I asked several mothers, if you had one minute with all the mothers of Valley Brook what word of encouragement from your own experience would you offer them.
I. Mrs. Evelyn Allen – Persist in Trust and Love.
Matthew 7:7-11 (NIV) 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Love them and don’t give up. What you see today is not necessarily what you will see tomorrow.
II. LaVern Baty – Remember the Lord knows exactly who your children are.
Acts 1:24 – You know the hearts of all men. Psalm 44:21 – He knows the secrets of the heart.
Psalm 139:4 – Even before a word is on my tongue, You know it completely.
Just as the Lord knows you better than you know yourself, the Lord knows your children better than you know them.
When you are trying to work out different things with them, don’t be afraid to add to your prayers a request for Him to reveal to you what’s on your child’s mind and heart. Because sometimes they are not easy to understand.
III. Demetrius Weatherford – God’s Plans are the Best Plans
Jeremiah 29:11 always comes to mind, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.”
Demetrius said, “I had a fairytale dream that I would get married and have two children at a certain age. She said, “I already had their names.” However, that fairytale dream never came true. I now consider that a blessing because I was not ready spiritually or mentally to get married and have children. However, when I had Daniel and Alicia I was more ready for motherhood. I was spiritually stronger and wiser.
Demetrius’s experience and encouragement to you is to trust in God’s plans for your life as a woman and as a mother, and don’t be rigid about your own.
His plans are for your good. For hope and a blessed future.
IV. Karen Brown – No matter what, never judge another mom
Romans 14:4 – Who are you to judge the servant of another. James 4:12 “Who are you to judge your neighbor.”
There is a right way to judge and a wrong way. Jesus describes the wrong way and the right way in one sentence John 7:24: “Stop judging by mere appearances, and judge with righteous judgment.” When it comes to righteous judgment, the motive is love and the standard is God’s truth. Righteous judgment is motivated by the desire to help. Unrighteous judgment come from a false sense of superiority.
Karen said, “you never know what another mom is going through and what her struggle is.”
Always teach your children to put their faith and their trust in God (their Father in Heaven) to navigate through life’s highs and lows, to pray about everything and to thank God in all things, whether they are good or bad.
They may not hear you the first, second or third time, and they may not “get it”, but just instill in them that they should always look to God (and not all of those Band-Aids and crutches in the world) for any challenges they face.
Moms, know that God has a plan for everyone and everything, and you are right where you are supposed to be (and so are your kids) and doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing, whether you are in calm waters or in the midst of chaos. And echoing Ms. Evenly she concludes with: God is in control!
One final word of encouragement. Spiritual maturity is not living a perfectly godly life, it is processing an imperfect life in a godly way. Of all the choices you face as moms, the choice to make Jesus your focal point is always the wisest.
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