A Mother Worth Emulating

While I wrote this post last mothers day, the same rings true today. Please take the time and read. This mother’s day, as in many of the past, hundreds of millions of people will crowd in the pews of hundreds of thousands of churches around the world. Sermons will be preached on the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31, or perhaps character portraits of various mothers in the Bible such as Hannah; Naomi; Elizabeth, Mary and more. Carnations will be given to them, choirs will sing in honor of them and children will give Sunday School crafts made for them. But then the hype will die down and we will go about our daily lives. But outside of the Bible, who can we look to for an incredible example of a godly mother? I can think of no better place to look than my mom: Priscilla May Cartwright. Just like Hannah in 1Samuel 1-2, for many years my mother was unable to have children. Just like Hannah, my mother had a strong desire to have children, and it was very difficult to accept the fact that this might never be a reality in her life. After many years of no children (when my mother was 37 years old), just like in the case of Hannah, God opened up her womb and she conceived myself and my twin sister. But you know what? Just like Hannah, when my mom did give birth, she did not consider us to be HER children, but rather she recognized that we were entrusted to her and my Father…for them to raise us in the ways of the Lord. While my sister and I were still very young infants, my parents dedicated us publically at the local church which they were a part of, as a testament to their church of their God-ordained role as stewards of us. As we grew up, my parents (while not perfect) did their best to raise us up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. While many other parents focused on the externals…rules rules rules…my parents focused on something much deeper…shepherding our hearts. They were not trying to make “perfect little angels”, instead they were trying to cultivate within us hearts that were dedicated to following God. Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” By God’s grace I am a living example of this verse…as it is because of many years of sacrifice and training that my parents have helped to lay a spiritual foundation, upon which the rest of my life is being built. One of the hardest things for many mothers is to let go of the reigns of their children when they are adults. Transitioning from the role of parental authority to an advising fellow adult is an incredibly hard transfer. This is because the only role that a parent has known in the lives of their children is that of authority for 2 decades. Many parents still try to baby their young adult children (not encourage them to take up responsibility), and therefore stifle their children’s ability to function as responsible adults. Other parents have unfulfilled hopes and dreams which they never able to accomplish in their own lives. “I could never have been a Doctor so my daughter will!” “I never was able to be a Pastor so I will make sure my son does!” Therefore, they try to live vicariously through their children, pushing them to pursue the career that they were never able to…and in many ways try to control every aspect of their lives well into their 20s, 30s and beyond. However this was never the case with my mother. She has always done an excellent job in lovingly pushing me to take up the responsibility of adulthood. At 27 years old I have been functioning independently in the post college adult world, and I have been thriving largely as a result to her loving encouragement to functions as not just an independent adult…but a God-dependant one. Many mothers go through extremely difficult trials…trials that bring about much grief and pain into the lives of those affected by them. One such trial came upon my mother 6 years ago, when my father (her husband of over 30years) died suddenly of a heart attack. I have watched many many times as others have had similar tragedies play out in their lives. sadly, so many people respond to these trials with poor responses such as: bitterness; a complaining spirit; a “God owes me” mentality and much more. So many people use their tragedy to excuse these sinful ways of handling grief. However, my mother has used this tragedy in her life as an opportunity to grow closer to Christ and to become more like him. Instead of growing bitter, she became a shining example of what it means to trust God’s sovereignty, and she continues to have an extremely positive attitude about life, even in the midst of incredible loss. She has been an incredible example and encouragement to me as to how to respond to tragedy and how comfort others with the same comfort that God gave to her. You want to know what it means to be a godly mom? Well you can look to my mom as an example of which you can emulate…because she is a woman whose life is submitted to God and is patterned after his Word. Proverbs 31:12-31 “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.” <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Has Priscilla Cartwright touched your life? Please leave a comment on this post sharing what she means to you! And don’t forget to like the striving for wisdom facebook fanpage so you can keep updated with all of the latest posts!