteristic of a godly mother
Today, I want to talk about 2 characteristics of a godly mother.
But before I do, I want to emphasize that there is no such thing as a perfect mother. Everyone, without exception, has made mistakes.
- Maybe you forgot to pick up your child from school.
- Or you didn’t have time to cook nutritious males every day.
- Maybe your house isn’t spotless.
Your aim as a mother should not be to fit into society's idea of the ‘perfect mother. '
Your true purpose is nurturing and guiding your children towards godliness.
Having a godly mother gives kids the best chance of becoming godly.
Notice, I didn’t say that godly mother mothers always produce godly children.
The only thing you can do as a mother is set an example and allow your children to decide for or against God.
However, today, I want to look at two truths about God’s character and suggest that you add these characteristics to your life. By doing so, you will influence your kids or grandkids toward becoming godly.
The first characteristic of a godly mother is unfailing love.
Isaiah 49:14 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
Isaiah 49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
We don’t have to fully develop the context of this passage, but the highlights are:
The people of God have fallen to sin; God tells them he is going to discipline them, and they respond by saying, “Why do you hate us?”
Does this sound familiar to any of the mothers out there?
You give your children clear instructions, letting them know the consequences of not following said instructions.
They do not follow the instructions, they get into trouble and, therefore, must be disciplined.
You tell them, I’m going to discipline you. And they respond by saying, “Why do you hate me?”
This is what’s happening here, the people of God have not obeyed the word of God and are now facing the consequences.
But God says, my love for you is like a mother’s love for her child.
Isaiah 49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
What God is saying here is, “A mother who is still nursing her child is more to forget about her child than me forgetting you.”
Here, God is exaggerating to prove a point, and his point is that his love for his children is unconditional.
We use that term all the time, but have you ever thought about what “unconditional” love is?
It means love that is not based on performance.
Did you know that you can’t make God love you more or less because of your performance?
Your obedience is for you, not him.
He loves you because he is love.
- Even when you mess up, he loves you.
- Even when you don’t pray, he loves.
A godly mother’s love is not based on performance.
- Even when your child messes up, you love your kids.
- Even when your child doesn’t call, you love your kids.
- Even when their artwork is terrible, you still put it on the refrigerator.
Note how this unfailing love is described.
Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
When we read verse 16, we automatically think of tattoos. The imagery here is of someone carving a name into their skin.
What God is saying here is my love for you is unchanging. It is like I have carved your name into my hand.
The other day, I was thinking about the nature of relationships and closeness.
There are people that I know, and that's where our relationship begins and ends.
There is a Walmart checkout lady that I say hi to every time I see her.
I don't know her name, and she doesn't know my name.
Question: would I consider tattooing her name on my hand? The answer is obviously no.
When I was younger, I used to go to the basketball court with the same group of four or five guys.
I knew nothing about them except how well they performed on the basketball court, and that was the extent of our relationship.
Question: would I tattoo any of those guys’ names on my hand?
The answer is obviously no.
The image of God carving a name on his hand symbolizes his unchanging love for his people.
Have you ever heard the saying, “he’s got a face that only a mother could love?”
The point of that saying is that mothers love even when their children are unlovely.
It’s easy to imagine God carving the names of his good kids on his hand, but rebellious Israel seems out of place.
Just like It’s easy to imagine mothers loving their children who grew up to be doctors or lawyers.
But the fact every weekend at prisons across the world, you find mothers visiting their criminal children is a testament to the way a mother loves her child.
The love of God is unfailing and permanent. However, we all fall short of his standard.
This means that if we want to influence our kids toward godliness, God will have to work on our hearts.
Remember, as a mother, you are not perfect. You have made and will make mistakes, but God’s grace is bigger than all of your mistakes.
Part of becoming the mother God has called you to be is giving your kids the example of embracing his grace and moving forward.