ENOUGH MOM



The storybook family scenario is one mother and one father married only to each other with children only from that marriage all living together forever and ever in peace and harmony. That's the storybook version. However, only one in six people in America lived in a family like that. The rest live in single parent households or alone or in blended families.

Many times, mom, it falls on you to be the glue that holds the family together. Many times, mom, you may be the only one seriously involved with shaping the future of your children. It may seem like an impossible task, but I want you to know that you are enough. I'm not saying that Dad isn't important. Of course he is. I am saying that if you find yourself doing this job alone, you are enough.

One of the most significant leaders in the early church was a young man named Timothy. He was Paul's disciple, trained to be a pastor. When Timothy was still new in the ministry, Paul wrote him saying, I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (2 Timothy 1:5)

What about the father? No mention of him. We only know that he was a Greek, and he probably wasn't a believer. But that wasn't an insurmountable obstacle for their family. Timothy's mom was enough to keep Timothy on the right track.

Children listen to their mothers like they listen to no one else. Moms, you may feel like you have the biggest, most impossible job in the world. You do, but you're up to the task. You are enough. Even if you're doing this without any help whatsoever, you are enough.

For those of you who aren't moms, it's the same for you. The challenges before you may seem too big for one person to face all alone, but you are enough. Why? Because you are not alone. Listen to what God has promised you. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God.” (Isaiah 43:2-3)

Sometimes the job of being a mother, or just the job of being a believer, seems too big for one person to handle. But you are not alone, and because of that, you are enough to do what God has called you to do.

The wise woman builds her house; but with her own hand the foolish one tears her down. (Proverbs 14:1)

You have a chance to build not just a house, but a future for your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They need you. You are enough to make a big the difference for generations to come. Every mom is aware that her job involves much more than cooking and cleaning and carpooling. It involves nurture, guidance, and building character. And, as I have learned with my own mom, the job doesn't end when a child moves out of the house. There's an old proverb that says, "An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy." You have a voice in the lives of your children that no one else will ever have. Use that voice wisely.

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