Purposeful Living: Essence Of A Mother’s Love
For a child to fulfill destiny without hindrances and discouragement, a purposeful life is important for this mission and the love of a mother is essential for its ultimate success. From the book of John chapter 1 verse13 we see the major ways through which the purpose of a child could be born into this world; a child could be born by blood, by will of flesh, by the will of man and by God in the case of Jesus Christ.
John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
It is no mistake and a sincere action of God to induce the need of purposeful children in the case of the birth of Samuel, Samson and the visitation of the mother of a child in the case of Jesus Christ who was conceived of the Holy Spirit(Matthew 1:20).
In the old tradition of Africans, before a child is born into a family, the parents of the child takes it as their sole responsibility to know the purpose or mission of the child on earth so it was a custom to visit an oracle such as an ifa priest to determine the purpose of the child’s life on earth.
In the book of Jeremiah 1:5, we read that God in heaven has an ultimate purpose for every man on earth whether male or female, it may be known or unknown to the individual concerned what this purpose is but at the right time it will either be sought out or it would manifest in the move of a divine agenda to make it known.
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
It is no mystery that God knows the purpose of your living even right from when you are in the womb of your mother; He is your creator and Father in Heaven who loves you even before you were conceived and born into this world
The mothers love is never compared to a nanny’s love or a concubine’s love, the Lord respects and makes references to the Love of a mother in the words of prophet Isaiah; Isaiah 66:12.
12 The LORD says, “I will bring you lasting prosperity; the wealth of the nations will flow to you like a river that never goes dry. You will be like a child that is nursed by its mother, carried in her arms, and treated with love.
We shall take a critical look at the lives of people in the bible who had significant births with divine purpose for living on earth and the roles their mothers played in fulfilling this purpose.
- Isaac: Sarah was married to Abraham she bore no child for him till she was very old in age when it was fully impossible for her to get pregnant and even give birth to a child. The Lord visited Abraham and Sarah in the company of two other angels, he promised to bless them with a child of promise; when Sarah was about 90 years (genesis 18), she gave birth to Isaac (genesis 21), Isaac was a child of promise from the Lord God to make Abraham a Father of many nations (Genesis 17:5). Isaac fulfilled his purpose for living from the Lord on earth that is why he is remembered in prayers or exhortation saying: “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”. Sarah ensured that the inheritance of Isaac was secured in the house of Abraham and would not be taken by Ishmael, the son of Hagar her Egyptian maid.
- Samson: In judges 13 we read about the birth of Samson to manoah, an angel from the Lord defined the purpose of the birth of Samson to his mother who was barren at that time. The child Samson was a nazarite from the womb unto God and was sent to deliver Israel out of the hand of the philistines. The God ordained purpose for the life of Samson was to deliver the Israelite from the oppression of the philistines. It is sad to say that the life given purpose of Samson was aborted by a prostitute named Delilah (judges 16) due to lust and disobedience. Samson’s mother played a vital role in the life of Samson from birth but Samson refused to heed her advice and call because he depended too much on his spiritual strength.
- Samuel: God heard the cry of Hannah who was barren with a male son and the Lord answered her request through the prophet Eli, Samuel was covenanted to the Lord by his mother before he was born and she kept to her promise. (I Samuel 1). Hannah made Samuel a little coat and brought it to him every year whenever she came to offer sacrifices with her husband 1 Samuel 2:19.
- Jesus: our Lord Jesus when he came to the earth enjoyed motherly care and his mother Mary played a vital role in the upbringing of Jesus inorder to fulfill his purpose for living. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and explained the mystery behind the birth of Jesus as given in the account of Saint Luke chapter 1: 27-38. We see all through the first thirty years of the life of Jesus, his mother was significant in his ministry like we read of the miracle Jesus performed at the wedding at cana, his mother was instrumental for this miracle {john 2:1-11}.
- Timothy: Apostle Paul commended the effort of the mother of brother timothy, Eunice and his grandmother Lois, he remembered the part they played in the faith of timothy and how they taught him the Holy Scriptures since when he was young; 2 Timothy 1:5, 3:14-17.
Steps a godly mother must take inorder to fulfill the divine purpose for the life of her child:
- Pray and ask from the Lord the divine purpose of your child on earth from the womb, just like Rebekah enquired from the Lord in genesis 25:21-24, it is important to be prayerful to enquire the kind of life your child will live from the Lord before your child is born. It removes a lot of unnecessary worries and misdirection when the child is born and needs a path to follow.
- Love your child unconditionally: the responsibility of a godly mother is to show unconditional love to her children. Any woman who practices abortion has automatically aborted the purposeful life of her unborn child and she is guilty of not showing unconditional love to her offspring.
- Teach your child the commandments of the Lord and to know the Lord God: proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 11:1-19 give us an instruction, when we train a child in the way of the Lord, it would be difficult for him to turn away from it when he is old. It is important for mothers not just to read fairy-tales stories to their children at bedtimes but also bible stories so they can be acquainted with the word of God from their early years.
- Discipline your child: this is the most important training of a child, but make sure you correct a child in love and not with anger or abuse. The bible in proverbs 19:18 tells us to discipline a child while he is young enough to learn, because if you don’t, you are only helping him destroy himself. Proverbs 22:15 also tells us that foolishness is bound in the heart of a child and what we use to drive it out is the rod of correction.
- Teach your child how to pray and make intercession: this is what is lacking in many godly home. If you want to give a man fish; you take him to the river and teach him how to fish. In as much as you pray for your child effortlessly it is advised you teach him how to pray to the Lord himself and also be patient to receive answers to his prayers from the Lord so that he would not be deceived to visit herbalist and native doctors.
- Show godly examples to your child: it is paramount as a mother to not just be godly but also show godly examples practiced to her child, the child might forget the words of her mother but will never forget the examples her mother showed to her. Many mothers today practice the “do as I say” and not the “do as I do” method of teaching and exemplary lifestyle to their children.
- Never give up on your child: according to Isaiah 49:15, the word of the Lord makes us to understand that a mother can forget her sucking child and also fail to have compassion on the child of her womb. Some years ago, I went to the Red Cross orphanage home in Lagos with members of my church on a visit and we saw a large number of children who were abandoned by their mothers, some because of a man and others for flimsy reasons. If you exhibit this character in the past you have to make all effort to find that child and make restitution before it is too late.
- Give your child a befitting education: no matter what your child wants to be in life, support your child with a quality education. It is popularly said that education is the best legacy. Even footballers and tailors today need education to make a difference; education gives your child some form of respect in the society and it enhances the mental productivity of your child. Proverbs 4:13(GNB) says that always remember what you have learned and your education is your life so guard it well. Remember education begins from the home with the mother of the child as his first teacher. The best investment in a child is a good moral and a good secular and vocational education.
- Don’t deprive your child of a fatherly care: never turn the heart of your children against their fathers. A good mother will always try to reconcile both father and child whenever there is a break in relationship. When a child enjoys both care from his father and mother there is a probability he produces a balanced family when he is matured to have a family, read proverbs 4:1-4.
Now using my WIN STRATEGY for successfully having a positive purposeful life for your child:
W– Will the heart of your child to yourself by showing love and respect to him/her
I-Invest in the future of your child; the child you invest money, time and resources will yield immeasurably benefits for you and the Lord in the future.
N-Nurture your child physically, spiritually, and educationally so he won’t be a misfit in the society.
Jesus is Lord and Saviour
Oyewole Ademola Ojo
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Ibadan,Oyo State. Nigeria.
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