This article originally appeared on the Risen Motherhood blog on August 26, 2019. Read the entire article at this link.
Children, Come and See:
Displaying Mom's Faith in Christ
as featured at Risen Motherhood
Two weeks after I lost my earthly father, I gained my heavenly One. The Lord called me into his refuge after I watched my dad wither away from cancer. As a 28-year-old, newly-converted from atheism, I didn’t have a clue about the Bible, the gospel, spiritual gifts, or anything of value pertaining to the Christian life.
Our 5-year-old daughter witnessed the injection of hope into my life after receiving Christ as my Lord and Savior. For forty days, I sparkled like a firework with the thrill of salvation. My grief had been consumed by my happiness in Christ, and I was enjoying the sweet fruits of communion with the most intriguing Person in the universe.
How the gospel intersected with the finer points of motherhood didn’t become clear until years later. I was so caught up in trying to flesh out the implications of new identity in Christ that I didn’t give much thought to how the process would affect our daughter. Seven years later, she still remembers those early days. She was there to watch my baptism testimony. I brought her along to discipleship groups and service opportunities. For me, Christ didn’t offer a long list of how-to’s and to-do’s pertaining to motherhood. Rather, he offered the satisfying love I desperately needed—a gift my daughter watched me unwrap day after day.
As new Christians navigating motherhood, it’s tempting to burden ourselves with over-complicated advice. But introducing new faith into our parenting can be a much more organic endeavor than we might think. By observing the conversion and relationships of the Apostle Paul, we find a wealth of parental wisdom for the matter.
Our 5-year-old daughter witnessed the injection of hope into my life after receiving Christ as my Lord and Savior. For forty days, I sparkled like a firework with the thrill of salvation. My grief had been consumed by my happiness in Christ, and I was enjoying the sweet fruits of communion with the most intriguing Person in the universe.
How the gospel intersected with the finer points of motherhood didn’t become clear until years later. I was so caught up in trying to flesh out the implications of new identity in Christ that I didn’t give much thought to how the process would affect our daughter. Seven years later, she still remembers those early days. She was there to watch my baptism testimony. I brought her along to discipleship groups and service opportunities. For me, Christ didn’t offer a long list of how-to’s and to-do’s pertaining to motherhood. Rather, he offered the satisfying love I desperately needed—a gift my daughter watched me unwrap day after day.
As new Christians navigating motherhood, it’s tempting to burden ourselves with over-complicated advice. But introducing new faith into our parenting can be a much more organic endeavor than we might think. By observing the conversion and relationships of the Apostle Paul, we find a wealth of parental wisdom for the matter.
Christian motherhood isn’t about personifying perfection. It's about learning to be an imitator of Christ who loved us and gave himself for us, and welcoming our children into the process. The new life we’ve received from Jesus becomes a new love we get to pour into our children. It blesses them, benefits us, and most importantly, brings glory to God.
Christine M. Chappell
Author/Writer/Speaker
Christine Chappell is the author of Clean Home, Messy Heart, the host of The Hope + Help Project podcast, and is a guest contributor at Desiring God. She writes frequently about suffering, struggling, and depression at her blog, has completed biblical counseling certificates with the Institute for Biblical Counseling & Discipleship, and is currently pursuing certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.
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