What is a Godly mother anyway?
A godly mother can be described as a mother that strives to live out the calling that God has given her for her life in a way that pleases Him. She often strives to live according to His will and to reflect His heart in her daily life.
A Godly Mother therefore strives to live out her Godly motherhood in a way that pleases God, and in this desire to please God, natural character traits start to emerge as she embarks on this journey of transforming her motherhood into a godly one.
A Godly mother is loving – she is the heart of the family.
When reading scripture there are many bible verses that use the love of a mother as beautiful imagery to describe God’s love for us.
”As one whom his mother comforts so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” – Isaiah 66:13
I’ve often heard it said that the woman is the heart of the family. A woman brings comfort, warmth and love. This is of course not to say that a father cannot do so to some degree, but there is something so inherently natural about a woman’s way of caring for others that brings warmth and comfort. God has made us so good that he has given us this natural tendency to nurture and love. This is even reflected in the softness of our bodies, ready to embrace and bring comfort.
A Godly Mother is the perfect (well, almost perfect – none of us are!) contrast between gentleness and strength.
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” – Proverbs 31:25
The gentle strength that a mother possesses is awe inspiring. The strength with which she endures for her children and family. The ability to remain gentle even under immense pressure. The strength with which a mother endures the pain of childbirth, only to turn around and tenderly hold her newborn as soon as he is born. The pain does not break her, it is endured with strength, and the newborn is welcomed with the gentle heart of his mother. The strength with which a mother cares for her newborn during sleepless nights, hectic days, and yet still with a gentle touch cares for his needs. This pattern of behavior where a mother continues to endure in strength and receive her children with gentleness continues throughout the child’s life.
A Godly Mother lives with purpose.
“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” – Proverbs 31: 26 – 27
As mothers we are given a very big responsibility of raising saints up for the Lord. This purpose in mind, the Godly mother seeks to fulfill God’s Will for her life through the raising up of faith filled children. She seeks God’s guidance in certainty and uncertainty. God has entrusted to a mother the care of an eternal soul. Always keeping this purpose in mind, she seeks to instruct her children in the paths of righteousness.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” -Proverbs 22:6
This is the purpose with which a Godly mother lives.
A Godly Mother lives a deep life of faith and prayer.
She knows that her own human strength is not sufficient and that she needs the strength of the Lord to weather the storms of motherhood. This in mind, a Godly mother makes faith and prayer foundational in her life, prioritizing her faith and remaining faithful to God. She prays for her children and over children and continuously entrusts them to the tender and loving care of the Blessed Mother in intercession to Our Lord.
A Godly Mother lives a life of Virtue.
“For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness…” – 2 Peter: 6-7
Virtue can be summed up as conduct or behavior that demonstrates high moral standards. Therefore, a godly mother that lives a life of virtue is a mother that has high standards of conduct that reveal her moral standards. These would be high standards in how she speaks to others, with kindness, self-control, love and respect. In how she dresses, modest in clothing, knowing that there are little eyes that are watching and absorbing her patterns of behavior in every dimension of her being. Virtuous in all aspects of her life, striving to live a life of integrity, and righteousness unto the Lord.
Take courage for He is with you!
“… and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” – Matthew 28:20
I know that these traits can seem daunting, and we all fall short in some way or another, but biblical motherhood, godly motherhood – these terms are not just terms, they are a calling to which we have been summoned to by God. As the great prophets of the Bible were called to great things that were seemingly way above their present capacities at the time, so are we called by the Lord, to greatness, a greatness and sanctification that we will find when we embrace this path of virtue, faith, and prayer, through the calling the Lord has presented us with. God would not call us to such high vocation if he were not going to be there to equip us with the grace to do so. You can learn a little more about motherhood as a vocation here.
He has also given us His own mother as our beloved intercessor, and model for motherhood. Mary, mother of God, pray for us.
May these traits not intimidate, but inspire, that we may be ever molded into the Godly mothers we have been called to be.
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