When we abide in Christ in motherhood, we will bear fruit.
Motherhood is a calling and a blessing. I believe if we stop striving to be "the best mom out there" and just start to abide in Christ, we will see victory.
Motherhood is a picture of being a living sacrifice. We truly give our bodies sacrificially from start to finish. This starts from conception, birth, sleep training, feedings, and potty training, and continues all the way to teaching them how to drive a car. There's the pain, the exhaustion, the joys, the milestones. Motherhood is extremely hard, but at the same time it is the most rewarding job. I believe if we see this as a calling and not just a job, we put our whole heart into it. I believe when we abide in Christ and remain in Him, we will bear much fruit and our children will reap the blessing from this.
Read the following Bible passage out loud (John 15:2-17, NIV)
“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.”
There is one phrase I don’t like anymore: “my children are testing my patience.” I feel like when we say this it makes us look bad. I have been guilty of saying this. It’s like we are looking down at our children and even justifying our own sin. What if the Lord is using our children to bear fruit?! We want to have good fruit so we can model the Fruit of the Spirit to our children! I truly believe the Lord will use anything to reach us, to touch and change our hearts, so we can be pure and ready for His return.
Let’s all take a minute to pray to Jesus and ask Him to tear down the bad fruit, and to produce the spirit of patience, love, joy, gentleness and kindness. You will not ever regret running and remaining in Jesus -- we will be rewarded in heaven for this!
Be blessed!
-Kingdom Mama