Have you fallen for the myth of “perfection?”
It’s been said that a mother is someone who will do whatever it takes to get whatever it is done, but that reputation often comes with a lot of pressure.
Being a smart mom isn’t about becoming good enough. It’s about knowing what God says about you.
When you’re secure in the knowledge that you have what it takes, because God has called and equipped you for this task, you can focus on growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ instead of trying to reach a goal of “perfection.”
Have You Believed Any of These Lies?
Now the truth is most moms barely have time to think. They’re feeding the kids their dinner, taking the kids to practice, making them brush their teeth, and telling them to wear clean underwear!
Because moms are so busy, they often believe a lie. That lie is that they are NOT EFFECTIVE. But that’s not true, Mom.
You don’t go to school and get a degree to become a mom. Eve, the first mom ever, didn’t have any special skills that you don’t have. Neither did Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:21(and I’m paraphrasing) that God will equip you to do every job He expects you to do.
Well, Mom, that means you are effective. But you have got to choose to believe that God is helping you to raise your children.
The best way to do that is to read the Bible often. Don’t worry about finding hours of time for a devotional. Carve out a few minutes and read one proverb a day. By doing that small thing, you’ll be better prepared to handle the challenges that each day can bring, from wiping noses, to shuttling little soccer players and all the instructions in between.
Smart mommas talk to their children.
They tell them the good things that the Bible says about them. Even when they are flushing things they shouldn’t and not flushing things they should! One of my daughters FLUNKED ALGEBRA TWICE. She told me that she just couldn’t do it and that it was too hard. But my wife, Denise, wouldn’t let her quit. Denise told her that 1 Corinthians 2:16 says that she has the mind of Christ and that means she could pass Algebra. So, along with using her faith in God’s Word, she also took summer school classes and got a tutor. As a result, her grade went from an “F” to a “C”, and she passed!
Smart moms say what God says about their children.
You might be thinking, What do you mean, Joe? Moms DO everything!
Well, you’re right but smart moms remember to teach their children to love the Word of God. Smart moms make sure their children know how to read their Bible. Denise and I got 3×5 cards and put one scripture on each of them. Then all our kids had to do was to pull that out and read it. That helped them to start reading their Bible. Eventually, that grew into a daily discipline.
All of our children serve God to this day because of little things we did to teach them to read their Bible. Now, don’t mistake that for perfection. As parents, we want our children to read God’s Word so they are able to find their purpose, make wise decisions, and to know how to repent when they mess up – not so they can be perfect. Don’t fall for the perfection myth – even with your children.
You need to know, Mom, that God is not allowed to intervene on your children’s behalf unless you ask Him. God promised that if you ask Him, He will respond (Matthew 7:7).
Prayer is so important. Mom, you have got to pray what the Word of God says about your children.
Denise and I pray a lot of different things, but the first thing we pray for is for our children to fear God. The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Wisdom is what every SMART MOM wants their children to have.
