Hello Friends,

Motherhood has been on my mind a lot lately – as I’m sure you can imagine! 😉

A few weeks ago my husband and I visited a Bible conference at a local church. The keynote speaker for the conference also had a book table just loaded with helpful resources (you know my weakness for books!) and there were three that caught my eye right away. I came home with each one! They were…

• The Ingredients of a Christian Mother
• The Materials of a Christian Father
• The Building of a Christian Child

That very week I dove into the book for mothers – it’s a short little booklet with chapters that are just a few pages long. It was the perfect book to work through during my daily devotions. Each “chapter” talked about a godly mother in the Bible and what we can learn from her example.

Reading that short little book gave me the inspiration for this blog post. Most of the four character traits mentioned below, were also mentioned in the book (although the book mentioned several more and took quite a different focus than I have here). This little book simply planted the seed in my mind for this particular post!

I hope you will take the following words to heart and think about how you can begin putting these character traits to work in your own life, whether you’re a mama or not! 😉

Character Traits of a Godly Mother

A Mother Who Prays

“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:6

This is one character trait that I have been especially convicted about these past few months. Pregnancy, deputation, and church planting, has helped me realize how much I desperately need to pray. As a mother, the prayers I make on behalf of my child(ren) will be invaluable.

If I, as a mother, do not diligently seek the Lord on behalf of my child, then who will?

Here are some prayer requests I want to ask of the Lord on behalf of my son (and any children the Lord will bless us with in the future):

Prayer Requests for My Son:

• That he will accept Christ as His Savior at a young age.
• That he will be obedient and submissive to us and to the Lord.
• That he will walk with God.
• That his life will be used to bring glory to God.
• That God will use him to bring many people to Christ.
• That he will want to serve the Lord with his life (maybe even as a preacher like his daddy).
• That he will be healthy and strong – both physically and spiritually.
• That he will remain pure.
• That he will marry the spouse God has for him.

I could include more in the list above – but I’m sure you get the idea. We as mothers (and mamas-to-be) must be praying for our children, even if they are still in the womb.

I’m sure I will fail many times in remembering to pray for my children, but by God’s grace, this is a character trait that all of us can cultivate. The more we pray, they easier it gets,

A Mother Who Walks with God

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8

We all know how essential it is to have a daily walk with God, but in many ways, motherhood makes it even more crucial. As a mother, my children will see how consistent (or inconsistent) I am with my walk with God. I want to be an example to my children of someone who has a consistent and growing walk with the Lord.

I’m also beginning to realize how much I need God’s grace and strength as I become a mother. Pregnancy has been teaching me to rely on Him even more! Having a child to raise for His honor and glory is a high calling that will require a sustaining and life-giving walk with God!

How about you, friend? Does your walk with God need some fine-tuning as well? Now is the time to make the necessary changes – it’s not too late, but we mustn’t procrastinate on something so crucial and important as our walk with God!

A Mother Who Teaches

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

One of my primary jobs as a mother will be that of a “teacher”. While my baby is still in the infant stage, he will need to be taught how to eat, how to sleep (at the appropriate times!), and eventually how to walk, talk, and more! When he’s a toddler I can begin to teach him letters and numbers, Bible verses, and things about God and Creation. As he grows, I will have more and more opportunities to teach him.

Most importantly, I want to teach my children about God, the Bible, and how to have a relationship with God. However, I also want to teach my children at home – our goal is to homeschool our children and I am genuinely looking forward to those days!

Regardless if you choose to homeschool or send your children to school, all mothers are teachers and this is a character trait that ought to be cultivated in our lives.

How can we cultivate the “teacher” in us? Here are some simple suggestions:

• Don’t stop learning. In order to teach, we must keep learning ourselves. Make the decision now to be a “life-long learner”. Learning shouldn’t stop once we finish our own schooling! (This book is an excellent motivator when it comes to being a life-long learner!)
• Read – a lot! Make reading a priority. Read books that encourage you in your walk with God, read books on parenting by godly authors, read helpful blogs and articles, read about topics that interest you. We are all busy people, but if we truly desire it, we can make time for reading! (Click here for a list of my favorite books for women!)
• Look for “Teaching Moments”. Look for little moments in your day where you can teach your child (or someone else if you don’t have children yet). There are so many moments throughout our daily life that can be turned into a mini lesson or an encouragement for someone who needs it. Pray for those opportunities, look for those moments, and take advantage of them!
• Learn from Jesus. Jesus was the greatest teacher who ever lived. Read and study the Gospels and watch how Jesus took ordinary moments and stories and turned them into a life-changing lesson!
• Ask the Lord for Help. Make this a matter of prayer. Ask the Lord to help you be the godly teacher that your children (and others!) need you to be. God is a God of grace and He delights in helping His children!

One of the primary roles of a mother is that of a teacher. Make the choice (today!) to cultivate a teacher’s heart! ♥

A Mother of Virtue

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue…” 2 Peter 1:5

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10

“Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.” Proverbs 31:28-29

I don’t know about you… but I definitely want to be a virtuous wife, and now that I have a baby on the way, I want to be a virtuous mother as well!

A woman, wife, and mother of virtue is one who lives their life with high moral standards. She sets a godly example for those around her and especially, her children.

The Proverbs 31 Woman (who’s life was characterized by virtue!) is one of my favorite women in Scripture. I’ve written about her in the past, so I won’t repeat all of that here… but in our quest to become women of virtue, we can learn so much when we study the life of this remarkable woman! While she may seem to be the “perfect wife and mom” who “has it all together” she is really just a biblical example for us follow. We will never be perfect, but by God’s grace we can follow this wonderful lady’s example of being a virtuous woman, wife, and mother.

Here are some great resources to use while studying the life of this wonderful woman:

• What You Need to Know About the Proverbs 31 Woman Part One
• What You Need to Know About the Proverbs 31 Woman Part Two
• Beautiful in God’s Eyes (My favorite book on the Proverbs 31 Woman!)
• Discovering the Treasures of a Godly Woman

Final Thoughts

Motherhood is definitely a high and holy calling – and one that I haven’t fully realized yet. My baby is still in the womb, he’s dependent on me for his safety and nourishment, but once he’s born he will be even more dependent on me for so many things. God has given me this little gift to raise for Him… and that’s not a responsibility to take lightly!

How important it is to cultivate these traits so that we can be the godly women (and mothers!) God wants us to be!

I Would Love to Know!

Which character trait do you need to focus on the most?

Prayer is the one that stands out for me personally! I would love to hear your thoughts as well… please leave a comment and share! ♥

Until Next Time,