A toast to mothers!

I used to be quite active in ministry, serving in cell group and prayer ministry before I became a mother.  Though having kids was my heart's desire, the reality was that I still had to adjust to motherhood. I knew I had to change my role from frontline ministry to home ministry (where I took care of my son, Joshua) while my hubby took on leadership position in the church.  I must say it wasn't that easy especially when my baby was smaller.  Motherhood is a 24/7 vocation, as in there is no time off like you can take leave from work.  It is a continuous task and very intensive as your baby needs your full attention. It could be disruptive in a sense that you couldn't even have a proper conversation with another sister in church on Sunday (mothers: you know what I mean).

Sometimes when I am caught up with the mundane tasks of motherhood, I lost perspective of my calling and my role in the process. I remember feeling rather jealous that my hubby could continue to serve in church while I had to take care of Joshua while waiting for him to finish his meetings. I had become wearied, tired and restless. What was worse was that I couldn't even have a healthy intake of God's Word on Sunday as my time was spent chasing after my toddler in nursery (back then in my old church). When I am under-nourished, how then can I pour out God's love into my son?

Thank God He revealed to me that He cares for mothers so much that He doesn't neglect our needs. He knows how important it is to nourish the mothers with His word, to fulfill their needs, grant them rest and refreshment. He knows the strategic role that mothers play in the lives of the kids and at home. Disarm the mother and you have a dysfunctional family. Remember someone once said 'When momma ain't happy, everyone ain't happy!' What the enemy wanted to do was to keep the mothers in the physical realm when he can make them feel tired, unrefreshed, dry or bored. Sometimes even doubting the power of prayers for their kids.

But God is so good. He loves us mothers very much and wants us to celebrate our lives as beautiful individuals with our divine destinies. We are afterall still individuals with needs and He wants to meet those needs. Whether it is the need to still look good, to be involved in ministries, to have a healthy intake of God's Word or maybe just to have a good rest at the feet of Jesus. 

Our identity is separate from our kids. He sees us as glorious looking, not troublesome or naggy. He sees us with great worth because we are children of the Most High God. If you think that God is done with your life after you became a mother, then be challenged with this thought: God is going to bring you to greater heights than you have soared before.  He still has a way to bring those latent dreams and desires in your heart to come to pass. Your best life has yet to be.

In Apr 2008, God gave me an idea of starting a mothers' fellowship in my old church - a time for the young mothers to share, pray and encourage one another with God's Word, without the distraction of the kids.  I reckon that as a mother of one child then, if I am struggling, then the rest of the mothers must be struggling more with more children. Some mothers had even 'resigned' themselves to the fact that this is just a phase they needed to endure when their kids are small.

Although this idea did not materialise, the seed was already planted in my heart. I knew my ministry was to reach out to the mothers. This ministry will be a great blessing because it is birthed out of God's heartbeat for the mothers.  He wants us to see ourselves with a strategic role: raising champion kids, 'movers and shakers' and leaders of God in the next generation. He wants us to leave a legacy in our children's lives that would impact even future generations.  He intends for us to play a part in the fulfilment of our children's divine destinies while He is also working on our divine destinies.