“I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.” – 2 Timothy 2:5.
A little boy forgot his lines in a Sunday school program. His mother was in the front row to prompt him. She gestured and formed the words silently with her lips, but it did not help. Her son’s memory was blank. Finally, she leaned forward and whispered the cue, “I am the light of the world.” The child beamed and with great feeling and a loud clear voice said, “My mother is the light of the world.”
Billy Graham once said, “The influence of a mother upon the lives of her children cannot be measured. They know and absorb her example and attitudes when it comes to questions of honesty, temperance, kindness, and industry.” That influence exists regardless of the the age of the parents or the age of the children.
Throughout history, uber successful men and woman give the credit for their success to their mother. Abraham Lincoln said, “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” Lincoln also said, “I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” Maya Angelou said, “To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow.” And Henry Ward Beecher said, “The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom.” That is the kind of influence that mothers can have. So how can you use that influence? How can your influence make Jesus even more beautiful to your children? What are some ways that you can influence their spiritual lives even more?
To answer those questions, let me suggest that you work as hard as you can to live a godly life. Even kids know about walking the walk. They will quickly discover when you fail to practice what you preach. Nobody expects you to be perfect. But we should try to be more like Jesus. A mom’s words and actions carry more weight than anyone else’s. Use both to show your children what a godly life looks like. Read the Bible, pray, trust and obey God. Showing them that you still place your trust in the Lord will help them want to find the same strength in Him. Forgive and love God and others unconditionally. Every mom will make mistakes. But what you teach your child about God will often stay with them the rest of their lives.
Raising godly children does not happen by accident. It requires intentionality. Begin by focusing on what matters most—your Christian example and the godly influence of other adults. Keep in mind that your children are children for a very short time. Enjoy those days and make the most of them.
Moms are an almost perfect picture of God – wanting the best for her children and trying to instruct and guide so that the child can live a full and purposeful life. At the end of the day, mom and God want one thing – their children to come home.
Discussion Questions:
- What do we get from a spiritual/mother relationship that we can’t get from anywhere else?
- What does influence as a mother mean to you?
- What can we do this week to use our influence to help our kids grow spiritually?