Being a Mother

I listened to a sermon today by John Piper (not surprising huh? can you tell we like him around here?) entitled, "Marriage Is Meant for Making Children...Disciples of Jesus". It is powerful, convicting and encourages me to desire to stay on my knees in prayer for these little ones entrusted to us.

The observation that stands out most to me today is : "the most fundamental task of a mother and father is to show God to the children."

Wow! Just stop right there and that is a sermon in itself... but of course there's more. He goes on to say ... "Children know their parents before they know God. This is a huge responsibility and should cause every parent to be desperate for God-like transformation ... Children are absorbing from dad his strength and leadership and protection and justice and love; and they are absorbing from mother her care and nurture and warmth and intimacy and justice and love ..."

"...all this is happening before the child knows anything about God, but it is profoundly all about God. Will the child be able to recognize God for who he really is in his authority and love and justice because mom and dad have together shown the child what God is like. The chief task of parenting is to know God for who he is in many attributes and then to live in such a way with our children that we help them see and know God."

Will the child be able to recognize God for who he really is? Oh I sure hope so! I know that I fall short so many times and I am thankful for God's grace during those times. But I pray that we will be more intentional in how we live and in how we raise our children. I pray that we grow to be more like our Father so they will recognize Him for Who He is!

Read the entire sermons here.