Photo Courtesy of Getty. 13 Signs You’re a Better Mother Than You Think
Mothers play many roles. A mother can be a cook, a maid, a repairman, a counselor, and a chauffeur all in one day. But I think the greatest role a mother can ever have is that of a teacher. Mothers teach us some of the most valuable lessons, and they can last us a lifetime.
My mother, Lynette Hagin, taught me four life lessons growing up that have helped me live a godly life. I believe all of us who are mothers can strive to teach and model these lessons before our children to help them excel in life for God.
Exodus_20-12: King James Bible Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee
The first lesson I learned from my mother is to love the way God loves. When I was a junior high cheerleader, our mascot was a penguin. My mother decided to make 15 penguins so each girl on my cheerleading team would have one. She didn’t have a lot of extra time, but she wanted to do this. She stayed up night after night and made all 15 penguins by hand, and the girls were happy when they saw them. She certainly sacrificed her time and energy for us.
God gave the ultimate sacrifice for us when He sent His Son, and my mother always modeled that love. She taught me that love means giving.
A second lesson I learned from my mother is to forgive others as Christ forgave us (Eph. 4:32). My mom is one of the most forgiving people I know. I’ve watched many times when people mistreated and hurt her and how she would just forgive them. It would upset me as a young girl when she did that. I didn’t like to see my mother hurt. I would say, “Mom, get them back. Do something mean to them.” But she would say, “We must forgive, because when we’re in unforgiveness, it just hurts us.”
That stayed with me as she modeled that. When I’m tempted to hold a grudge, I can hear my mother’s voice saying, “No, Sweetie. You have to forgive like Christ forgave you.” And I do.
A third lesson my mother taught me was to be patient. She practiced James 1:19, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” (NIV). As I grew up, I gave my mother many opportunities to practice patience.
During my high school sophomore year, I was involved in a musical. I practiced every day after school. When the progress reports came out, I was failing in chemistry. I showed my mother the report. Being the wonderful and patient mother that she is, we talked about it and worked it out together. She helped me see that chemistry was a bigger priority than the musical. I ended up passing chemistry.
A fourth lesson my mother taught me is to be committed to the things of God. I’ve watched her serve Him all of my life. I’ve watched her pray, use her faith, and read her Bible. I’ve seen how He has come through for her every time. I am so thankful for my heritage of her commitment to Him.
Having that same commitment to the things of God has brought me far. It has taken me through the hardest times. I will be forever grateful for the example that my mother continues to model before me of following Him.
Looking back, I don’t think my mother meant to teach me about love, forgiveness, patience, and commitment. She just did it through her example. As mothers, we often think our children aren’t paying attention to us, but they are watching us. We can model these same four lessons for our children. We can teach them through our example to love like God loves, forgive others, be slow to become angry, and remain committed to God. As we do, our children will follow our example and excel in life for Him.
May God Bless Nigeria, America And Israel And Take Care Of Us; May God Make His Face Shine Upon Us, And Be Gracious To Us; May The Lord Lift Up His Countenance Upon Us, And Give Us Peace, In Jesus Christ Name, We Pray! Amen!
May The Grace The Lord Jesus Christ, And The Love Of God, And The Fellowship Of The Holy Spirit Be With You All. Amen!
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