Being a mother is one of the most important roles a woman can have. As Christian mothers, we have an even greater responsibility to exemplify God’s love and bring up our children in His ways. Here are 6 key qualities that are important for every Christian mother to develop:
Introduction
As Christian mothers, we play a vital role in shaping the faith of the next generation. Our children look to us not just for physical nourishment but for spiritual nourishment as well. They learn about God’s love and His plans for their lives through our everyday interactions with them.
That is why it is so important that we exemplify the qualities of a godly mother. Our children’s relationship with Christ depends greatly on the spiritual foundation we provide during their formative years. The way we mother our kids can have an eternal impact!
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Here are 6 important qualities that every Christian mother should seek to develop:
Key Takeaways:
- Be a woman of prayer
- Exemplify godly character
- Teach your children about Jesus
- Model faith in everyday life
- Create a loving home environment
- Rely on God for strength and wisdom
When we embrace these godly traits, we can raise our kids to know, love, and obey the Lord. Even when motherhood gets difficult, we can find power to press on through Christ who gives us strength.
So let’s take a closer look at each of these 6 important qualities of a Christian mother:
1. Be a Woman of Prayer
The most important thing we can do as Christian mothers is to develop a vibrant prayer life. Everything else flows out of our personal walk with God. Prayer allows us to tap into the wisdom, guidance, and power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 55:17 tells us, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” As mothers, we need to heed this pattern of consistent prayer at the start, middle and end of our day.
Bringing our children specifically before God’s throne is crucial. We can ask Him to protect our kids from harm, help them make wise choices, and allow their faith to grow. Nothing is too big or small to pray about!
Beyond praying for our kids, we also need to model for them what a genuine relationship with Christ looks like. When they see us praying – whether over meals, before bedtime, or during family worship – it shows them how important prayer is.
The best way to teach our children to pray is by praying with them and for them regularly. Even if our prayers are short and simple, keeping prayer as a constant presence in their lives is what matters most.
As Christian mothers, making prayer our priority gives us access to the power and peace of God. It allows us to be the godly role models our kids desperately need.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
2. Exemplify Godly Character
In addition to making prayer a priority, Christian mothers need to work on developing Christ-like character qualities. Our actions speak much louder than words when it comes to influencing our kids. The way we carry ourselves in our day-to-day lives can inspire them more than any sermon or Bible lesson.
Here are some godly character qualities we should aim to exhibit:
Love – Showing unconditional love reflects the heart of Jesus. When we forgive quickly, speak gently, and make sacrifices for our families, we paint a picture of God’s never failing love for them.
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:14)
Joy – Having an upbeat, positive spirit demonstrates the joy of the Lord even in hard times. Our children should see us radiating contagious joy as we sing praise songs, express gratitude, and focus on the good.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4)
Peace – Exuding calm rather than anxiety creates a peaceful home environment. Kids who see us act with emotional stability and trust in God will learn to develop inner peace themselves.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
Patience – Demonstrating patience when kids disobey or make mistakes models God’s long-suffering heart. Instead of anger, we can gently correct them while reminding them of their inherent worth.
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” (Psalm 103:8)
Kindness – Showing compassion through small acts of service to others exemplifies true Christ-like kindness. Our kids will imitate our kindness when they see us going out of our way to help.
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
Self-Control – Managing our emotions, words, reactions, and impulses shows godly self-discipline. As our children witness us demonstrating restraint, it will help them grow in maturity.
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
When we live out such godly virtues, our children receive a powerful, up-close example of what following Christ looks like. Our character speaks volumes about the integrity of our faith.
As Christian mothers, we have the immense privilege of molding our kids’ concept of who God is. So we must reflect Him accurately by the way we choose to live.
3. Teach Your Children About Jesus
In addition to modeling godliness, Christian mothers have a duty to teach their kids about Jesus directly. We should utilize everyday moments to reinforce biblical truths about God’s love and Christ’s gift of salvation.
Here are some tips for teaching our children about Jesus:
Read Bible stories together – Set aside time to read children’s Bible stories so they become familiar with the narratives of Scripture. Act out stories with them or ask engaging questions to spark discussion.
Memorize Scripture – Choose simple verses and songs with powerful gospel messages to memorize. When kids hide God’s Word in their hearts, it sustains them in trying times.
Explain what Jesus did – In age-appropriate ways, explain why Jesus came to earth, died on the cross, and rose again. Emphasize that He wants a personal relationship with them!
Make faith applications – After kids learn a biblical principle, think of fun ways they can apply it to their daily lives. This helps cement spiritual lessons.
Do service projects – Find opportunities to serve others as a family and explain how Jesus calls us to help those in need. Kids learn by experience.
Observe religious holidays – Leverage Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and other religious holidays to teach kids about Jesus’ life and ministry. Let them act out nativity scenes!
Attend church events – Take kids to special church services, camps, concerts, and other activities. Immersing them in faith-based community events fuels their spiritual growth.
The effort we put into imparting biblical literacy pays eternal dividends. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NKJV) urges, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
As Christian mothers, teaching our kids about Jesus should permeate everything we do!
4. Model Faith in Everyday Life
In addition to formal Bible teaching, Christian mothers need to model what living out our faith practically looks like. Our kids should see us firmly relying on God not just during church services but in our daily lives.
Here are some tips for letting our children witness our faith in action:
Pray over decisions – When facing both big choices and mundane options, pray out loud and seek God’s wisdom. Show kids how God guides us.
Thank God throughout the day – Cultivate an attitude of gratitude by thanking God for provision, protection, and all blessings. Let kids hear you praying specific prayers of thanks.
Talk about God casually – Reference God in everyday conversation so He becomes a natural part of family life. This normalizes a close walk with Him.
Turn to Scripture in hardship – Read related Bible verses and take hope when you face trials as a family. Let kids see God comfort you.
Listen to worship music – Play praise songs and hymns during everyday activities. The lyrics will minister to their hearts the way they minister to yours.
Serve at church – Take the kids along when you volunteer to teach, sing on the worship team, hand out programs, or help with outreach.
Give financially – Let children observe you giving tithes and offerings at church. Explain why generosity matters to God.
Read Christian books – Keep Bibles and Christian books around the house and make time for the family to read together. Balance spiritual and secular content.
When kids observe our Christian faith permeating every part of our lives, it contextualizes their Sunday school lessons. They see firsthand what it means to walk with God through all seasons of life.
Our aim as mothers is for them to develop their own biblically grounded worldview. We can model what that looks like in daily practice.
5. Create a Loving Home Environment
In addition to modeling godliness, Christian mothers need to intentionally create a loving, nurturing home atmosphere. The environment in which we raise our kids has a profound influence on their emotional, spiritual, and moral development.
Here are some tips for fostering a loving home:
Make your relationship a priority – If married, work on strengthening your marriage. Kids who grow up seeing mom and dad loving each other gain a powerful vision of godly love.
Listen attentively – When kids come to you with problems, put away distractions to focus fully. Make them feel heard and validated.
Affirm your children – Offer specific encouragement when you see them demonstrate good character. Speaking words of affirmation develops self-worth.
Display warmth – Give plenty of nurturing touches, smiles, laughter, and kind tone of voice. Children must feel secure in your unconditional love.
Model forgiveness – When kids act unkindly, talk through what happened, forgive them, and reconcile. They’ll learn from your grace.
Eat meals together – Gathering around the table for family meals provides space for bonding. Laughter and conversation build relationships.
Play together – Make time for family fun through game nights, trips to the park, bike rides, or tickle monster. Enjoying life together knits hearts.
Serve as a team – Engage in service projects together like serving at a soup kitchen or making care packages. Working to help others unites families.
Worship together – Attend church as a family and talk about the sermon afterward. Also worship at home by singing hymns and reading the Bible together.
Manage conflict biblically – When arguments arise, model kindness, self-control, and mature communication. Avoid ungodly yelling or hurtful words.
The home environment we cultivate will leave an indelible impression on our kids. Our relationships with them are the medium through which they comprehend God’s love for them. By actively fostering warmth, care, and biblical values at home, we create space for their faith to blossom.
6. Rely on God for Strength and Wisdom
Finally, as Christian mothers we must remember to rely fully on God to equip us for the task of parenting. Raising children is an immense responsibility that we cannot fulfill in our own power. We will quickly burn out if we try to be super moms who do everything perfectly!
That’s why it’s crucial to turn to the Lord and cast all our cares upon Him as 1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV) encourages, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
When we feel inadequate, overwhelmed, or unsure, we can ask God for strength, wisdom and help. Here are some ways we can rely on Him:
- Pray for patience and stamina– Being gentle, firm, and consistent with kids is draining. Ask God to renew your energy and to fill you with supernatural patience.
- Seek wisdom for parenting challenges – When you face difficult disciplinary issues, relationship struggles with a child, or important decisions, go to God for wisdom. He promises to give it generously when we ask in faith (James 1:5).
- Depend on Scripture for guidance – God’s word offers encouragement and advice for the parenting trenches we find ourselves in. Stand on His promises when you feel discouraged.
- Rely on the Holy Spirit’s empowerment – Since parenting is a spiritual battle, ask the Holy Spirit to equip you with courage, love, and discipline. His power works mightily within us when we submit to His leading.
- Find support from other moms – You don’t need to mother in isolation. Seek mentors and friends who can pray for you, lend a listening ear, and offer counsel during trying times.
God does not expect us to be perfect mothers who have all the answers. He wants us to parent in humble dependence on Him, trusting that He will help us fulfill the mission He’s given us. Our kids belong first and foremost to Him.
As Christian mothers, the best thing we can do is foster their love for their Heavenly Father. He is ultimately the one who saves, protects, and provides for them – we simply point them to His grace. We can parent with freedom and confidence when we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
Conclusion
Being a godly, nurturing mother is a high calling that requires much prayer, patience, and dependence on God. But His promises give us hope that we can raise children who walk with Him.
By making prayer a priority, exemplifying Christlike character, teaching our kids about Jesus, modeling real faith, creating a loving home, and relying fully on God – we live out the holy vocation of motherhood.
Of course, we will make mistakes along the way. But thankfully we serve a gracious God who works all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Even our parenting blunders and flaws He can use to shape our children’s lives.
As Christian mothers, let’s dedicate our kids and our mothering efforts to the Lord each day. Despite our shortcomings, God can accomplish His will through willing hearts. By clinging to Him in prayer and faith, we gain access to His supernatural wisdom, grace, and power for the journey of parenting.
The seeds of spiritual influence we sow today will yield a lifetime of kingdom fruit in the generations to follow us. May God bless you on this incredible adventure of disciple-making in your own home!
