The radical life of a godly mom, pt 1

Posted by Josh Howerton on Apr 13, 2010 | 7 comments

Shelley Stedman: Finding value in your calling

Once, just for fun, I calculated that I had probably changed over 16,000 diapers in my parenting career.  Now that my oldest is 14 and my youngest is 6, those days seem long gone.  But at the time, it was sometimes difficult to see the value of being soooo needed for everything from lifting the babies out of bed, to changing and dressing them, spoon-feeding them, carrying them around, entertaining them, responding to their cries and giggles, changing them again….if you’ve ever cared for a child for more than 4 hours, you know what I mean!

I discovered MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) when I had a toddler and a baby.  Going from a full-time job to a part-time job, then “coming home” full-time, I desperately needed to find other moms who were in the same season of life.  With this group, I learned that other mommies just like me were facing the challenge of juggling motherhood, with being a godly wife and homemaker.  We were given practical tools and spiritual mentoring to help us along in our journey.  By the time baby #3 came along, a friend and I had launched our own MOPS group at our church.  The heart of our mission came from this verse in Isaiah:

Isaiah 40:11

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Do you hear the heart of God for young moms in those words?  He tends, he gathers, he carries, he gently leads… so do we!   With God’s help, we are molding and shaping and disciplining and training up godly men and women with every poopy diaper and every cuddle and every word.

If you feel like you’re alone in this motherhood journey, and sometimes question the value of what you do each day (and night!),

• Seek out a godly woman in your small group or the church that is a bit ahead of you on the bumpy road of parenting.  If they are like-minded (and like-hearted), they will laugh, cry and pray with you when you need it most.

• Make sure that what you’re reading, watching, and listening to speaks God’s truth to you about the importance of this high calling of motherhood.  Jill Savage from Hearts-at-Home sends encouraging blogs each week to my inbox (www.jillsavage.org), and Focus on the Family and FamilyLife have both been invaluable resources for our marriage and family (www.focusonthefamily.com & www.familylife.com).

• Make sure the primary source that shapes your thoughts is God’s Word, which sees motherhood as “high” and “noble”.

• Be thankful.  God’s ways are perfect, and He knew what He was doing when your family was put together!

These days are long but the years are short, so be encouraged — there is no higher calling!