Let me give you a hint … Its not by studying June Cleaver, having a clean house, or well-behaved, happy kids. This is one of those things that’s really been irritating me lately. Mostly because every single person on the planet has some opinion about the kind of mother I should be. There is so much judgment for mothers. At the store, at home, in my head, with family, friends, even church members. And it starts before the baby is even born – from where you’ll have the baby to how you plan on having the baby and continues right into if you’ll breastfeed and for how long and if you choose to use formula and if you’ll have your son circumcised …. AAAAAAHHHHH!!!
Cool photo shoot on this topic here.
I am not innocent in this scenario – but mothering is tough work. And we should be there to offer support to one another. Something I’m working to improve in my own life by being confident in my decisions as a mother and supporting those around me. But I digress, that’s not why I started this post.
I started this post because we want to be great mothers. And we spend so much time wondering if Mary, Bob, and Joe think we’re doing things right that we forget what matters – who’s opinion actually matters? The only One that counts.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:30
That’s the first and foremost decision in being the perfect mom. Because I’ll never be perfect- not ever, but I have chosen to surrender myself to Christ. So in Him, I am made perfect. I’ll make plenty of mistakes. But, I won’t wait to ask my Father or my kids for their forgiveness when I mess up. And I won’t hesitate to give my forgiveness to my kids when they mess up. No one is perfect, but showing my kids the humility and love that my Father in heaven has shown me – that’s priority number one and the only way we can be the “perfect” mom.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (emphasis added)
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