Do you bring your little one to church on Sunday? Many moms believe that this is how you teach children about Christ. But after having my daughter, I realized that the purpose of a Christian Mom is SO much more than this.
Being a mama is one of the most important jobs the Lord has called me to do. In the early months, it felt easy to love and nurture my daughter. It felt like I was running off instinct, which made this short season feel pretty natural.
But as I’ve watched my daughter grow, I realized that instinct could only take me so far. Now that I have begun to actually parent by teaching her simple life skills, I knew that my role as a Christian mom was even more important.
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My Journey to Learning the Purpose of Motherhood
Giving birth to my daughter was one of the most life changing experiences I have ever endured. (Check out my Birth Story Here) After 15 hours of labor, I felt like a new woman. I now had a purpose, calling, and a job; to care for and love this sweet child.
When I was studying what the purpose of a Christian mom was, I stumbled on this verse:
But women[a] will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” 1 Timothy 2:15
After reading this, it clicked. Giving birth gave me more than a daughter, it developed some of the most important qualities that taught me how to be a better Christian woman. In many ways – it saved me.
There is quite a debate on what this verse means, but I tend to read things literally.
After reading this verse, I feel like the purpose of motherhood is to simply draw us closer to Christ.
BUT, that doesn’t mean that our job as a mama doesn’t have a purpose. If you are like me, you are looking for some actionable things you SHOULD be doing.
The Purpose of a Christian Mama
After realizing that the Purpose of Motherhood is to draw us closer to him, I wanted to know what my purpose as a mom was. So, I studied all the areas that I believe are important for a Christian mama. These are the bare bones of what our role as a mom looks like.
I broke these down into four areas; Disciple, Caregiver, Teacher, and Home Keeper. Within each of these pillars, I’ve shared things we can be doing as a Christian mom.
Before you get OVERWHELMED, you don’t need to implement all of this today. I like to study each bullet point so I know how to begin living it out. Save this post to your Pinterest Parenting Board, so you can reference it later.
DISCIPLE YOUR CHILDREN
Maybe you didn’t realize that being a mom meant you would also be a disciple, but these little ones are the most important people you will share the gospel with. Our purpose is to set a foundation of what it looks like to be a follower of Christ.
At times, this can feel like a lot of pressure to do EVERYTHING right. I want to preface this with…. You are not perfect and God doesn’t expect you to be. Your children will learn the greatest lessons by watching you mess up and then SHOW UP. When I realized this it helped me give myself grace.
1. To show them Godliness is a byproduct of our relationship with God
I am a huge believer that our actions are way more important than our words. I know this might sound a little cliche, but I have some scripture to back this up.
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18
When our relationship is flourishing with God, our ‘godliness’ or how we love and treat others, is just a byproduct of that. Being an example of this will show our children what it looks like to have a healthy and active relationship with God.
2. To be an example of DEPENDENCE on the Lord
Again this is not something we can teach by words, we need to be an example. Our children will learn to rely on God in everything when we make it our mission to seek Him first.
This is something I’m still studying, how to be dependent on Him. But I’ve learned this can be shown through prayer during difficult decisions or trust when we are unsure.
3. To model OBEDIENCE to Christ
It’s pretty common for Christians to claim they trust God. But when we are obedient to what He is calling us to, it takes our relationship with Him to another level. God is begging us to obey Him and we continue to believe we know best.
“Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.‘” John 14:23
It’s our job to teach our children that when we love the Lord we will obey what He is asking.
4. To show your Children how to SERVE others (Mark 10:45)
A huge part of being a follower of Christ is loving others. Jesus’ second command in Matthew 22:39 is to love others. Obviously this is very important, not only because God commanded it, but because this is how we display the Gospel.
In Mark 10:45, the Bible says that Jesus came to serve, not to be served. We need to show our children how to serve others in a way that shows who Jesus is. Being an example of this will help your kids to do this (a little) more naturally.
CAREGIVER FOR YOUR FAMILY
In that first year of your child’s life, being there to nurture and care for them comes pretty easy. Without tending to their needs, they wouldn’t survive. As they start getting older, caring for them will look different at each stage of their life.
Our purpose as mamas is to nurture and care for them, so they will grow to be strong and independent adults. (Even though you might want them to stay home forever!)
1. To LOVE your children as Christ loves you – Matthew 22:37–38
Most days – loving your children will feel easy, even when they draw on the walls. But, learning to love them unconditionally, like Christ loves us, is crucial.
As parents, we want to instill this sense of confidence and belonging in our home. This can’t be possible without showing our children unconditional love.
But, what does this even look like?
- Giving them space to make mistakes and learn from them.
- Encouraging them in what they love.
- Building them up in moments when they are struggling.
- Just listening to them.
I could go on and on, but as a Christian mom it’s our job to love our children well.
2. To COMFORT – Isaiah 66:13
In the early days and years, cuddling their precious little bodies are the easiest way to comfort them. But even if this feels completely natural, holding our little ones close is our purpose. This shows them love.
When they are just babies physical comfort is important to their development, but when they get older that wouldn’t help them to grow into an independent adult. SO, we need to learn how the Lord comforts us.
I feel like this point is going to be different for each of us. For me I find the Lord comforting my soul through scripture, worship music, and sometimes the words of people.
Once you figure out how the Lord comforts you, begin to implement that into your parenting. Maybe you sing to your little one or share some encouraging words.
Comfort is something that comes naturally to us new moms but may get a little more challenging as your child grows. Hopefully, this will strengthen both you and your child!
3. NURTURE their interests
I want my children to explore what THEY love. It’s easy to sign our kids up for our favorite sport or get them involved in our interests, but we need to remember they are unique.
God created this child to flourish for HIS kingdom. He already made you…. He doesn’t need another you.
Start to notice what grabs their attention. What do they spend most of their time doing? Do they have something they are always talking about?
Get curious about these things and encourage them to explore what they love. It’s important that we nurture their interests because this might be how God uses them someday.
TEACHER OF MORALS
I could go on and on about all the things we could or should teach our kiddos. But, I just want to focus on two things; Kindness and the Fruits of the Spirit.
1. Teaching Kindness -Proverbs 31:26
There are two ways to teach your child to be kind – through example and correction.
You don’t need to sit down and have a lesson on how to be kind, just simply show them. Kids love to observe, so just being kind to those around you is all you need to do.
But, what happens when you get cut off and traffic and you…….. get all angry about it? Admit you messed up and explain that you will do better next time. This does two things, it shows that it’s OKAY to make mistakes and helps them to learn how to handle a situation like that.
Last but not least there is correction. I’m not talking about punishment for how they handled a situation, that’s not always effective. The best thing to do is explain to them what they SHOULD do.
Example with my 9 month old: She loves hitting the dog. The first time she did it intentionally I raised my voice and said “NO!” And she kept on doing it. Then I decided to show her how to be gentle by petting our dog. I was shocked that she actually started petting her!!
Kindness is not always easy even for us adults, but it’s what we are called to be when we follow Christ.
2. The Fruits of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23
Displaying these attributes and teaching our children how to do these things will help them grow to become a disciple of Christ.
I’m not going into detail about them because how we show these things will be different for each family. But as a teacher, I think it’s important to instill these characteristics into our children.
HOME KEEPER
This does not mean you need to be a stay-at-home mom or have a perfectly neat home. It has nothing to do with how much time is spent there or how clean its, but more to do with how you are taking care of the family God has blessed you with.
1. Build Your House – Proverbs 14:1
If you have a career, building your home comes first. This doesn’t mean you can’t work, but it shouldn’t be your first priority.
What it looks like to build your home is going to be different for each mama. But to briefly sum it up, we need to be sure our family is taking care of. Whether that be dinner on the table or making time to listen to our kids, we need to be attentive to that.
It can feel like by contributing money to our family that we are building our home, but that isn’t our first priority. At least, that’s how I see it.
2. Be Busy at Home – Titus 2:3-5
I’m guilty of spending my daughter’s nap time scrolling through Instagram. While it may seem like a few minutes of self-care, it’s important that we don’t neglect our homes.
With all this to say, take a few minutes for yourself (this is crucial too), but don’t fall victim to being lazy around the house.
3. Watch over your Home – Proverbs 31:27
It’s our job as mamas to watch over our homes and ensure that everything is running smoothly. Obviously, it isn’t possible to always dodge the curveballs thrown. But being aware of what’s going on in everyone’s life and planning according will help your home to be a happier place.
Wrap Up…
The purpose of motherhood and the purpose of a Christian mom are two different things. Motherhood is a journey that will grow YOU and your relationship with God. While your job as a mom is to disciple, care for, nurture, and teach your children.
You were chosen to be a mama. God made you for this!! I’m praying for you mama!
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