Love, Teach, Pray - Part 2

We all know the old saying, “practice what you preach.” Though old and a bit overused, this saying still rings true, especially in loving our children. As mothers, we are the first extension of Christ’s love that our children will see. It does not matter what we say if we do not extend to them the love of Christ that we, ourselves, have received. We are all familiar with 1 Corinthians 13:1-8,13:

¹If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. ⁴Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, ⁵does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, ⁶does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸Love never fails;…¹³But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

To be a loving mother, as Scripture commands, is a high calling, isn’t it? Thankfully we have the Holy Spirit to enable us to do so and be so.

I have found much encouragement and instruction in Jean Fleming’s book A Mother’s Heart. She and her husband served as missionaries while her children were small and she provides many helps and insights in her book. She does a great job paraphrasing 1 Corinthians 13:

If I keep my house immaculately clean, and am envied by all for my interior decorating, but do not show love in my family – I‘m just another housewife. If I’m always producing lovely things – sewing, art; if I always look attractive, and speak intelligently, but am not loving to my family – I am nothing. If I’m busy in community affairs, teach Sunday school, and drive in the carpool, but fail to give adequate love to my family – I gain nothing. Love changes diapers, cleans up messes, and ties shoes – over and over again. Love is kind, though tired and frazzled. Love doesn’t envy another wife – one whose children are “spaced” better, or in school so she has time to pursue her own interests. Love doesn’t try to impress others with my abilities or knowledge as a mother. Love doesn’t scream at the kids. Love doesn’t feel cheated because I didn’t get to do what I wanted to do today – sew, read, soak in the hot tub. Love doesn’t lose my temper easily. Love doesn’t assume that my children are being naughty because their noise level is irritating. Love doesn’t rejoice when other people’s children misbehave and make mine look good. Love is genuinely happy when others are honored by their children (p. 117).