Being a mother is exhausting.  It involves almost twenty years of constant giving with very little in return.   And that is just for one child.  The fatigue is multiplied with more children. 

If there is not a plan to replenish personal resources then weariness will inevitably result in deep discouragement.  

When we are tired it is easy to lose perspective and ultimately lose hope.   So, what is a mother to do?

This is Jordan, my third son, and middle child. He is our miracle child, born six weeks early and he had to stay in the hospital for several weeks before he could come home. Big sister and brother, Ashley and Jeremiah, are enjoying having another brother.

The Bible says that a wise women builds her family and a foolish woman destroys her family.

“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” (Proverbs 14:1)

How does a mom build herself in a practical way?  In previous posts I have dealt with this issue and will continue it in this post and others to follow.   While the focus is on the wife and mother, the principle and application also applies to men in their role.

The first place a wife and mother must give attention to in building a strong home is her own self.  It is impossible to pour something out of an empty vessel.   You must have strength to offer strength.

When the flight attendant makes their speech one of the pieces of instruction deals with the oxygen masks.   We are always told to put the mask on ourselves before the children.   This seems counterintuitive, but it makes perfect sense.

If the parent is unconscious, the child cannot help herself.   Likewise, a mother needs to take time to gain inner strength to be able to help her children as well.

One of the vital areas a mother needs in order to bless her family is wisdom.   The Bible says of the virtuous woman – “She openeth her mouth with wisdom…” (Proverbs 31:26)    When she spoke she had something worthwhile to say.   Her children and husband were blessed and helped by her words.

What a gift!   Wisdom is a foundational building block in building a strong and healthy family!  Yet, it is a rare quality.  Just because a person is intelligent doesn’t mean they have wisdom.

Wisdom is seeing life from God’s perspective.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.”

Where does wisdom come from?   In the next few posts I want to focus on three sources of wisdom that will help a mother gain strength for her task.

A mother (anyone for that matter) builds wisdom in her life through a daily, meaningful time alone with God.   Wisdom is the result of replacing your thoughts with God’s thoughts.   We cannot do this apart from knowing the Word of God.

God’s thoughts are found in His words in the Bible. That’s why it is called the “Word of God”.   When we read the Bible we are hearing Him speak to us.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”    (Isaiah 55:8)

Every decision we make goes through a filter of presuppositions that have been developed through our lifetime.  When presuppositions are wrong, conclusions and actions will be wrong.   And we will live with the pain of the foolish decisions we have made.

While there are several purposes for a daily appointment with God, one of the most important is for God’s wisdom to be poured into your mind and heart.

Remember, you cannot give what you do not have.   The Bible says to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”    (Colossians 3:16)   The Bible contains the wisdom of God because it contains the mind of God.   And we need it on a daily basis.

No one will ever have wisdom apart from a daily intake of the Scriptures.

The most important discipline a mother can have is a meaningful time alone with the Lord every day. It will transform her life on many levels, one of them being in the area of giving her wisdom and insight.

It’s a time when I can hear from the Heavenly Father’ s heart and gain His wisdom and perspective.

Recently I was going over my message for our church early Sunday morning, but I couldn’t focus on it.  Earlier my mind had been hijacked by a negative thought that I couldn’t release.  No matter how hard I tried to dismiss it, the painful thought remained.

Finally I laid aside my notes and opened my Bible to a familiar passage that dealt with such times.   As I began to read it, the truth of God confronted my thinking and immediately peace replaced the angst.

Such is the power and the wisdom of the Word of God.    I need it every day to help guide me and to transform my life.    Take some time each day and invest the truth of God’s Word into your mind and heart that you might know life from His perspective.   This is wisdom.

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”    (Psalm 19:7)