Motherhood Archives - Page 2 of 2

Not-So-Happy Endings

May 11, 2011 by ScriptureDig 10 Comments

Casting out Hagar — image from www.bible-art.info

The story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar is the stuff of which Lifetime movies are made. It’s a heartbreaking tale of what happens when we don’t rest our faith in the Lord but instead try to accomplish His plan through our means.

Perhaps it’s because I have made my own fair share of supremely bad choices but I always find myself drawn into Hagar’s part of the story. I wonder what it must have been like for her … being a servant in the family of the man who was to be “father of nations.” Was she captivated by the faith of Abraham? Was she envious of the beauty of Sarah? Did she jump at the chance to become her master’s concubine or did she feel used by the very idea? Was her contempt of Sarah really jealousy in disguise? How deep was her heartache at being sent away and knowing her son had been rejected by his own father?

So many of these questions will never have an answer, I suppose. But I’m certain I am not alone in feeling a kinship with Hagar sometimes when life doesn’t end up quite like I had planned. Today, let’s take a quick peek into Hagar’s story. And perhaps we can learn what her greatest heartache must have been.

Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham in her own misguided attempt to fulfill the Lord’s promise to them for a child … and then when Hagar conceived, Sarah and Hagar had “issues.” In fact, we find that Hagar “despised” Sarah (Genesis 16:4 NASB). But Sarah responded in kind. In Genesis 16:6 we find that Sarah “dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her” (ESV). This, however, is not the end of Hagar’s story, rather it is the beginning.

The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarah, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress, Sarah.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” … So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me.” {Genesis 16:7-10, 13 ESV}

Hagar understood God’s promise to her. In fact, she understood it so well that she is the first person mentioned in Scripture who gives God a name: El Roi, the God who sees me. And God’s promise to Hagar is the same as His promise to each of us today … He sees us. When life is overwhelming, circumstances are frightening, and we feel as though we are slipping under the tides of sorrow and despair, El Roi remains faithful to us.

I don’t know where you are on this journey of motherhood but I know this: God sees you! And He is tenderly watching over you and your family.

Hagar’s story doesn’t have a happy ending. Though she had heard from the Lord and acknowledged that He saw her, she never embraced Him as her own God, never developed a personal relationship with Him. And yet, He is faithful, always. Even when she was sent away again and left to die with her son Ishmael, the Lord spoke to her again and reminded her, “Fear not” (Genesis 21:17 ESV).

Ultimately we know this about Hagar, her son was also made a father of nations and his descendants are as numerous as the sands. Yet, just as Ishmael lived in conflict with others, so his descendants, the Arabs, remain in turmoil to this day. Hagar had a promise from God – that He saw her. And yet she never embraced the God of that promise.

What about you? Have you embraced not just the promises of God, but God Himself? Do you have a living relationship with God of Life? If you are unsure or unclear about what it means to have a relationship with God, please email me at scipturedig (at) comcast (dot) net. I’d love to share with you how you know not just the promises of God but God Himself.

Our Mothers, Part 1

May 5, 2011 by ScriptureDig 5 Comments

Discerning and Wise ~ Kathy Howard

My mother has always been an incredible judge of character. Now, I recognize her uncanny sense as the spiritual gift of discernment, but when I was a teenager it just annoyed me.

Whenever I introduced her to a new friend she never failed to give me an evaluation later. She always shared her wisdom with tact and love, but when I was in high school I did not want to hear anything negative about my “best friend” of the moment.

Mom never pushed or insisted that I stay away from a particular person. But she did stick close and continue to gently advise. Then when one of those friends showed her true character, Mom always comforted me and helped make things right. And I don’t ever remember hearing her say, “I told you so.”

I’ve tried to follow her example with my own children. I’ve prayed for wisdom to guide my three in their own friendships. I’ve offered a shoulder to cry on. And I’ve really tried hard not to say “I told you so.” Unfortunately, I’ve failed with that one a time or two!

Blessed with Two ~ Stephanie Shott

Steph and mom — Stephanie with her Mom and Grandgirl

I left the hospital room with a friend that day and glanced back at my mom. Her weakened condition was only surpassed by the strength of her resolve. We made our way into the elevator where a gentlemen smiled as he said, “Don’t forget Mother’s Day this Sunday. After all…you only have one mother.”

As the door opened and he exited the vertical tram, I smiled at my friend and said, “Well, I’m blessed with two.” The one who loved me enough to choose life for me and put me up for adoption, and the one who raised me and loved me as her own.

That was last year – when my mom was still with us. That was last year – when I could still hold her hand, see her smile and hear her voice. But my mom is with Jesus now.

Steph & Birthmom — Steph with her Birthmom and Grandgirl

My birthmom is still with us as she struggles in her own battle with cancer.

My mom has given me a heritage of strength, resolve, hard work and the grace to quietly and courageously walk through difficult times trusting God.

My birthmom is leaving a legacy of a sweet, meek and gentle spirit. She’s a woman of prayer and a woman of faith whose life challenges my own.

Most daughters are blessed with just one mom – I’ve been blessed with two. And I’m so thankful for the life lessons from both.

A Mother’s Garment ~ Julie Sanders

Shopping for winter coats, I found a chocolate one with cream colored ski stripes, just like the ones I saw girls at school wearing. No one had to know mine was on sale or that it was missing the fancy tag inside. Sporting my fashionable coat, I had to wonder why my mom kept on wearing her worn out coat that was so out of style. In fact, I noticed that she didn’t even look for a coat for herself, and I concluded that when moms get “old,” they lose their sense of style and desire to have the latest ski jacket.

The coat was perfect timing for the snowy winter we had, including all the days we missed school and went sledding, instead. I remember my mom wearing her thin coat, while we sported our slope-ready outerwear. It wasn’t until I grew older and had children of my own that I finally figured out why Mom was willing to wear the old coat. She was a woman of priorities, and she knew divas don’t make a good mom. While she wanted to look nice, to dress attractively, and to be her best, when resources were tight and a choice had to be made, Mom didn’t put herself first. Motherhood and divas don’t mix well.

Like the Proverbs 31 woman, she was not “afraid of snow for her household” (v. 21), because she had prepared us in the best way she could. Clothed in “strength and dignity” (v.25), she looked “well to the ways of her household” (v.27) and worked hard to make what we had go as far as it could. Meeting the needs of others meant someone had to serve and be selfless, and Mom was willing to be that servant.

My brown ski jacket went out of style a long, long time ago, but Mom’s selflessness and her priority of caring for others has endured. Her self sacrifice is a “garment” she challenged me to wear as I became a mother and one I’m honored to put on, even without a cool stripe.

~*~*~*~*~*~

What attribute of your mom’s character are you most thankful for?

Imperfect Mothers

May 4, 2011 by ScriptureDig 3 Comments

I am not a perfect mother. I love my children and I even dare say I am a good mother, but I have made mistakes. Thankfully, God – in His mercy and power – continues to use my meager sacrifice of parenting to work His purposes in my children.

040_01_0192_BSTD — Photo from Visual Bible Alive

Rebekah, the wife of the patriarch Isaac, is one such mother in the Bible. Imperfect? Oh yes. Used by God to work His perfect purposes? Most definitely. Yet so often we dwell on her mistakes as a mother and fail to note the good and positive aspects of her life. I don’t like it when that happens to me, so today I thought we’d give Rebekah another look!

We first meet Rebekah in Genesis 24 when Abraham sends his servant back to his homeland to find a wife for his son Isaac. Rebekah’s appearance at the town well and her kind service to the servant were direct answers to the servant’s prayer for divine intervention. (See Genesis 24:1-27.) Abraham’s servant had no doubt that Rebekah was the young woman God had picked out for Isaac.

Here, in our first meeting with Rebekah, her actions reveal her character and her faith. First, she showed kindness and hospitality to a stranger. Then she expressed a deep faith in Abraham’s God through her willingness to leave everything she knew to become the wife of a man she had never met (Gen 24:58). God blessed Rebekah’s trust and obedience with the deep love of her husband. (See Gen 24:67.)

Later, pregnant with Jacob and Esau, Rebekah worried when the two babies started a civil war in utero. Her first reaction was to pray. And God answered! His response to Rebekah included some information that was outside the cultural norm – the older brother would serve the younger one. (See Gen 25: 22-23.)

Unfortunately, both Isaac and Rebekah played favorites with their twin sons (Gen 25:28). One boy for Isaac. The other boy for Rebekah. That old sin nature reared its ugly head. And parenting is one of its favorite spots to show up. Unfortunately, favoritism continued to plague Rebekah and she pushed Jacob into tricking Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing. Perhaps she rationalized her actions by recalling God’s words to her when she was pregnant. “The older will serve the younger.”

The rest of the Jacob and Esau story clearly shows that God’s purposes were fulfilled in these two brothers. Jacob fathered the twelve tribes of Israel. Esau’s descendants became a great nation that God used in Israel’s history. All this part of God’s wonderful, incomprehensible plan.

All of us, even mothers, are susceptible to sin. Rebekah was no exception. You and I are no exceptions. Even mothers much more godly than Rebekah will show favoritism, give bad advice, make wrong decisions, act out of selfishness, or lose our temper. But God in His sovereignty will not be surprised when we fall. Our sin cannot derail His purposes for our children. He will continue to work through us – even as He continues to work on us!

Have you made parenting mistakes? Do you wonder how God will ever work things out for your children? Will you express your trust in His mercy and power today?

Mother of all the Living

May 3, 2011 by ScriptureDig 4 Comments

There’s a reason why little girls hoard stuffed animals, women want to hold babies, and stray puppies see a bulls-eye on a female of any age. In Genesis 3 God broke the news that life would be hard, even ugly, since God’s plan was rejected. Adam had named Eve “woman,” because she was taken out of man (Genesis 2:23). After their sin, he gave his wife a new name: “Eve,” meaning “Mother of all the living” (Genesis 3:20). This name means “life giver” and is a clue that all women would follow Eve as caretakers for life. Our times pose challenges to this calling, but it’s more important than ever that, as women who follow Jesus, we love and look after “life.”

In recent weeks we’ve watched people around the world and in our own nation experience profound suffering due to natural disasters. As the world groans, people need women to offer the kind of tender care woven into the fabric of who we’re created to be.

Recently, abortion rights language changed to “a woman’s right to reproductive health and a woman’s right to privacy.” Some states have legalized assisted suicide. Legislation is underway to withdraw protection for end of life and beginning of life care. Privately, economic pressures have prompted increases in domestic violence. The greater the pain, the greater the need for the Eves of today to love and nurture life.

Adam Eve Google Images — Google Imagesrture life.

Eve fell into the trap of questioning God’s goodness. The sin she shared with Adam trickled down quickly, as their own son Cain took the life of their Abel. Her mother’s heart, the heart of a life giver, must’ve grieved for the lost life of her boy, but it must’ve also grieved for their sin that brought suffering into the world. A close look into the eyes of those near us and into the images of destruction proves that natural disasters and personal needs stir the need for women to minister to the living.

Life in our world is under attack. God loves life. As Creator, life glorifies Him. Jesus conquered death to make way for life. Our world must see that we not only love and value life, but we’re willing to step up and protect it. More than ever women of God, “Mothers of all the living,” need to be champions of life!

How do Christian women deal with the causes of the ill, aged, unborn, suffering, and vulnerable?

Teach our daughters to love life; practice with her stuffed animal or that stray puppy.
Be an example of a woman who reaches out to the frail and physically weak.
Respond with love to needy children, hurting adults, and unwed or overwhelmed mothers.
Reach out to those affected by disaster.
Pray for our lawmakers, and voice your love of life when given opportunity.

Let’s ask God to use us to love life on His behalf, and be ready to act on that love.

How are you being a “life giver” to people near you?

Has God used a woman in your life to be a nurturer in your life?