Marvelous Mothers
12 Baskets Full
A Mother’s Basket
What a privilege to celebrate motherhood this month, for a mothering generation is becoming all too rare. Equal but not the same, the role of man and wife has been under intense scrutiny the past decades. While society encourages women to pursue a career, success and power, the modern feminist revolution regard children as a burden, suggesting that they limit women from finding real happiness.
Our lives certainly come in different shapes and sizes and many of us, for various reasons and in different seasons, had to embrace a career together with marriage and motherhood. I have been doing all kinds of combinations: part-time work, full-time work, homeschool and part-time work as well as stay-at-home work. Unfortunately, we Christian women often lack grace, failing to understand economic pressures and different life seasons. It is so important to always remember that God does not do one-size-fits-all. The very reason why my free tool this month is a study of the Proverbs 31 woman.
Keeping all this in mind, I would like to quote a favourite piece from A Legacy of Love, written by Ruth Graham the daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham.[1]
Mother taught my sisters and me that a woman’s highest calling was to be a wife and mother and to make a home for her family. I never got the sense that Mother felt locked away as a homemaker, or left at home with the baggage while my father traveled. Quite the opposite, I believe she felt fortunate that she could stay at home. Making a home was what Mother enjoyed doing and she often said as much: “Liberated to stay at home,” she would say.
Let’s get practical!
I love packing these baskets every month for I love giving gifts. Not my primary love language, it is the one I use most when I reach out to others. By now you may have noticed that each basket we have put together thus far, has a Bible as a first gift. This is not because I lack new gift ideas, but because I truly believe it is the greatest gift of them all.
A Bible:
I love the various translations of the Bible, and am so thankful for the YouVersion on my phone, allowing me free access to them all. Yet, I decided to buy myself two new Bibles this year – a beautiful leather-bound teal NIV Bible as well as a hardcover Message translation. Oh, I did eye the beautiful Word Colouring Bible with hundreds of illustrated verses, but after some deliberation, decided against it. Yet I think it is the perfect gift for any Mother, and if it is too pricy, brothers and sisters can always pool together. In the midst of a busy life, it is my quiet times that sustain me, as I ponder and reflect upon God’s truths. And I know I am not the only one.
A Mentor:
My life is so much richer today because of older or more experienced women who have modeled godliness to me. For seven years I had the privilege to sit at the feet of a woman of prayer. How precious were those hours I spent every fortnight with Tannie Ina! Then there is my friend, Elize – a friend and a homeschool mother. I craved her wisdom, her honesty, her warnings and her wonderful sense of humour. In another season, God added Hettie Britts. As a writer, a homeschool Mum, and a minister of God’s word, Hettie’s honest and humble approach to motherhood and ministry was a life-line.
Wise counsel and guidance from a more experienced person, is a biblical concept. Often called discipleship in the Bible, Jesus modeled it best. Paul followed suit, teaching and instructing Timothy and Silas both in real life situations and via his letters.
The gift of mentorship you bestow on another, will bring a whole new dimension to your relationship. As you learn from, dialogue with and are challenged by another mother, your whole person will benefit. Biblical womanhood intentionally passed on, is one of the greatest gifts we can give the next generation.
A Meal:
Often faced with a deadline at work, visitors at home, and an ambitious school project from the kids, all at once, I would struggle to put a balanced meal on the table. I remember a dear friend once blessing us in the middle of one such hectic week, with supper. Another friend brought lunch – delectable sandwiches we ravenously devoured.
Bless a mother and her family this week with a meal: a pot of soup, a fresh bread, fresh produce from your garden, home cooked jams, a pie of some sort, dessert! I promise you, even if you just make her a cup of tea, she will be blessed!
[1] A Legacy of Love – Things I learned from my mother, pg 76
