May 08 2014 Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mother’s Day…That expression once brought great sorrow to my heart. I had longed to marry and have children of my own, but that was not part of the plan for my life. At least not the way I had dreamed it would be. I married my wonderful husband, John, at the age of 43 and became a wife, stepmother, and grandmother in one ceremony- a tremendous blessing indeed! But actually giving birth to a child was not what God ordered for me.
I think most every little girl dreams of brides and babies, and I was no different. From the time I can remember I was playing “house”, and nursing my baby dolls, honing my God-given need to nurture. The oldest of five children, I even took up the role of “mothering” my younger siblings and cousins whether they liked it our not (thus earning the nickname “Bossy”). I helped, nurtured, and mothered anything or anyone that would cooperate with me. You see, I was wired for it. Every woman is. Not only that, every woman… every person on the planet is commanded to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 9:7), and to “bear fruit that will last” (John 15:16).
So, how does a barren woman obey that command? How does a single woman bear fruit and multiply herself on the earth? The answer is found in Jesus’s command to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). Translate that to “go, multiply yourself on the earth… and bear fruit that will last.” Or as I like to say, “Go raise some spiritual young’uns and train them up to be followers of Jesus who will raise up more spiritual young’uns that will follow Jesus!”
Nothing will satisfy a woman’s need to mother and nurture like raising spiritual babies! By God’s grace I have been given the gift of some of the most beautiful and precious spiritual daughters. I have shared life with them, taught them, helped them to grow up in their faith and navigate their life by way of God’s Word. I’ve laughed with them, cried with them, corrected them, celebrated their joys with them, and I’ve watched them grow up to become the women that God intended them to be- living the God-life by His grace. I am proud of them- proud to call them my friends and my “spiritual daughters in the faith”. Nothing thrills my heart more than to see these beautiful young’uns finding their true identity in Christ, and reaching their destinies. I’m beaming as I write this, and I would put my “motherly pride” up against any bio-mom out there. These young women have blessed this spiritual-mama’s heart so!
I want to encourage each woman out there who may have taken the time to read this blog today to be the spiritual mom God has called you to be. There’s some young thing out there in desperate need of your wisdom, your life experience, and the God-experience in your life. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar or a seminary graduate. You just have to love Jesus enough to invest your life in His young’uns in the faith. That’s what disciple-making is all about. Loving on others… helping them grow up in their faith, and teaching them to do the same for others… who will help others.
I would love to help you find your place as a spiritual mama. Sign up for our upcoming free coaching call on June 4th at 12PM CST on our website at johnandpunkytolson.com and let’s talk about how to get started.
Today, I wish each of you a heartfelt and very happy Mother’s Day!
xo – Punky