She is productive. She keeps her house in good order, passes on God’s word, plans ahead, does good, comforts, disciplines (puts up the stop sign when needed), and reflects on God’s word. (Read Proverbs 31; Psalms 78:4, 5; Isaiah 66:13; Luke 2:19.) Proverbs 31 describes a virtuous woman and perhaps the ideal mother.

If this sounds like a big order for you – it is. But you don’t have to do it on your own. Jesus Christ wants to give you the inner power and spiritual resources that you need daily. If you will trust Him as Lord of your life He will be with you every step of the way.
He promises, “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus will help you be the mother He created you to be.

Long ago there lived a godly woman who became a great mother. Her name was Hannah. You can read about her in I Samuel chapter 1. She was just one mother among thousands. What brought her to the forefront of scripture as an example of motherhood? Let’s use the acrostic for “MOTHERS” to understand some biblical principles of motherhood.

M – is for motherhood. Hannah wanted to be a mother. Motherhood was a beautiful and high calling. She desired that more than anything else. Sadly, in our society, where millions of babies have been aborted, many do not see motherhood as a calling to be desired.

Someone once said, “The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world.” Studies show that the years of one through six are the most formative years in developing a child’s personality. By the age of sixteen, most young people have made the spiritual decisions that will shape the rest of their lives.

A child needs to know that they are wanted and valued. They are not an “accident” nor an inconvenience. They were especially entrusted into the care of their mother. Tell them and show them.

O – omnipotent. Hanna believed in an omnipotent prayer answering God. For several years she was childless. She prayed for a child. She prayed fervently and persistently with real faith in an omnipotent, all-powerful God. God blessed her with a little boy. The best thing you can do is to pray for your child and model prayer and faith in a God who can do anything.

Susan Wesley had ten children. One of the most influencing factors in their lives was attributed to her consistent habit of prayer. All of her children became great men and women of God who believed in the power of God. Mother you are not omnipotent – but God is!

T – train your child in the way of the Lord. Hannah vowed, “I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life” (I Samuel 1:11). The safest place for your children is in the hands and the will of God. She then trained Samuel in the way of the Lord. She gave her son time and taught him how to live. To allow your child to follow the crowd or the path of least resistance will undoubtedly end in disaster. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

H – Hannah was a “holy” woman. That characteristic is ridiculed and mocked in movies and much of the media and culture today. But “without holiness no man shall see God” (Hebrews 12:14). Holiness of heart produces true happiness and wholesomeness of character. How can you have God’s holiness displayed through you? It’s only through the indwelling of the Son of God. (Read and reflect on I Peter 1:13 – 4:19 in the Living Bible for fresh insight.) Daily, hold your life before the white light of God’s word. Clean our your spiritual wardrobe of all the doesn’t please God.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:8, 9).

Hell is littered with the effects of unholy mothers and fathers (I Kings 22:52). But heaven is paved and populated by the influence of godly and holy mothers and fathers. (See II Timothy 1:5.) Samuel became one of the greatest leaders in history.

E – example. Only when a mother knows and follows the Lord is she able to teach her children to walk with God. “Habits of the heart” are more caught than taught. By God’s grace be an example. What a tremendous inner joy and reward will be yours.

R – relationships. Place people before things. Nurture, caring, loving, forgiving relationships with your child, your husband, wholesome friends, and, above all, your own personal relationship with God through His only begotten son, Jesus Christ. (Read John 3:16; I John 1:7.)

S – share the Savior with your children. The most important and joyful privilege is to lead your children to personal faith in Christ. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). The majority of those who come to faith in Christ do so at a young age.

There were four preachers in the family of the renowned G. Campbell Morgan. At a family gathering a friend asked, “Which Morgan is the greatest preacher?” One son looked at his father and replied, “Mother.”

Mother, you are more than just a person; you are called of God to a high and holy calling – motherhood.