Mother: A Woman of Influence, Part 1

This series of articles is taken from my Mother’s Day sermon.

Mothers exercise influence over their children.  A child will be led to do good or evil according to the teaching and actions of his or her mother.  (Of course, this is also true of fathers.) I realize there are mothers in different situations. Some are still in the process of raising children.  Others have children who are grown and are no longer in the home.  Some also have grandchildren over whom you have influence.  And some women don’t have children.  But all of us, in whatever circumstance we are in, exercise influence over others in some capacity.  You can be a woman who influences her children in a godly way, whether they are still young or are adults; and even if you don’t have children of your own, you can be a woman of godly influence to others.

I believe there is one all-important thing that a woman can do that will enable her to exercise godly influence, and that is to develop a close relationship with the Lord. We cannot influence our children to do something that we do not do ourselves! They will practice what they see, not what we preach. More than just a once-a-week Sunday morning experience with God—we need an intimate relationship with Him. How does a mother (or anyone) develop that kind of relationship?  A time must be set aside each day to be alone with the Lord and worship Him, to hear from Him by reading His Word and listening to the voice of His Spirit.  I find morning to be the best time for me, when I am the only one up, before the activities of the day begin. Each day is new—a fresh start.  Let God write on your heart each morning before anyone else does.

From a vibrant, alive relationship with the Lord will come the spiritual strength a mother needs to raise children in a godly way, or to exercise godly influence that will benefit her adult children. 

In future blogs, we will look at three areas that are important as we grow in our relationship with the Lord.

Scripture for Reflection

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. (Psalm 5:3)