Love Your Kids By Loving Their Dad
All These Years Later
I’ve lived long enough to enjoy many years as a wife, a mother, and now a grandmother. When I look back over my life—the good, the bad, the joys, the sorrows, and everything in between—if I could share one thing that has kept me steady, it would be this: I know God is real. I’ve experienced His goodness, power, presence, forgiveness, and, most of all, His love.
Even before I was married, I realized I simply could not live this life—my life—without Him. Any good in me today exists only because I’ve allowed Him to clean me up, again and again.
I’ve learned that if God is not at the center of my life and heart, when the storms of life come—and they will—I will crumble, and so will you. Your role as wife and mother flows from the work you allow Him to do in your heart and from how much you lean on His wisdom and will.
You Are A Builder
As a wife and a mother, you have the power and the tremendous privilege to build your home. You can create a safe haven that brings joy to the people who live in it, or a prison. I believe the foundation for a joyful home is to love God and honor your children’s father. You probably know his weaknesses, failures, and faults better than anyone; those things should be protected and prayed for by you. Every kind word you speak to your husband (even when undeserved) and every earnest prayer is another foundation block for a lasting home.
Don’t forget that God loves us, works with us, pursues us, and doesn’t hold our sins against us. If that’s how He treats us—and Jesus is our example—then this is how we should treat our spouse and our children. How you speak about your spouse, celebrate him, and honor him in front of your kids will affect him and them for a lifetime.
What If My Husband Isn’t Spiritual Like Me?
If your husband is not in the same spiritual place as you, or he’s struggling right now, I know it’s hard. You will have to fight for your family and seek wise counsel. God will show you what to do. He will show up for you. It won’t be easy, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do it—just that you can’t do it without Him.
If you and your husband both have a relationship with God, that’s great! You may be spared some hardships others face, but you will still encounter challenges beyond your control, and you will be challenged beyond your natural strength!
I can’t point to a scripture that tells me how to fix everything; rather, I’ve heard that inner voice, God’s soft words say: trust Me, lean on Me, be still, don’t be anxious, follow Me, and abide in Me.
Your calling is one of the highest on earth: as a mother, you carry the future—your children. You have the power to be a soft place to land for both your husband and your children.
I encourage you to hold fast to what steadies you—God’s Word and God’s presence. Speak life to yourself and your family, especially in the midst of chaos, and build a home where He is welcome! Your daily faithfulness, not perfection, will shape the lives of your precious kiddos, forever. Go for it, mama—you’ve got this!
From Another Mother,
Ellie R.