Being a mom might just be the hardest job there is. Today a mother of four and a pastor’s wife shares some advice on motherhood.
Gloria Furman has four children and lives in Dubai where her husband pastors the Redeemer Church of Dubai. She’s also a blogger.
She writes that she often follows her own advice to a child in the middle of a temper tantrum when she says, “use their words.”
She writes, “When we talk about theology and motherhood, we not only need to use our words; we need to use the right words. We need to be intentional when we use our words, especially words about who Jesus is and what he is doing. But we also need to be intentional when we use words for motherhood. When I say ‘mother,’ I want you to think of it as a verb too. When you read the word nurture, I want you to remember everything that it involves: disciplining, serving, caregiving, mothering, teaching, showing hospitality, and more.”
She goes on to explain that Mothering (or nurturing) is a calling not just for women who have biological or adopted children. Mothering is a calling for all women. Every Christian woman is called to the spiritual motherhood of making disciples of all nations. So she believes nurturing is, by nature, missional.
Maybe those words make the mantle of your many responsibilities feel a bit heavier: but Furman adds, “Missional motherhood isn’t an exercise in muscling up strength to do stuff for God. Missional motherhood is a walk of faith where the weak must keep before them the scenic view of the cross.”