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	<title>motherhood Archives - Proverbs 31</title>
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	<description>A woman after God&#039;s own heart</description>
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		<title>Dear Baby Girl, I&#8217;m Sorry About the Hard Things</title>
		<link>https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2018/07/21/dear-baby-girl-im-sorry-hard-things/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Allison Van Der Walt]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Jul 2018 13:52:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gospel living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hope]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teaching]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proverbs31.co.za/?p=1326</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>I'm sorry, my sweet, innocent girl. I'm sorry that such a deep, dark, scary thing as death exists. I'm sorry that your eyes must open to it and your mind must expand with it and your heart must wrestle with it. You lost something tonight. A little piece of blissful unawareness exchanged for this frightening knowledge of ending.</p>
<p>And I hate it. Because I know that this is only the first. As your childhood merges into this thing called growing up, there are many more hard truths that you will have to uncover.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2018/07/21/dear-baby-girl-im-sorry-hard-things/">Dear Baby Girl, I&#8217;m Sorry About the Hard Things</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1><span style="font-size: 18px;">Dear Baby Girl,</span></h1>
<p>It&#8217;s 12:18am and you cry out in your sleep.<br />
I stand by your bedside, rubbing your arm. Whispering, &#8220;It&#8217;s ok,&#8221; as you roll around, unawake.</p>
<p>A nightmare is disturbing your calm, child-like slumber. Something in your dreams is unsettling you, scaring you. I watch you wrestle with a hard thing somewhere beneath your consciousness, in a place I can&#8217;t reach.</p>
<p>And I think I know what it is.</p>
<p>Death.</p>
<p>Your new awakening to death is ravaging your rest.</p>
<p>Hours earlier, we all sat around the dinner table, and among the banter and spills and &#8220;just three more bites,&#8221; you asked The Question. The one that must be asked. The one that must be answered.</p>
<p>The one I dreaded.</p>
<p><em>&#8220;Mommy, Daddy, what does &#8216;died&#8217; mean?&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Gulp.</p>
<p>How does one put death into words? How do I explain to a four-year-old that someone can be here and then suddenly they are somewhere else? How can that be?</p>
<p>&#8220;Honey, when people die, their body stops working. They stop breathing and their heart stop beating. It&#8217;s like they are sleeping, but they never wake up again. They stop being alive.&#8221;</p>
<p>I see the struggle to comprehend, the flash of fear in those probing eyes of yours.</p>
<p>And I realise how many times I said <em><strong>stop</strong></em>. Your whole world until now has known <em><strong>start</strong></em>: <em>start</em> life, <em>start</em>walking, <em>start</em> talking, <em>start</em> doing chores. You ask when you can <em>start</em> school, <em>start</em> sitting in the front, <em>start</em>ballet.</p>
<p>But to stop?</p>
<p>How foreign it is to you. How foreign it is to me still.</p>
<p>We try to explain how a person&#8217;s soul leaves his body and goes to live in Heaven or Hell. That our only hope to survive death is to enter God&#8217;s family.</p>
<p><em>&#8220;But Mommy, how long does it take?&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Another question. Oh sweet girl, <em>what</em> a question. How long does it take? The transition from life to death? From earth to eternity?</p>
<p>And so we struggle to answer as best we can.</p>
<p>Because being sure of something doesn&#8217;t make us comfortable with it.</p>
<p>And the truth that has sunk to the pit of my stomach is that I can&#8217;t shrink the vast mystery of death into something that will fit into your child-sized world.</p>
<p>And so your world must grow to make room for it instead. And I watch those growing pains as you dream restlessly.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m sorry, my sweet, innocent girl. I&#8217;m sorry that such a deep, dark, scary thing as death exists. I&#8217;m sorry that your eyes must open to it and your mind must expand with it and your heart must wrestle with it.</p>
<p>You lost something tonight.</p>
<p>A little piece of blissful unawareness exchanged for this frightening knowledge of ending.</p>
<p>And I hate it. Because I know that this is only the first. As your childhood merges into this thing called <em>growing up</em>, there are many more hard truths that you will have to uncover.</p>
<p>That people hate and are scared of other people just because they look different.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.abort73.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">That so many tiny babies die because their mommies went to a doctor and asked for it.</a></p>
<p>That mommy&#8217;s <em>just like me</em> must watch helplessly as their precious little ones <em>just like you</em> waste away because they are hungry and thirsty and sick.</p>
<p>That some mommies and daddies break up and live in separate houses.</p>
<p>That lots of little boys and little girls go to bed each night <em>wishing, praying, hoping</em> for a mommy and daddy, because they are all alone in the world.</p>
<p>That grown ups do really, really, <em>really</em> bad things to one another because of greed and hate and lust and the love of power.</p>
<p>If these unspeakable realities lie heavy in my grown-up heart, how can your little heart possibly bear their weight?</p>
<p>And yet bear their weight it must. And that&#8217;s what I am here for. I will teach you&#8230;</p>
<p>To carry the heavy things carefully without being crushed.</p>
<p>To guard the sacred things closely without being broken.</p>
<p>To handle the hard things directly without becoming callous.</p>
<p>To question life&#8217;s injustices fiercely without doubting God&#8217;s goodness.</p>
<p>To deal with the unfathomable things thoughtfully so that you are spurred to God-motivated, Christ-centred, Holy Spirit-empowered actions.</p>
<p>Sweet little one, this is where your childhood begins its end.</p>
<p>And Baby Girl, mama&#8217;s here, ok?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2018/07/21/dear-baby-girl-im-sorry-hard-things/">Dear Baby Girl, I&#8217;m Sorry About the Hard Things</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
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		<title>Celebrating Motherhood</title>
		<link>https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2018/05/13/celebrating-motherhood/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rachel]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 May 2018 21:37:43 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[girl mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[momlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mommy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mothers day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SAHM]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proverbs31.co.za/?p=1346</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Let’s do away with the check lists and ideas of a “super mom” and turn to Christ who enables us to do these things, because on our own it’s impossible. Raising children for God’s glory means cleaving to Christ and looking to Him in order to do it.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2018/05/13/celebrating-motherhood/">Celebrating Motherhood</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I’m sure you have seen (or even created) the Mother’s Day card that begins with M is for…. and continues all the way down the word MOTHER, spelling out the word with each letter standing for some attribute of what a mother is supposed to be : <strong>M</strong>y one and only, <strong>O</strong>ne of a kind, <strong>T</strong>eacher, <strong>H</strong>elper, <strong>E</strong>ver present, <strong>R</strong>eal MVP….etc. We all have an image of what the perfect mother is like, and for some, our mothers are the epitome of what a mother should be. In Malawi, motherhood is revered more than where I come from, or so it seems, as I have never lived in a  country that celebrates Mother’s Day as a public holiday! And Malawi doesn’t even have a Father’s day. Clearly, motherhood is something important and honourable in Malawian society.</p>
<p>Growing up, I thought about one day having a family and being a mother. I wanted to be the cool mother who did all these wonderful things with her kids. In my mind, I thought I would be the best friend to my kids, and looking back, it was more about being loved than loving. I wanted to have kids who thought the world of me, and I was determined to be ‘super mom’.  The Mary Poppins, Maria von Trapp kind of mother (thank you Julie Andrews). Yes, that’s my era. Movies and books presented more of a wholesome household compared to today’s sitcoms and movies that portray a less homogeneous household and mixed up gender roles. But that’s a whole other topic on it’s own. The image of motherhood was somewhat glorious to me. I also admired my mother so much and couldn’t wait to be a mother one day, God willing.</p>
<p>When the Lord brought me to Himself, and started to show me through His word, who I was, I began to think “ how can I even be a mother? me?”  It was still exciting to think of, and I wanted to have as many children as the Lord would will. But as I grew in my knowledge of God and His will , He began to show me, through His word, what the role of woman , wife and mother is all about, and I knew that without Him, I couldn’t take on such a huge responsibility. He has the blueprint of life, womanhood and motherhood through His word.</p>
<p>Fast forward to marriage and 2 kids later. Diapers, sleepless nights, potty training, stubborn frowns, disobedience and the word “no”. When you realise that motherhood is the toughest job on the planet, because you are raising little ones for God’s glory and you feel like you are not the right person for the job. You realise that there is no such thing as a “super mom”, but only a super God “who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20-21).</p>
<p>The reality is, I don’t measure up. That “super mom” is what I attain to be, but really, I cannot. That check list that we create for ourselves, or even the checklist that we have made out of Proverbs 31:10-31, just shows me how sinful and imperfect we are. God has given me two precious little girls to raise, for His glory and I only have a short time to do it. They will grow up and take all that I have taught them, out of the home with them. Will they called me blessed ( Proverbs 31:28)? They watch what I do, they soak it all in. They learn from me whether I like it or not. How am I displaying the fruits of the Spirit to them?  Am I loving and submitting to their father as unto the Lord? Am I modeling for them, what biblical womanhood is? Even if the Lord wills to bless us with boys one day, am I showing them what a godly woman looks like? These are questions that us mothers should all ask ourselves. If we aren’t in Christ, who are we raising our kids for?</p>
<p>What a joy and a privilege it is, to raise children, biological or not. From the moment each of my children were born, I loved them. Just when you think you can’t possibly have more love left, you have the same immeasurable amount for one, as for the other. And this is not even including the love you already have for your husband. It’s amazing that God gives us His unconditional love and we don’t understand how boundless it is until you experience the boundless love He has given you for your husband and children. And even that, doesn’t come close to the love God has for me. And if He loves me so much and has given me such a responsibility, surely He is with me and will guide me through the ups and downs of motherhood if my life is truly submitted to Him. He “will meet all my needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Phillipians 4:19)</p>
<p>I still admire my mom, and I know many women admire their mothers. We respect mothers in this society, but they are not perfect. I still think that the image of a wholesome, nurturing mother is one to be admired, but looking at that image without Christ and a biblical worldview, that woman is only an idol. Only Christ can make me the woman and mother He wants me to be. I need not look to the world to tell me what a mother should look like, because she may behave like the perfect mother, but without Christ it’s impossible and the facade is meaningless.</p>
<p>Let’s do away with the check lists and ideas of a “super mom” and turn to Christ who enables us to do these things, because on our own it’s impossible. Raising children for God’s glory means cleaving to Christ and looking to Him in order to do it. Raise them in the fear and admonition of Him who you serve, not your own “super mom” idol. The Lord calls us to Himself, to submit to Him, to teach our kids His ways ( Deuteronomy 6: 6-9) that they may not depart from it ( Proverbs 22:6). And they will honour you (Ephesians 6:2, Proverbs 31: 28), and it will go well with them as they live a long life ( Ephesians 6:3), serving the Lord, which is what the Lord commands us to train them for. He knows the joy of raising children for Him, and done His way, it always works. We cannot be godly mothers if we aren’t godly women, looking to Christ first.</p>
<p>This article was first published <a href="http://www.iamnotagoddess.com/celebrating-womanhood-motherhood/">here</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2018/05/13/celebrating-motherhood/">Celebrating Motherhood</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
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		<title>Praying As We Parent</title>
		<link>https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/12/01/praying-as-we-parent/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lebo M]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Dec 2017 07:22:02 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mommahood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proverbs31.co.za/?p=1236</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>My baby is 2 years old and she has been a wonderful addition to our family. Like any first time parents we are enamoured by her. We could probably map out every day of her short life in photos that we have taken almost daily since she was born. We marvel at the glory of God in creation as we watch her grow and develop. </p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/12/01/praying-as-we-parent/">Praying As We Parent</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My baby is 2 years old and she has been a wonderful addition to our family. Like any first time parents we are enamoured by her. We could probably map out every day of her short life in photos that we have taken almost daily since she was born. We marvel at the glory of God in creation as we watch her grow and develop.</p>
<p>Yet our awe and wonder has been mingled with fear and anxiety. As she grows I increasingly become aware of the incredible responsibility God has given my husband and I as stewards over this little life. This responsibility was less obvious when she was a helpless babe and all I had to do was feed, bath and change her. Now that she can speak, negotiate, throw tantrums and express her feelings, my role in her life is evolving from primarily being a caregiver to a more formative influence.</p>
<p>I realise that what I am doing now and for the next 16 years or so will largely determine her experiences and worldview. The kind of wife and mother she will become one day; I would have modelled that for her. The kind of citizen, student, employee she becomes; her convictions or lack thereof; her fears and failures; I would have played a big role in shaping that. And that’s a scary thought.</p>
<p>I was saved in my mid 20s and often when I look back on my life I wish the Lord would have saved me at a younger age so that I could have avoided the many pitfalls of a life lived without Christ. I know that Christ has saved me completely and washed all my sins away but I also know that one of the consequences of sin is that we get to live with the memories and sometimes the consequences of our misdeeds. This is probably my greatest fear for my daughter; that the allure of the world would draw her heart away from Christ.</p>
<p>But our fears and anxieties are only debilitating when we do not subject them to the scrutiny of scripture. God promises us a peace that surpasses all understanding when we surrender our anxieties to him through prayer. (Philippians 4:6). I am learning to pray and lean on Jesus to overcome my fears. I pray grand prayers and I prayer small prayers. When I pray grand prayers, I ask the Lord to save my baby at a young age and spare her the regret of living a wasted life, that she may own Christ as her King long before the world claims her heart. I pray that He may rescue her from the mistakes that I am going to make and let not my fears and inhibitions limit her possibilities.</p>
<p>But I confess that the little prayers are the ones I find myself praying more often. In his book on marriage, “What did you Expect? Redeeming the realities of marriage”, Paul Tripp says that marriage is made up of many little moments. He adds further that “the character of a life is not set in two or three dramatic moments, but in 10,000 little moments.” I think of parenting in the same way. It’s the daily, ordinary moments where character is formed and relationship built. It’s choosing to be patient when she poops in her panties for the umpteenth time. To not snap when she says an emphatic “No!” and walks away while I’m speaking to her. Or simply persevering in teaching her ABCs when it looks like she isn’t listening. I pray for daily (sometimes minute by minute) patience, kindness and humility.</p>
<p>My hope is that over her lifetime these ordinary moments that we share will be woven into a beautiful tapestry of grace and Christlikeness. I know I will fumble and fail along the way but by God’s help I pray that the evidence will point overwhelmingly towards a life lived in dependence on Christ.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/12/01/praying-as-we-parent/">Praying As We Parent</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
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		<title>Gospel Powered Parenting</title>
		<link>https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/11/27/gospel-powered-parenting/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Proverbs 31]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Nov 2017 10:30:20 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family & Parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[children]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[evangelism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gospel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proverbs31.co.za/?p=1219</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>May we be encouraged by the sufficiency of Scripture and it's relevancy in every situation of our daily lives however mundane the situation might seem. There is peace and comfort in the daunting task of sharing the gospel with our children as we find our rest and assurance in our great God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/11/27/gospel-powered-parenting/">Gospel Powered Parenting</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Deuteronomy 6:4-9: &#8220;<em>Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.</em>&#8221;</p>
<p>1) Personal Gospel living</p>
<p>The principle of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 shows that the prerequisite to teaching our children about God, and by implication then sharing the gospel with them, is to live the gospel ourselves. Sharing the gospel with our children must be preceded by a love for the Lord our God. This is the first step. If we do not truly worship God as the only God and love Him more than anything else with all that we have, our children will simply see us as hypocrites and this will cast doubt in their mind over the Gospel. They need to see us, their parents worship God daily, not only in our quiet times or family worship, but daily in every task that we undertake, our love for the one true God should be evident. It is true that with children many things are caught rather than taught.</p>
<p>Children learn well by observation. Therefore our example of Gospel living or our devoted love for God is a nonnegotiable in imparting the truth of the Gospel to our children. We are aware that our example cannot be perfect, even though we are saved, we still sin. But this also provides the perfect opportunity for the Gospel as we point them to the only perfect example, Jesus in whom we have forgiveness when we fail. As parents we need to ask forgiveness from our children when we have wronged them, when we lack compassion or when we exasperate them. They should see that we have a very deep and real need for forgiveness from our heavenly Father.</p>
<p>2) Personal teaching of the Gospel</p>
<p>In our endeavour to share the gospel with our children, it is of utmost importance that the gospel is evident in every aspect of our daily lives, because it is so relevant for every circumstance that we find ourselves in. There are countless opportunities every day to share the gospel: when we discipline our children, when we share a meal, when we experience nature and when we take them to church. As parents we need to be on the lookout for every opportunity to teach the gospel to our children. Nowhere in Scripture is it mentioned that we must start engaging in this process from a particular age, nor is it mentioned that we must ever stop engaging in this process at any given time.</p>
<p>The Lord&#8217;s commandments are to be the continual subject of daily conversation, it doesn&#8217;t require a special occasion, but should be linked to every aspect of daily life. As a parent of young ones, I am constantly aware of their depraved nature (and mine) and therefore I cannot reason any other way that they have a need for the gospel from the very first breath that they take. From that very moment they are little sinners that are in need of a Saviour. They need to hear the gospel proclaimed to them throughout each day, for without hearing how will they believe? (Rom 10:17)</p>
<p>I was blessed as my boys and I read through parts of Daniel, Ester, Jonah and Ezra as was discussed during Sunday School lessons. I was able to show them that these were not mere stories, but that Scripture has a golden thread throughout and that the memory verses that we have been learning could be seen as tangible evidence in some of these characters&#8217; lives.</p>
<p>For example, we were able to see that Daniel was a living example of Proverbs 1:7a and therefore he did not fear or refrained from praying to God when orders were given to do so, he also had wisdom as given by God to interpret various dreams. Another fitting and challenging verse (to both children and parents) that we recently encountered in our home is Galatians 5:22 &#8220;The fruit of the Spirit&#8221;. Again it fitted a Sunday School preparation. In Esther 6, we were able to see that Mordecai did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as he demonstrated love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We do not teach the Word of the Lord to our children so that they can become Pharisees who are able to recite Scripture and catechisms in vain conceit, yet inwardly remain unchanged.</p>
<p>We do not teach Scripture to our children so that they can become outwardly obedient and pleasant children. We also do not teach the Word of the Lord to our children in order to save them ourselves. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 says &#8220;<em>I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.</em>&#8221; God is the one who saves, not by our works of wonderful parenting, but by grace through faith, salvation is a gift from the Lord. Yet, we do acknowledge the stewardship we have from God in this regard. If the law appeals to our conscience and makes us aware of our sin (Romans 7) then knowing the Word of God would become a compass for the conscience of our children that should drive them from the folly that is bound up in their hearts, safely into the arms of Christ.</p>
<p>3) Corporate worship</p>
<p>Our children need to see that we have a desire to worship God along with other believers and for this reason they should from a young age learn to be part of a corporate worship service so that they can see how to praise God appropriately in a corporate setting through singing, prayer and preaching. This gives them the opportunity to see God worshipped by other Gospel transformed believers. We should not underestimate the impact a Gospel believing, Gospel preaching church has on our children. Therefore, we ought to make the most of corporate worship gatherings.</p>
<p>Robbie Castleman describes in her book &#8220;Parenting in the pew&#8221;, that our goal in church is not to teach our children merely to behave and sit quietly so that they are not a hindrance to other worshippers. She explains that many adults still do just that, sit quietly in a service while they are unmoved by the Word of God. Worshipping God in spirit and in truth does not come easily or naturally, it is hard work. We want to teach our children to be attentive during worship as we come into the presence of the Holy God. It’s a matter of training the heart to hear and respond to the Gospel, not just the outward result of sitting still without disturbing anyone. In this corporate setting children see much of the Gospel lived out. Every aspect of the worship service is a proclamation of and response to the Gospel. At church children are confronted with the Gospel through the Gospel prayers, the Gospel singing, the Gospel read out loud form the Scriptures, the Gospel expounded upon through the preaching, the Gospel administered through the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. As our children watch us worship God corporately at church they should see that we come before the Lord with alert minds and our hearts that are open to worship the King who save us from our sin.</p>
<p>Conclusion&#8230;</p>
<p>I am convinced that Deuteronomy 6:7 uses the word diligently to encourage us as parents because this is no easy task. Yet two things drive us to this tenacious devotion to gospel ministry to our children: a passion for God’s glory, and a compassion for our children.</p>
<p>a) A passion for God&#8217;s Glory Our task of living and sharing the gospel with our children primarily is a matter of obedience, obedience because we are commanded to do this just like Israel was commanded in Deuteronomy 6. And our obedience glorifies God.</p>
<p>Furthermore, until our children submit to the One True and Living God by turning away from their sin to trust in the cross of Christ, they are not glorifying God. We should be grieved by their sin because they are committing it against the Holy God and not because it is making our lives difficult.</p>
<p>b) A compassion for our children The task demands patience and endurance as well as compassion that flow from a heart that has been forgiven by our Master and Maker. Jesus had compassion on His children and therefore endured pain, suffering and separation from God on the cross. Because Jesus had compassion on us, we ought to have compassion on our children also. Grace has been demonstrated to us, we too should be gracious onto our children, and teach them the Word of the Lord so that they will glorify God through their lives.</p>
<p>In my own life I have seen that parenting is still a joy even when it is hard to discipline and disciple our children, but it’s only when I look to my Saviour for grace and to give me the compassion that I need for my little ones.</p>
<p>May we be encouraged by the sufficiency of Scripture and it&#8217;s relevancy in every situation of our daily lives however mundane the situation might seem. There is peace and comfort in the daunting task of sharing the gospel with our children as we find our rest and assurance in our great God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/11/27/gospel-powered-parenting/">Gospel Powered Parenting</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
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		<title>Dear X</title>
		<link>https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/11/09/dear-x/</link>
					<comments>https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/11/09/dear-x/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Allison Van Der Walt]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Nov 2017 20:19:06 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[adoption]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proverbs31.co.za/?p=1224</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>That monumental exchange when your son became my son was more than two years ago. I have not written once. In all honesty, I don’t give you much thought at all. I promised myself that I would. In fact, before yours became mine, in a sentimental-yet-sincere letter to you, I promised that I would remember you, that I would hold you high in my (our?) son’s life. I know that you never read the letter, but still. I promised you. I promised me.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/11/09/dear-x/">Dear X</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I should have written long ago.</p>
<p>I’m sorry.</p>
<p>That monumental exchange when <em>your son</em> became <em>my son</em> was more than two years ago. I have not written once. In all honesty, I don’t give you much thought at all. I promised myself that I would. In fact, <em>before yours became mine</em>, in a sentimental-yet-sincere letter to you, I promised that I would remember you, that I would hold you high in my (our?) son’s life. I know that you never read the letter, but still. I promised <em>you</em>. I promised <em>me</em>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>How is it fair or just or decent that I rarely give you a thought? The woman who conceived and carried and birthed my child; the woman somewhere out there in the vast unknown who surely wonders about me more than I wonder about her.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I have broken my word. And I guess this letter is a confession of sorts. A confession of wrong-doing, with no clear idea of what right-doing looks like.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Because I don’t know how to do this. Any of it.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>How do I nurture this unnatural relationship I find myself in with a woman who is both an utter stranger and yet whose life and choices are linked to mine in a way that can never be unclasped?</p>
<p>How do I hold you up in my son’s remembrance when I have nothing to raise?</p>
<p>In that pre-adoption letter that you have never received, I thanked you for your gift to my family. I commended your courage. Were those words a platitude? Would you, <em>the woman who gave up so much</em>, take comfort in those words written by me, <em>the woman who understood the magnitude of the giving so little?</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Birth mothers are brave. </em>That’s what we all say. It gives us mothers-by-adoption consolation, I think. It gives us a detour from the uncomfortable sense of unfairness<em> that I have him</em>. That he is mine.</p>
<p><em>Birth mothers are brave</em>, I tell myself so that I can escape the suspicion that you carry an unimaginable load of grief. The uncomfortable sense that<strong><em> I</em></strong><em> </em>perhaps somehow inflicted your grief <em>by <strong>taking</strong> him when you <strong>gave</strong> him</em>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>But are you brave? I wonder. Without a doubt, that moment, <em>that huge moment</em> when everything changed for you, for him, for me…<em>that was brave</em>. But every moment since? When changing your mind was not possible? When the course of The Choice was set and there could be no reverse, no U-turn…were you brave then? <em>Has your bravery endured?</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I don’t know how you get through the days, or, God help you, the nights. Maybe you don’t. Maybe your life is hell as you grieve the loss of your child. Do you mourn? Do you regret? Do you keen silently where no one sees as you go on with your days, forever marked by That Day?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Forgive me for not grieving over your grief. For not wearing my knees raw in prayer for the woman who <em>knew my son before I even knew <strong>of</strong> him.</em> For not carrying you in my heart, as you carried him in your womb.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>We are inextricably linked, you and I. By a tender little daydreamer. To know him is to love him. You knew him first, so I can only conclude that you must love him too.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>There are many things I know about him that you have no idea of. His sleepy wake-up face. The sweet way he says “Sissie.” How he tells me every day “Me miss Daddy” while Daddy is at work. His hilarious stride as he runs. The way that it took him 7 months to master riding his training bike.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>But, you see, there are things that you know about him that I don’t. The feel of his movements in your womb. The time of his birth. What he looked like as he slipped out from you into the world. His biological father’s name.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>[eltdf_blockquote text=&#8221;And I’m realising that without your son there can be no my son. As he grows, he will want to know more of you. And I wish I could give him more. Because you and I…together we complete him.&#8221; title_tag=&#8221;h2&#8243; width=&#8221;&#8221;]</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>He is doing well, our son. Just fine. He loves and he is loved. He is bookended by a big sister and a baby brother. His precious life is surrounded by so many people who adore him. He is precocious and funny and sweet and tender. And he is fine.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>With each new revelation of his budding sweet personality that surely could not have come from me, I wonder about you. I think of you. And maybe that can be my gift to you; my hopelessly inadequate show of gratitude to the woman who gave him to me.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/11/09/dear-x/">Dear X</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
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		<title>Foster Mama, I See You</title>
		<link>https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/10/17/foster-mama-see/</link>
					<comments>https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/10/17/foster-mama-see/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Allison Van Der Walt]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:07:26 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[adoption]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fostering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[radical]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proverbs31.co.za/?p=1195</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>In honour of the brave, maternal, life-giving souls everywhere. But especially in honour of my mom and sisters who say goodbye to their precious baby</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/10/17/foster-mama-see/">Foster Mama, I See You</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In honour of the brave, maternal, life-giving souls everywhere. But especially in honour of my mom and sisters who say goodbye to their precious baby boy today.<br />
_________________________________________________________</p>
<p>Foster Mama, I See You</p>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<p>Yes, you.</p>
<p>You, with the sweet baby boy who is yours for now but will never be yours for good.</p>
<p>You, with the heart oozing out fierce love and protective instincts for this precious little human.</p>
<p>You, with your camera roll full of evidence of just how cute and smart and funny He is.</p>
<p>You, with the pride showing on your face because He is definitely the smartest baby in the whole world.</p>
<p>You, with the tired eyes and sleep-deprived brain and weary body because caring for a baby on the verge of toddler-hood is hard.</p>
<p>You, with the mind full of questions and decisions and doubts because, like all mamas, you feel like you don&#8217;t know what you&#8217;re doing.</p>
<p>You, with the heart moving to the rhythm of loving Him with abandon but with the next beat remembering that He will leave you.</p>
<p>You, with the frustratingly undignified, unrecognised, undefined title of foster mother, when you instinctively feel all the emotions and fulfil all the roles of mother. Period.</p>
<p>You, the bravest, most selfless woman I know.</p>
<p>Because this little boy&#8217;s mama-shaped space? It would have been empty.</p>
<p>He would have spent all this time with an empty mama-space. But you filled it. And for that you will pay a heavy cost. You exchanged his emptiness for yours.</p>
<p>Because now&#8230;now that He transitions from your arms to Hers, that little boy-shaped space in your heart will be emptied.</p>
<p>And you knew this would happen. You stepped onto this heroic, scary, unknown journey already facing the inevitable. That you would lose Him. And that it would hurt.</p>
<p>And you did it anyway.</p>
<p>And isn&#8217;t that what any good mama does? Takes the pain, shoulders the brunt, carries the burden, empties herself and fills the spaces for her little people?</p>
<p>And isn&#8217;t that what you&#8217;ve done?</p>
<p>You, my dear, are a mama in the purest sense of the word. You have taken this beautiful, fierce, powerful maternal force and lavished it on a child, embracing Him as your own.</p>
<p>You are a woman in the truest sense of the word. You have bridged the gap, linking arms with two other sisters, birth mama and forever mama, proclaiming, &#8220;I will uphold you both. I will do what you cannot yet do.&#8221;</p>
<p>Your motherhood, beautiful, soul, is the kind of motherhood that changes the world.</p>
<p>________________________________________________________</p>
</div>
<p>My parents and sisters&#8217; home has been a place of safety for the past 5 years, and they have loved on and launched twelve the children into the arms of their forever families. This piece was written late one night, as I grieved with them over the difficult goodbyes they were saying to &#8220;their&#8221; little boy, whom they had loved for over a year.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/10/17/foster-mama-see/">Foster Mama, I See You</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
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		<title>Healing&#8230;Adoption&#8230;Completion</title>
		<link>https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/10/01/healing-adoption-completion/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Proverbs 31]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Oct 2017 18:25:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[adoption]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forever family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gospel power]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[orphans]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proverbs31.co.za/?p=1180</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>My journey into motherhood, like so many of my journeys, started with Jesus.<br />
Jesus gently leading me to acknowledge the loss of never going to be able to<br />
have biological children. Jesus leading me to mourn, to cry, to surrender and to<br />
allow Him to heal me. This was hard, but when it was done I was free, free to<br />
move on, free to adopt.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/10/01/healing-adoption-completion/">Healing&#8230;Adoption&#8230;Completion</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>“God places the lonely in families..” Psalm 68:5-6</p>
<p>My journey into motherhood, like so<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-1197 alignleft" src="http://www.proverbs31.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/IMG_0767-300x204.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="204" srcset="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/IMG_0767-300x204.jpg 300w, https://www.proverbs31.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/IMG_0767.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> many of my journeys, started with Jesus. Jesus gently leading me to acknowledge the loss of never going to be able to have biological children. Jesus leading me to mourn, to cry, to surrender and to allow Him to heal me. This was hard, but when it was done I was free, free to move on, free to adopt.</p>
<p>Sadly the process of adopting a child in South Africa is marred with tons of red tape, over-worked social workers, a fair amount of prejudice and even what<br />
one would call bureaucratic sabotage. Potential adoptive parents are often left feeling discouraged, powerless and unsupported, especially when trying to finalize the legal aspects of adopting a child.<br />
When we adopted our daughter, who is turning 11 this month, the process was long, laborious and invasive, but I still consider us as one of the lucky ones, in that our adoption didn&#8217;t drag on for years and was not hindered by bureaucracy<br />
and grave incompetence. It was however filled with many hours of probing questions, a long list of paper work we had to get done and an extensive waiting period.</p>
<p>We worked with a well known Johannesburg Adoption Agency and after 7 long<br />
months our application was finally submitted and the waiting period started. I<br />
found this period especially tough! We had no feedback from the agency and I<br />
often felt very alone during this time. It takes a fair amount of faith to wait for an<br />
unknown baby. To choose a name for this unknown baby. Prepare a room for<br />
her. To pray for her. An unknown baby from a stranger who we would never<br />
know, but to whom we would be forever connected. There are so many<br />
unknowns when adopting, so many “ifs”, so many questions, doubts and fears.<br />
An overwhelming degree of the adoption process is out of your control, you<br />
really just have to let go and trust God.</p>
<p>The adoption process is emotionally draining. I will never forget the day that our session with our social worker consisted of the following questions: ‘Would you be open to adopting a child with physical disabilities? Would you consider<br />
a baby who&#8217;s birth mom was raped? The baby of a drug addict? How about adopting a baby who has a history of mental illness in her family?” One answers these questions prayerfully and with a great deal of sadness and a weighty sense of responsibility.</p>
<p>One Friday morning we got, what is known in adoption circles as “The Call”! We had been matched with a baby. The wait was finally over. Now I finally knew that our little girl was nearly 7 months old and we could finalize the shopping list<br />
and announce the long expected and wonderful news! It is a mad rush to get everything ready, a wonderfully sweet rush! The following week, we flew to Durban to meet our precious little one. As she was placed in my arms the long wait became a distant memory. It was done. Our daughter. At last! The next morning we made a quick court visit and then we brought our prefect little girl home&#8230;.forever. The wonder of adoption is truly that this little person I have never met before is instantly connected to me. A connection planned and executed by my Heavenly Father. It is really difficult to put into words, but it is as if your heart just opens and receives this precious gift, no questions asked. I accepted and embraced her as my daughter 100%.<br />
Having said that, bonding with your adopted baby does take time. When your baby comes home all is new and the journey from &#8216;strangers&#8217; to mom-and-baby that unfolds is beautiful and in many ways sacred to me. All relationships take work and attachments take time to form. When we adopted our third baby, my then 5 year old son asked me: ”Mommy how will the baby know you are his mommy?”. I loved the honesty of his question. I told him the the baby would learn to know that I am his mommy as I care for and loved him[eltdf_blockquote text=&#8221;The gift of Adoption has taught me that when My Father says we are His children, it means that we are instantly and completely and forever accepted as His. It has taught me to trust God deeply and fully. &#8221; title_tag=&#8221;h2&#8243; width=&#8221;&#8221;]. I have learned that when I surrender and allow Jesus in, He becomes intimately involved in the details of my life. I have learnt to ‘go with God’ no matter what, no matter where He leads me. And, whether it makes sense to me or not, I have learnt to trust that He knows best, even and especially when it hurts.</p>
<p>I am now, mother to my four beautiful children and I still stand amazed at how God has worked out the details. How He took 4 motherless children and a childless couple and put us together &#8230;.in a family, perfectly matched in Him, forever.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2017/10/01/healing-adoption-completion/">Healing&#8230;Adoption&#8230;Completion</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
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		<title>A letter to the mother of my child</title>
		<link>https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2016/05/08/a-letter-to-the-mother-of-my-child/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nontsikelelo Pule]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 May 2016 12:44:56 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adoption]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mommy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[raising boys]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proverbs31.co.za/?p=917</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Dear biological mom As Mothers’ day celebrations subside, I just want to tell you that I’ve been thinking of you lately. I’m a mom today</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2016/05/08/a-letter-to-the-mother-of-my-child/">A letter to the mother of my child</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dear biological mom</strong></p>
<p>As Mothers’ day celebrations subside, I just want to tell you that I’ve been thinking of you lately. I’m a mom today because you gave birth to my son. You gave me such a wonderful and precious gift. This letter is to merely thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have never met you nor do I have your address but I know you are somewhere out there.</p>
<p>Mothers’ day and my sons’ birthday are calendar events that bring so much joy to me and I think any other mother out there. I know these calendar events also tug something in your heart as you carried this boy in your womb. I’m sure you’d like someone to wish you happy mothers’ day, perhaps they have and you’ve struggled with the concept as you left your baby in the hospital and someone else is raising him?</p>
<p>Perhaps you have tried to keep a straight face when you see a mothers’ day advert on TV or in magazines, when you hear on radio how thankful people are to their mothers for raising them in difficult circumstances. Perhaps you’ve tried to run away from such celebrations. Perhaps you’ve tried to stay strong and forget about the whole thing?</p>
<p>Well, YOU are a mother even though you are not raising your baby. I don’t blame you at all for leaving him at the hospital. You chose the best option for him, instead of aborting him or leaving in near a bin or in some open field him you gave him up for adoption. Some women do not have such guts and for that, I take my hat off to you, salute! [eltdf_blockquote text=&#8221;I want to wish you a happy mother’s day! You’ll forever be my son’s mother and forever in my thoughts. Please know that I will tell of your courage to my son for years to come and perhaps until the day I die!&#8221; title_tag=&#8221;h2&#8243; width=&#8221;&#8221;]</p>
<p>Don’t let this mothers’ day (and the ones to come) bring misery and pain but smile and be filled with much hope. He’s growing up with so many people loving and supporting him; especially his dad, my husband loves him like his own. It’s been an emotional journey and a half for me;  love doesn’t begin to describe what I have for him and I’m so blessed to be his mother!</p>
<p>Happy mothers’ day once again.</p>
<p>Love</p>
<p>Your sons&#8217; mother.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za/2016/05/08/a-letter-to-the-mother-of-my-child/">A letter to the mother of my child</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.proverbs31.co.za">Proverbs 31</a>.</p>
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