Have you ever thought about what type of mother you should be?
Perhaps you’ve had some thoughts about what type of mother someone else should be.
Did you know that God has an idea of what type of mother He wants you to be?
Today’s message is entitled, “The Kind of Mother God Wants You to Be.”
I’m so grateful to have some great moms in my life. I have my mom, I have a great mother-in-law, I’m married to a wonderful mother. My sisters-in-law are great mothers. A lot of ladies in this church treat me like they’re my mom.
I’m grateful for wonderful mothers. My heart’s desire is that every mom in this room and every mom who is a follower of Jesus would know what type of mom God wants them to be.
I tell you what, let’s go to God right now in prayer and begin our time by asking Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
Ok, let’s talk about some influences or ideas for what shapes mothers to be the mothers that they become.
First, . . .
I. The world has ideas for what a mother should be.
Our culture has given us a lot of examples of moms; some good and some not so good.
Here are a few moms from our culture over the years:
Caroline Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie.
Carol Brady from The Brady Bunch.
Jackie Kennedy.
Princess Diana.
Marge Simpson from The Simpsons.
Claire Huxtable from The Cosby Show.
Estelle Costanza from Seinfeld.
Mrs. Incredible, also known as Elastigirl from The Incredibles.
These examples are all mothers who may have left one impression or another on other mothers; they may have shaped motherhood in our culture.
The culture around us has ideas about what mothers should be also.
Some in our culture would say that a mother should be caring.
Some in our culture may say that a mother should be cool.
Some in our culture may say that a mother should be tired all the time.
Some in our culture may say that a mother should be affirming of their children’s choices, no matter what the choices are.
Some in our culture may say that a mother should be trendy.
Some in our culture may say that being a mother is difficult.
Here’s the thing about what our world thinks about mothers: it’s not constant.
There is an ever-changing idea of what a mother should be, both in terms of different cultures and locations, but also in terms of different times.
Our culture is shifting all of the time.
Our culture used to frown upon mothers working. Now, many in our culture frown upon mothers staying at home.
Our culture used to expect mothers to get dolled up to go shopping. Now, a lot of moms go shopping in yoga pants or pajamas.
Our culture used to think it was ok to discipline their children. No a lot of our culture think mothers should focus on positive reinforcement.
Here’s the thing: I’m not even saying that one is right and one is wrong. I’m simply saying that the opinion of culture is constantly changing.
Moms, if you seek to find your ideas for how to be a mom from the world, you’re going to be confused because there are a lot of opinions out there and they are changing all of the time.
Second, . . .
II. We have ideas for what a mother should be.
We come up with our own ideas of what mothers should be, don’t we?
Now, certainly some of these ideas are based on our experiences and influences. However, some of these ideas are simply based on our own wisdom or lack thereof.
For example, maybe your mother was very caring and tender. So, you say to yourself, “I want to be a caring and tender mother.”
On the other hand, maybe your mother was not caring and tender. So, you may say to yourself, “I’m not going to be like my mom. I’m going to care for my kids.”
Some moms may think that their parents were too harsh, so they say, “I’m going to let my kids do whatever they want.”
Maybe some moms realized that their parents let them run free and wild, and they think that maybe they don’t want their kids doing that.
Sometimes we have ideas about raising children that change, don’t we?
Sometimes you learn a lot of lessons with your firstborn child, right?
Those poor first-born children. In many ways, they are spoiled, but in other ways, they are guinea pigs.
You might think that you have it all figured out as a mother until you actually start raising that first child.
Other times, moms have no idea what they’re doing. I’ve talked to young moms and young dads, and sometimes they are petrified about not having any idea how to be a parent. I assure them that God will give them the grace and love to be a good parent if they want to be a good parent.
That brings us to our final point and the heart of the sermon today.
The world has ideas on how you should be a good mom. You might have ideas for how you should be a mom.
However, . . .
III. God has a design for what a mother should be.
Listen, mothers: You were created uniquely and beautifully by the Lord God.
First of all, you were created in the image of God. Moms you must realize that you are special.
Genesis 1:26-27 says:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.
Also, God’s word says in Psalm 139:14:
I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.
Listen, moms: Part of God’s design for you is to realize that you are special in the eyes of God.
Second, God’s design for you as a mom is for you to grow in godliness.
The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 2:10:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
God has prepared great works for you to do, which you can realize and perform as you grow in godliness as part of God’s workmanship.
Paul encouraged Christians in the Book of Colossians to (Colossians 3:10) . . .
. . . put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.
In Jesus, you are a new self. As a person and as a mom, you are to actively put on this new self and grow in godliness.
Not only are you to grow in godliness, but you are to model and teach godliness.
Listen to what Paul said to Timothy as he was speaking about his Christian faith. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:5:
I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.
Timothy’s mother and grandmother both exhibited sincere Christian faith, and that faith took hold in the life of Timothy as well.
Listen also to how God commands His people to teach their children. In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, God says:
These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Moms, you should be modeling and teaching godliness to your children.
Next, God’s design for you is that you be loving.
Things are hard when you’re a mother. However, love makes everything better. Love doesn’t make all the problems go away, but life is better in the problems when you have love.
Listen to what Peter said about this in 1 Peter 4:8 (we just learned about this in our Wednesday Bible study). Peter says.
Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Of course, Jesus told us that the greatest thing we could do is love. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.
God’s design for mothers is that they will love.
Finally, you should rely on Jesus.
Listen to what Jesus said in John 15:5:
I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.
The strength of Jesus, made available to us through the Holy Spirit of God, is what you need to be a good and godly mother. You can’t do it all on your own.
Also, you don’t have to do it all on your own.
Being a mother is challenging. Rely on Jesus for your peace, your joy, and your strength.
Now, there are certainly some other parts of being a mother. You should discipline. You should comfort. You should be patient. And on and on.
However, these are some of the most important parts of being a mom.
In fact, here’s the one most important thing you can do to be a mom; check out our bottom line:
Bottom Line: Be who God created you to be.
You don’t have to be the type of mom approved by our world.
You don’t have to be the type of mom that is displayed in culture.
You don’t have to be the type of mom who others expect of you.
You don’t even have to be the type of mom who you expect of yourself.
You need to be the mom God created you to be.
Take the pressure off yourself by just focusing on one thing: What does God expect of me?
To that point, challenge yourself in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Recover and pursue God’s design for you.
In our sin, we lose sight of God’s design for us.
In our confusion, we lose focus on God’s design for us.
In the noise of the world, we lose clarity about what God’s design is for us.
To be the mom God created you to be, recover and pursue His design for you.
Now, here’s the reality: This message is not just for moms. If you’ve been paying attention you may have realized that this message is for everyone.
God has a design for every one of us. Each of us can lose sight of God’s design for us.
What should we do? We should recover and pursue God’s design for us.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
(Benediction)
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.
