What is a Good Mom?
What does it look to be a good mom?
In a culture that sees children as a barrier to success and a source of frustration and chaos, it can be hard to fully embrace what it means to be a mom, let alone a good one! To fully understand our role as wives and mothers, we have to look back to the beginning of the Bible.
In the beginning, God created life. And then, He gave the ability to create and carry life to woman. We often think negatively about this responsibility because of how Eve was cursed after eating the fruit. We think about the pain of giving birth. We think about the weight of nurturing and caring for a baby. We think about the way our lives can feel paused or even completely disrupted by the arrival of a child.
But, I want to encourage you that God did not intend for the process of becoming a mother to be one that would cause you to miss out on anything that He plans for you. He gave us the gift of being mothers and birthing children long before the curse.
Motherhood is a gift. Just like God gave life to all creatures, we now continue that process, giving life to our own families and spiritually giving life to those around us.
Of course, with the challenges of motherhood and the way that it is portrayed in the world, I completely understand why so many do not see it as a blessing.
People complain about giving up their career, their bodies, and their time.
People complain about losing sleep.
People even complain about missing out on a hot cup of coffee.
I refuse to define my identity through the inconveniences of raising kids because motherhood is so much more than that.
Of course there are challenges, and I won’t pretend to know how you should parent your child. That’s something that you need to figure out with the Lord because every child is different and every parent-child relationship is different. But I do know that having a positive mindset toward motherhood will help you stay in a place of peace and joy while you try to figure out this whole parenting thing.
The fact is that God chose you to be the mother of your children!
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13
We often read this verse and think about how our creation was not random, but orchestrated by God for a purpose. But this verse also tells us that He chose your child for you. He knew that you would be the exact parent they need. He knew that you would be capable of adjusting to their needs and deciding how to raise them.
You don’t have to know everything to be a good mom, you just have to be willing to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit.
That means that you may need to grow. You may need to change. God may use your children and your journey as a mom to prune things that do not belong in your life like selfishness, pride, insecurity, and fear. But when you submit to the process and choose to look beyond the day-to-day situations to see the long-term destiny of the children in your care, you will not just survive your years as a mom, you will thrive and experience the joy that God intended motherhood to be.
You were made for this, and you are the best mother for your children.
Guest Blogger- Abigail Condon
Abigail lives in Washington PA with her husband David and two children.
She is passionate about encouraging women to embrace motherhood with joy and confidence both as a Birth Doula and as the host of The Mom Mindset Podcast.
In her spare time, she enjoys taking walks, playing murder mystery games, and of course, drinking coffee.
Instagram: @abigail.condon
