Summary Post: The Ministry of Spiritual Motherhood
As we come to the end of another series, I wrote out some questions to help you process the posts. I hope you’ll use them to help you
Build your own personal commitments to grow in the Lord
Develop a vision in the realms of marriage, parenting, and homemaking, even if you are single
Identify ways you would like to grow in these areas of your life. If you’re single, how you might develop your own heart in these ways to encourage other women?
Surface women you might be able to disciple.
May we be women who take this command to love and train the next generation of faithful women to disciple others, that His kingdom may grow!
Becoming a Spiritual Mother: Will you join the call to raise up the next generation of women who will go out and make disciples: in the church, home, neighborhood, and world? Will you be open to offering your life and experiences to God to use on behalf of others?
The Call of Spiritual Mothering: Will you commit to the biblical call of motherhood, not the culture’s vision of supermom? This may require you to count the cost: time, vulnerability, and my own commitment to cultivating a solid relationship with God out of which I live and help others.
Two Commitments for the Spiritual Mother: Besides committing to the call of motherhood, will I commit to my vertical relationship with God? This may mean rehearsing the gospel so I can hold fast to it, living in my identity in Christ as a saint and molding my life around this truth. Will I also commit to growing in my horizontal relationship with others? Specifically, will I also commit to grow in humility, obedience and submission to His purposes over my own, and sacrificial service?
The Curriculum of Love: The basis of our ministry is love—God’s agape love towards us. Loving other people requires sacrifice. Will you enter into that ministry of love or ask the Lord to begin changing your heart to give you that kind of love to give away?
The Curriculum of Kindness: Consider your relationships with others. How are you doing in speaking well of others? How are you doing showing kindness through accepting others despite their mess? Is there someone who needs to receive the kindness of comfort? What encouraging words have you spoken to others lately? Is there something beautiful or some potential you can nurture in another woman today? How might you equip another woman (or maybe even a little girl) in your life to love Jesus more faithfully?
Training Love in Marriage: What would you say is the goal of marriage? How might I show love and kindness to my husband today? How can I be faithful, showing up every day to build into our relationship? What good things do I see in him? How might our differences actually be an asset—and how might I work with him when we disagree? Is there an area where it feels unfair and will I bear it as an act of love for God and my husband? Growing in wrestling with these in my own heart equips me to be able to speak with understanding and authenticity when calling younger women to love their husbands.
A Few Thoughts on a Sensitive Topic: Submission in Marriage: Submission is a sensitive topic in marriage. This talk that I recently listened to helped me to understand what submission is and what it isn’t. It is important as Titus 2 women to be able to know what this means and walk with women through this in a thoughtful and biblical manner, not merely an emotional one. I encourage you to commit yourself to training yourself to learn what this call is and isn’t and to know how to help women in potentially abusive marriages. This is a topic I am only beginning to recognize myself and realize that I need to arm myself with a biblical understanding so that I can rightly help someone who needs it.
Three Lessons to Teach Younger Moms: “Listen” to yourself as you speak to your children. What would your kids say was the most important thing to you? What are you teaching and training them most? What loves and values other than loving God first are you passing on: academics, appearance, making people happy, etc.? In what ways are you training your children to serve willingly and with joy? How might you help your children to grow as unique creations of God? As an older mom, what things have helped you to teach these three lessons?
Older Mom to Younger Mom: Commitments and Skills to Cultivate: How are you doing with the five commitments in your own life? What are three skills as a parent you’d like to grow in over the next 12 months? Is there an older woman in your life that displays these skills? Take some time to learn from her or read a book on the topic for guidance.
The Curriculum of Home: What is your understanding of the role of home? Take time to prayerfully ask God to help you build a vision for your home. What are some rhythms of home life can you take advantage of to build a godly family culture? How might your home be a place of ministry—not just to your own family but to people beyond?
A Primer on Filling Your Home With Wisdom and Beauty: What are some ways you can declutter your heart so that you can set the tone of your home to love well? Using the FIRST acronym, identify the one area you’d like to develop and brainstorm ways on how you might begin to fill your home life in this area.
How to Build a Mentoring Ministry: Who is mentoring you? Who are some like-minded peers who can encourage you as you disciple other women, including your own daughters (or daughter-in-laws!), if you have them. Is there a young woman in your circles at church or family that you think would like to grow in Christ? Make an appointment with her to touch base and pray about your possible involvement in her life.
Titus 2 Ministry: Midwives, Adoptive Mothers and Trainers: How might you serve as a midwife to a younger woman who is not yet a believer? This can include your daughter, niece, or younger girl. How might you serve as an adoptive mother to a woman who is learning how to live as a Christian? How might you train women to train other women in the faith?
