The following is an excerpt from the Mothers: Disciplers of the Next Generations booklet by Sally Michael. As we approach another Mother's Day this coming Sunday, May 11, it is our hope and prayer that this resource might bless and encourage you and the mothers in your life.
Jesus had a vision—a vision of the redemption that would be bought by His finished work on the cross, a vision of the Father’s pleasure in Him, and a vision of sitting at the right hand of the throne of God. He recognized the great work He was called to and the future joy His accomplished work would bring. This vision of “the joy that was set before Him” [Hebrews 12:1-2] sustained Jesus and enabled Him to endure the agony of the cross. Motherhood involves a vision, too. It may be conscious or unconscious, well-articulated or haphazard, but the vision that drives us also shapes our attitudes, our actions, our influence and, to some degree, the outcome of our mothering. What is your vision of mothering? Is it shaped by the Word—or by the world? We are so easily influenced by our culture that unless we step back and work at discovering a biblical vision of motherhood, we may default to unbiblical perspectives of mothering. We may miss the vision of the great work God has called us to do, the joy that is set before us as we anticipate the Father’s pleasure in us, and the dependency on Him that we need to finish the work He has entrusted to us.
