Dear Lydia,

Seems to me that the sisters would like more help on being a spiritual moms. Many have a fear of failing or have regret by past life mistakes. There is guilt over impatience. I know it’s prayer and dependency on God. How about some practicals?

Please help,

Caring in Charleston

Dear Caring,

I am going to have my friend, Bev, a mother of grown children, give you some practicals that help her be a Godly Mom.

Love,

Lydia

Dear Caring,

Prayer and dependence on God are a definite must when it comes to parenting. God has provided a lot of wisdom in His word on parenting. Interestingly God had a special book written to children, it is the book of Proverbs, a large majority of the verses are addressed to children of all ages. When children are old enough to sit still and be read to you can begin to read verses out of Proverbs with them.

While you are doing what God calls you to do as a parent—which is to teach your children about Him, (see Deuteronomy 6:6-7) you will be learning for yourself! Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing the word of God… As we read and think about how God’s word applies to us and to our children we become more spiritual!

Another thing is to pray with your children. We always sang and prayed together in the car while driving to church or other trips. If your children are school age I suggest praying with them before they go off to school and make it a daily habit. Also, weekly family devotionals are great.

If you are not part of a moms’ group in your church, now would be a good time to start one so that you can support and encourage one another about being spiritual moms. Set some time to pray together and even go through some spiritual study guides that are geared for women and/or marriage and/or parenting. The Laings have written three great books, Friends and Lovers, Raising Awesome Kids and The Wonder Years. I recommend each of them. Another great book is A Gentle and Quiet Spirit by Virginia Lefler, especially for married women.

One other thing I recommend is Growing Kids God’s Way, which is a curriculum for parents who want to learn to raise their children in a godly, spiritual way. This is an excellent 18-week series of lessons. Ask your evangelist or women’s ministry leader for direction on the possibility of being able to have this series in your church.

I hope these brief words of encouragement help, may God bless you in your pursuit of being a spiritual mom.

Love in Christ,

Bev Ozanne, Dallas, Texas, USA

Bev has been a Christian over 30 years. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Marriage and family therapy.