Motherhood is: Having Purpose and Vision

On Sunday the boys had their first show jumping event for 2010.

Josua did the 30cm and 50cm on Helmit - the horse he always rides at the riding school.

CJ jumped the 60cm and 70cm on Dabby, his new horse. 

Josua did great at the 30cm, and had a clear round for which he got a rosette. 

CJ also did very well for his first show with Dabby, two months into their training together and Dabby’s first show! They got a clear round, but unfortunately kicked a pole in the jump off, but they still got the best overall time, but due to the 4 penalties, didn’t qualify for a place.  

Dabby is only 5years old and still like a toddler - disobedient and wild! He did racing for 3years, before he became Camelot’s horse. CJ is the only rider with enough courage and authority to teach Dabby to jump, not even the instructors want to get near Dabby! 

The 40cm was a fun round involving two riders. One would jump a round on the horse and the other would ride a round on a bicycle and the team that had the fastest time, would win.  At the last minute CJ and Josua entered the round. 

Josua would be on horseback and CJ would ride the bicycle (the bicycle was too big for Josua). Josua went first, but when he approached the second jump Helmit went the wrong way and started running for the fence. Next thing, Helmut jumped over the 80cm high fence and Josua fell off! I couldn't see him get up and just started running towards him! Christo who took photos from the middle of the arena, reached Josua first and signaled that Josua was fine! As I reached him, I could see Josua was in big shock. Some time ago Helmit did the same at the riding school and Josua fell off as well. This time he fell more on his side and not right on his back. Christo insisted that Josua get back on the horse and his instructor was immediately there to help.

Josua got back on Helmut and under lot of encouragement from the crowd, jumped two jumps, in an attempt to win back his confidence.

Since they were the last entry, Josua immediately had to be ready for the 50cm jump. I could see he was still in shock and scared of getting back on Helmit’s back and do the jumps. So we prayed together. I also SMS grandma in Bloemfontein to pray.

By the time it was Josua's turn, I still wasn’t at peace, but what I saw next was so encouraging it made me smile and cry at the same time! 

Josua wasn’t entering the arena alone on Helmit, CJ was leading them into the arena. 

But not only was CJ leading his brother into the arena, he was ready to lead Josua through the whole course.

Now, it is high summer here and it is no easy task to run next to a horse and jump an 8 jump course 12h00 in the day, at 30 degrees celsius! Thanks to CJ's help Josua could finish this round safe and in a clear round and received another rosette! It was such an act of service of CJ towards his brother. 

This incident just made me realize how important it is to build Godly character into our children and teach them to walk in the ways of the Lord, pleasing God as their first priority! CJ didn’t need to serve his brother in the way he did.  But he also was very worried about his little brother and when he saw Josua’s fear, he knew it was in his ability to help his brother, sacrificing and glorify God in his act of service!

How do we build Godly character into our children?  I myself still lack Godly character traits, I’m a sinful human being - I need help to lay down my life and sacrifice for others, especially my husband and children.

About two years ago I listened to a teaching CD by Nancy Campbell - The Flourishing Mother.  On one of these 3 excellent teaching CD’s, Nancy address the purpose and vision of a mother.  After Sunday’s incident I felt a need to listen to it again, to remind me of my purpose as a mother, to remind me of the vision I have as a mother.  

I would like to share some of the ideas with you too:

In Prov. 29:18 we read:

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."

The Hebrew word used for perish in this verse is para` /paw·rah which means “naked” ; “bare” ; “slip through fingers”; “undisciplined”; “by ignoring a opportunity”

In other words, to ignore the opportunity of motherhood. Many mothers let motherhood slip through their fingers.  The majority of mothers today, have no vision or purpose for their motherhood, and therefore don’t see the glory of their homes.

But Motherhood is the most important career in the Universe.  Mothers are determining the destiny of the next generation. No wonder the Devil likes to deceive the woman so much.  He knows the power a woman has – The Power of Motherhood.  Mothers have the capacity to change the destiny of nations! We may be hidden, just there in our home, not rushing out with our briefcase – but the power we have, when we have vision and purpose, is almost always underestimated!

When a mother have vision and purpose she is molding lives for the destiny God has for her Children.  This mother will be molding mighty young men and women full of God’s Spirit, who know how to have power over the enemy.  She is busy to fill the nation with the Light of God’s Gospel, the Salt of the Earth.  There is nothing more powerful than doing that.  Nobody needs to see her, because her works will praise her! 

Do you have short term and long term goals for your children? You won’t always reach your goals, but if it is there, you can work towards it.  

Motherhood is much more than just taking care of our children’s physical needs – feeding, clothing, and teaching them.  Most important is taking care of our children’s spirit.

We as mothers need to know there is a greater calling on mothers today. God commissioned mothers from the beginning of time to mold and nurture the generations.  But in this hour there is a calling on mothers like no other time before. We are living in God’s end time! This generation of mothers are called to be trainers of God’s End Time Army.   A Task like no other task.  Training/ molding/ preparing part of God’s End Time Army! Yes, God need an army and He needs mothers to train His army, to preserve His army!

The Hebrew word for Preserve is teros and it means: “a  watch”; “keep”, “observe” -  to attend to carefully, take care of; to guard from loss or injury by keeping the eye upon.  

We must watch over our children’s spirit.  First with our physical eye.  You can only keep a physical eye on your children when you love to be with them and around them.  We can’t be our children’s watch dog unless we are there where our children are, all the time, running our fingers through their hearts!

Dear mothers we don’t just have our children and then go on with our lives!  NO! Children are like arrows in the hands of God. Like arrows in the hands of the warrior and God assigned us to train them!  We need to watch over our children in prayer.  Especially in the teen years, watch in prayer.  As you pray, God will show you and you will see what is going on in their lives.  Come into the presence of the Lord every morning and every evening, in prayer and studying the Word. 

Motherhood is not just for today.  Yes we watch over our children today - physically, spiritually we watch over their souls and minds.  We keep out the enemy that wants to creep into our home’s, into our children’s soul.  

But we also look into the future.  We see ahead.

In Zeph. 1 we read:

 “The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.”

Zephaniah was the Great, great grandchild of Hizkiah.  Hizkiah was one of the good Kings of Judah, (between a lot of bad Kings)  The Bible said: “He did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord.”

And now 5 generations later his grandson was still serving the Lord and he was a Prophet!!!

Mothers, this is the vision we need to have!  After us, our children will still be walking in the ways of the Lord.  And they will continue down the line.  Continuing to be mighty men and women in the Nation’s of the World.  This is my Vision. This is what I pray.  I pray for the children to come.  Godly children that will come forth with the Light and the Glory of the Lord upon them. Not just for now, but for generations to come.  That they will be mighty in the Lord.

Mothers this is a long term vision, a big vision.  

“For the promise is to you and to your children, and  to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Acts 2:39

Will you begin to see that raising your children is not just for today?  And realising how raising your children today will affect the generations to come, will keep you going, even in the difficult, frustrating days. 

In another two postings I want to share with you, out of the Bible the vision for raising sons and the vision for raising daughters.  

Lots of love

Linnie