Mom Challenges: Lemuel's Mother

May 13, 2023

Happy Mother’s Day! First things first. You are doing a great job. The evidence speaks for itself.

• Mothering children through a pandemic, economic challenges, and divisive issues both secular and religious.

• Enduring and balancing a new normal.

I know. You also question whether the children’s biblical foundation adequately and actively combat the hard circumstances of post-pandemic life, which makes accepting the “good job” compliment difficult. Same here.

Proverbs 31:1-9 introduces us to a mother who might understand our pains having raised a king in a time filled with its own unique challenges. Be encouraged by a few things from her mothering.

Lemuel’s Mother… (Proverbs 31:1-9)

• Encouraged Discipline: Read verse one. The Hebrew word for taught used here means disciplined or chastened. Discipline is love. Do not neglect it.

• Encouraged Godliness: Read verse one again. An inspired utterance can be translated as prophecy. Teach children from God’s Word, not solely from opinion or feeling.

• Encouraged Courage: Read verses three through four. Overindulgences were a cultural norm for kings. Lemuel’s mother did not adhere to that because she knew it brought destruction. The current selfie-centered culture trends toward kids as “kings,” encouraging a sense of entitlement possibly leading to relational, chemical, and/or alcoholic indulgences. Be counter-cultural.

• Encouraged Selflessness: Read verses five through six. Though Lemuel was a king, his mom taught him the value of meeting the needs of others over his own. Encourage selflessness.

The encouragement for us is that Lemuel’s mother mothered consistently. The result? A king who led with his mother’s lessons. That should motivate us to remain steadfast, especially during times of crisis. Our children may or may not appreciate the Christian values we impart daily. Sometimes, they outright reject our rules which feels like a rejection of us personally, and that is harder than wading through the torturous tentacles of this season. Stay the course. Keep delivering godly instruction. It will pay off both today and tomorrow.

I’ve heard a lot of people say that we are raising future leaders. But that’s not true. We are raising present-day leaders. They need the never-failing truth of God’s Word to inform their day-to-day decision-making. Their Bible-informed daily decisions are the pathway to a strong future.

Recommendation: Set aside some time for nine days to read one verse from Proverbs 31:1-9 with your child(ren). Have an open dialogue about the implications of each verse.

Want to do a deep dive? Check out Family Fire's article What's a Parent to do: How to get Kids to Obey