As I start this text, let me be honest and upfront: I’m not a mother. Numerous other women are more qualified to talk in regards to the state of motherhood today. However, I actually have a mother, whom I like dearly, who’s presently in heaven with the Lord.
As a baby, I assumed my mother was perfect. I believed she had all of the answers and will solve any problem life threw at her. However, as I became a teen and saw my mother suffer from heart failure, I started to grasp that she is human – identical to me. She struggled with common human fears, sorrows, and questions.
Like other moms, she was not perfect. She had her flaws and failures but cared deeply for my family. Through her sacrificial act of providing for my family, I saw glimpses of Christ’s love.
When I approach the subject of recent idols threatening to destroy motherhood, I consider my mother’s example and what I actually have learned from Scripture. We must keep in mind that the mothers we hold in such high esteem are flesh and blood people like us. All moms are imperfect and wish God’s grace and strength as much as anyone else.
To topple the fashionable idols threatening motherhood, we must restore Jesus to His proper place. We must challenge the fashionable notion that following certain images, ideas, or trends is more essential than following Christ.
1. The “Perfect Mother” Idol
For many ladies, becoming a mother is their dream and perceived life purpose. They start reading parenting books from an early age and start forming a picture of an ideal mother. This image might seem like their mother or a famous Christian mother in history.
The web has helped spread this concept of an idealized mother image. Various Christian web sites stress the importance of Christian women marrying, having children, and raising godly offspring. Entire ministries exist to organize teenagers and young women for marriage and motherhood.
Although there’s nothing fallacious with a young woman wanting to be a mother and preparing for the duty of raising children, the obsession with this role in life can and sometimes does, turn into unhealthy. When we set motherhood on a lofty pedestal, the role (which is biblical and needed) quickly warps and becomes a golden calf. Instead of in search of to be a faithful follower of Christ, many Christian women give attention to becoming perfect wives and moms.
This give attention to being perfect harms believers who want to lift their children to like and follow Jesus. Perfection is an inconceivable goal, for less than God is ideal. Instead of specializing in being an excellent mother, a girl should give attention to Jesus (see Hebrews 12:2).
Mothers could have a more biblical impact on their children by being honest about their shortcomings and failures. Acknowledging once they make mistakes shows the necessity to depend on Christ, not themselves. By living authentically as an alternative of chasing perfection, they are going to higher model what it looks wish to live as a Christ follower, aware of the necessity for His love and charm.
2. The “Social Media” Idol
Another sneaky idol that’s slowly destroying motherhood today is social media. Numerous women seek to create a picture-worthy life full of reels of cheery highlights. Unlike the times before social media, when parents would snap photos of key events to fastidiously store in a certain album, a family’s life is frequently on display for the world to see. With this visibility comes pressure to perform and sustain appearances.
There can be the temptation to match and turn into jealous. Another woman’s family seems more manageable, or her kids behave higher. To attempt to measure as much as others, a mother might tirelessly portray a selected image to the world.
Her life, price, and focus turn into interwoven with a screen. A social media presence is her idol.
This idol is sneaky because most of us take part in social media. Posting pictures of family or children shouldn’t be fallacious. Still, social media can turn into an idol if a mother solely focuses on achieving a certain aesthetic or image. An effective option to check if social media is taking the middle throne in your life is to contemplate whether you need to post about your child/children or family for validation and to feel essential.
To remove this idol from its lofty position, you would wish to fast from all social media accounts. Spend more time in prayer or reading the Bible as an alternative of scrolling within the morning. Take the youngsters to a park or make a craft with them as an alternative of resisting the urge to pose for a social media post. Sometimes, you would possibly must remove yourself from any social apps permanently.
People on this technological age would profit from closing their laptops and turning off their phones. Mothers are not any different, especially if their social media presence is idolized. We all must examine ourselves and ensure we make Jesus the highest priority in life. Spending time with Him and others is way more essential and meaningful than the edited virtual lives people construct online.
3. The “Expectation of Others” Idol
A young mother could devotedly follow her preconceived ideas of what she thinks it means to be a “perfect” mom or obsess over the photographs she seeks to emulate online. However, there’s also one other idol that may keep her distracted from serving the Lord wholeheartedly in motherhood. This sneaky idol is the expectation of others.
During the early years of motherhood, it is barely natural for a lady to hunt advice from other mothers, including her mother and mother-in-law. These women can function an encouraging support system for the fledgling mom. Much of their advice will likely be joyfully received.
Sometimes, a family or friend group can hold a girl to unrealistic expectations. These expectations can then turn into an idol within the young mother’s life. She must do all the pieces her mother or friend did or feel inferior. For example, a girl might meticulously follow her parents’ expectations about education for her children or a friend’s methodology regarding discipline. Biblical teaching takes second place within the standards of others.
Although a mother should seek to honor her parents and consider the counsel of others, she should hearken to the Lord above anyone else. After all, He is the One to whom she’s going to give an account in the long run (Romans 14:12).
At the judgment seat, every believer can be held accountable to Christ for what they did, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). The query for a mother who’s allowing the expectations of others to turn into an idol in her life: Who are you in search of to please, others or the Lord? Since following Christ is important within the Christian life, a mother should seek to please Him, even when which means there’s a possibility of disappointing others.
As Paul reminded the believers in Colossae, “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you realize that you’ll receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you might be serving” (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV). To break the golden calf of expectations, that you must reorient your perspective.
Mothers should do their work to serve and please Jesus, not to fulfill the approval of others.
Why Does This Matter?
Mothers have significant jobs that involve loving and raising children, modeling what it looks wish to be a follower of Christ, and training kids in biblical truth. Because of the importance of their jobs, they have to be watchful for sneaky idols that may distract them from their purpose of serving the Lord. He must be the One they give attention to and follow, not perfection, a social media persona, or the expectations of others.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Drazen Zigic
Sophia Bricker is a contract author who enjoys researching and writing articles on biblical and theological topics. In addition to contributing articles about biblical questions as a contract author, she has also written for Unlocked devotional. She holds a BA in Ministry, a MA in Ministry, and is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing to develop her writing craft. As someone who’s enthusiastic about the Bible and faith in Jesus, her mission is to assist others find out about Christ and glorify Him in her writing. When she isn’t busy studying or writing, Sophia enjoys spending time with family, reading, drawing, and gardening.
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