Saturday, May 11, 2013

What Mommas Should Do {For The Mothers Of The Next Generation}

 
1. When your eyelids are sagging heavily and your child comes to you at 9:30 pm wanting to talk, you prop your eyelids open and give the child your full attention; encouraging, teaching and praying comfort back into their hearts.

2. When nobody comments or appreciates a piece of hard work your child had done, post a picture of it on facebook and tell the world how proud you are of them. The comments your friends post, mixed with your own words, leave a glowing satisfaction inside your child, and boosts their confidence.

3. Pray, pray, pray, pray. The kingdom of Hell trembles when the weakest Christian falls on their knees. Satan wants to ruin lives and steal precious souls; commit your children and their smallest, daily struggles into the hands of the Father who loves and cares for them more than you ever could; For the Holy Ghost to fill their souls, for their future spouses, for them to have a true friendship with Christ, for them to truly trust God with/through everything, for them to know He's real in their own lives, that He cares about them, that He loved them enough to die for them.

4. Take time for them. When you would rather plop yourself down on the computer, read a story to Susy. Make sure to hold each little one, to spend a small amount of time every day talking with/working with each child alone; fifteen minutes would be fine. Just make sure they always know they have a permanent friend in you who really cares.

5. Always praise their Dad. Let your respect and love for Him spill over (in word and deed) until it fills their hearts as well as your own. Never let them see the "Kingdom be divided" in your house. Never let them know if you wish "He would be different" in such-and-such a way. If you disagree with something he's doing, just be quiet and pray about it - it'll to more than any argument ever could.

6. Make sure to invite the presence of the Lord into your home; play the tapes, pray together, praise the Lord in song and in word.


7. Focus on the good in your family; pray about the bad things, work on them, and let them go. Don't hang onto the annoying things; look for the good. "Isn't it wonderful that I have a daughter who needs me? I am so blessed to have a little boy who needs his jeans patched and is eternally wearing out his tennis shoes.

8. Refuse the "Me time" concept. Breaks are nice, even important, but realize that your ultimate calling is to be a help meet and raise the souls God has entrusted to you. It's God's will for you; you're not wasting your talents or time in any way - use it all for the task God's put before you, give it all you've got, then be content to let God do the rest.

Girls, I strongly advise you  start treating your siblings this way. Who you are now doesn't change when you get married. You need to mold your own character to: not be harsh in anger, take time to develop special relationships, promote Godly character, be gentle, show your family that you care, encourage them to find the good in everything, let them see Christ every day in your life. We need God to do these things through us. Start praying!

I definitely don't claim to have all of these virtues/character qualities. I'm not saying that this is the way my home will always be - nobody's perfect! But these are my aspirations and inspirations. I pray they'll be made real in time to come.

This post was inspired by my mother's example. Her sacrificial love for me has turned into a friendship. I tell her everything, and she's always there for me. In return, I try to help her out when I see an opportunity...but, on this Mother's Day, I want her to know that she's a special part of my life that God is using in a mighty way. None of her sacrifices will be in vain; God has so many rewards stored up for all that she's done. She inspires so many; me included.

I love you, Mom!

12 comments:

Mom said...

You are going to be a wonderful mother to your children some day! I love you so much and thank you from the bottom of my heart for such a lovely tribute!

Anna said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Dear Anna, I loved reading your post. God is surely getting you ready for something special in your future. I see such character in your writing and thoughts. God gave you a wonderful mother in Lily. She is one special lady. Love you!! mamaw

Anna said...

Mom and Mamaw:

Really appreciate your thoughtful comments. You both mean SO much to me - I want to be like you in so many things.

:)

Anonymous said...

Anna-
I realize this post is "For the Mothers of the Next Generation". I do realize that.

And I may be reading this wrong, but it sounds like you 'know' that God's will for EVERY girl is to get married and have children. True, a lot (or most) girls grow up to become a wife and a mother, but God's will for each girl is different. God's will is determined by what HE wants for your life, not by what is most expected or the majority of girls who marry.

Also, it seems like (from reading your other posts, too) that every girl should be preparing for marriage. Yes, that is true--you shouldn't get married until you're prepared, but all your single-years should not revolve around that. Our ultimate purpose in life is to glorify GOD and do spend our time doing what would please HIM and trying to learn how to be a better Christian, in general. We shouldn't become so focused in "how to become a good wife" when you're not even certain you will marry! (as I said in the previous paragraph)If your goal in life is trying to become a better wife--you're more focused on yourself than on God.

What I also gathered from your posts is that girls should "test on their dads" so they will know how to act towards their husbands later on in the future--IF they marry. Again, you don't really know if you're going to marry, unless God has already revealed that to you. But, you shouldn't treat your dad like your husband either way! Your mother, your dad's wife, should be the ONLY ONE to do that. To learn how you should treat your future husband (once again, if you marry), watch your parents. See how they act around each other. See how much they love each other. That, in itself is enough. You should only act like a wife to your husband. You don't have to treat someone else like you would treat your husband to know how to act.

If your goal in life is to glorify God, please Him, and follow His will for you, and you end up marrying (hopefully, by following God's plan for you) you'll know how to be a good help-meet. (And prayer helps in this area, as well!)

I hope I was clear in what I said, and if I gathered the wrong information from your posts, I apologize. I just really want to make sure that you know that NOT EVERY GIRL IS DESTINED BY GOD TO BE MARRIED.

In Christ,
Roselynn

Anonymous said...

I've been reading you blog for quite a while now, but I must have missed the Testimony blog post, I just found it and read it. This post says that we should give up our lives to God, let Him do with them whatever He desires, including in the area of marriage. That's one of the most important decisions we will ever make! If you don't follow God's will for your life, and marry, even if God says "no", you may end up in a tangled situation.

If you're plans are to marry (which I'm sure most girls' plans are), what if God closes the door and says "no" to marriage--for life? Wouldn't all of your years of training to be a wife be wasted? Make sure you're striving to be a faithful child of God, and not just a wife. Your years of training to be a wife may be wasted, if God doesn't call you to marry. But if you strive to be a faithful child of the King, whether you marry or not, those years will be a great benefit to you!

Just a few words and questions for thought. :)

Blessings,
Kandice

Mrs. Tate said...

Great thoughts here! I have a 6 month old baby boy, and I was so inspired and encouraged by this post! I have a little booklet that I write things I want to teach my child (maybe more children!), and how I should act towards my child(ren) as a mother. I will definitely write these down!

Thank you again, Miss Anna!

Anna said...

Dear Roselynn and Kandice,

Thank you so much for your concern. :)

I agree wholeheartedly that our ultimate purpose is to serve Christ with everything we've got; surrendering every dream, every want, every desire into His hands.

The thing is, most girls WILL end up getting married, and most girls will end up having children. The problem is that most girls and women also don't know how to raise a Godly family, run a home, or a be a God-honoring wife. Nobody's taught them - furthermore society does it's very best to squelch the truth; teaching them that true motherhood is meaningless and being a good house keeper/submisive wife is slavery and a waste of their talents. For those who DO see how crucial it is, it takes years of trial and error to figure it out.

I also agree that not all women get married and not all wives are able to have children - but most do. And most need to prepare.

I don't say you're supposed to be your Father's wife by ANY stretch of the imagination. What I'm saying is this: He's your protector and provider (in the physical realm, anyway) just like your husband would be if you got married. We always have issues with being submissive - human nature screams for its own way, whether it's God's perfect will or not. I think it's a good idea for girls to realize that the way they treat their dads is, most likely, the way they'll treat their husbands when the honeymoon is over and times get tough. They should take time and learn to submit to the authority and protection God's placed in their lives NOW so it won't be so hard later.

My mom is there to comfort Dad, fix his food, fill his needs - be a wife. I'm his daughter who wants to "Honor and respect" her parent like the Bible says.

My reasons for writing about this stuff (these are only a few of the things I try to help young ladies with) is to encourage girls (and moms) who really want to be what that God calls them to be. (Whatever that is.)

I know nice, single girls who are in the 30s and aren't married - that's fine. There's nothing wrong with living a single life if it's God's perfect will for you. I just know that most will probably marry and are in desperate need of encouragement. The job of being a wife and mother is a tough one.

Love,
Anna

Anna said...

Also, I don't think getting ready to be a wife and mother would be a waste of time, even if I don't marry.

The things you would do for your kids: being compassionate, making sure they know you care (you'd be surprise how many people feel like nobody cares!), being a prayer warrior for them, forging a relationship with them that won't be broken, teaching them everything - from the smallest of things to the hardest of teenage lessons...you can apply all of that to anyone. So many people need a listening ear, someone who can be a mentor when they don't know what to do, are overwhelmed, etc.

As far as cooking and cleaning; even the guys need to know this stuff. At some point you're not going to be living with your parents anymore and will need to keep the dust bunnies under control SOMEHOW. ;)

Learning to be submissive can also be applied to many things; Your Heavenly Husband, the laws of the land; realizing that "no" is for a good reason and respecting regulations keeps you safe in many ways.

There are all kinds of things that you can glean from these years if you're never a mama or bride. But, on the other hand, you're YEARS ahead of the game if God does bring you and "Mr. Right" together.

:)

Anonymous said...

Precious Sister Anna,
I´d been reading your posts for quite some time. It blessed me very much!! In many ways!
I´m writing today just to say: "God bless you!Go ahead, and don´t allow anything to discourage you!
I like your words of wisdom,faith,and advices for young ladies to prepare herself for the future, especially as wives and moms.
( I´m reading your mom´blog too, and love it!)
God be with you both!

From a sister in Brazil,
Sara S.

(I hope you understand my comment, I know a little english language.)

Anna said...

I understand perfectly, Sara, and really appreciate your encouragement! It means SO much.

Praying for you,
Anna

Kandice said...

Dear Anna,
Thank you for clarifying what you meant! I see all clearly now! :)

I hope I didn't offend you with what I said--I was just trying to understand what you meant! (But I understand perfectly what you mean, now)

Love,
Kandice