A Review of "The Ministry of Motherhood"

I actually finished reading the book about a month ago but with everything going on, I've put off writing the review. Thank you Brooke for staying after me. I hope it is beneficial for others too.

This book really is wonderful in helping any mom who is seeking to live according to God's will for her life to realize how she can help her children live more fully for God. The author Sally Clarkson set the book up in five parts with each beginning with the letters of the word "GIFTS". "We used the word GIFTS as an acronym to help us remember the spiritual priorities in our children's training" (pg. 14).

GRACE... of time together, of encouraging words, of forgiveness in action

"Words matter! They have the power mysteriously to enter our hearts and minds and lift us beyond the present moment into the presence of God Himself. How important it is, then, that we mothers, shepherds of our children's lives and hearts, choose our words to them carefully. We must deliberately aim our words at their hearts in such a way as to give our children hope, faith, strength, and also to point them toward the redeeming love of Christ" (pg. 44).

INSPIRATION... a sense of purpose, a sense of God's powerful presence, a new kind of love

"Giving our children the gift of inspiration -- helping them understand their spiritual purpose, which is to glorify God and to make Him known -- is one of the most crucial tasks of Christian parenting" (pg. 66).
"Bus as we all grew together, I came to understand the importance of pointing out to them the abundant evidence of God's power and glory and presence that surrounds us. This act of directing their eyes and ears beyond the mundane to the wonders of God's work is one of the most important ways I can give my children the gift of inspiration" (pg. 81-82).
"Walking with God without the moment-by-moment awareness of our companionship with a divine being becomes just a hard, taxing obligation. A child who does not have the opportunity to marvel at the bigness of God, the wonders of His creation, and the reality of His supernatural work will tend to measure the questions about "who God is" according to his or her finite, limited perspective" (pg. 85).

FAITH... in a living God, in God's Living Word, in the Spirit's power

"The best way we can give the critical gift of faith to our children, in other words, is to exercise faith in our own lives -- to accept the difficulties of life and choose to trust God in the midst of them. This means we will choose to be thankful, choose to be joyful, choose to be mature and strong, and try to be an example for our children. It also means we will talk to our children about why we're choosing to respond in this way and share with them what God's Word says about faith" (pg. 113).
"Trusting Him will become a natural, first response of children if they are raised from earliest childhood to pray to God and to walk with Him each day of their lives" (pg. 115).
"And then, as I looked back over the past two weeks ... I found myself pondering how important the Bible had been to getting through each moment. It had taken me through the times of challenge, stress, illness, work, and grief. It had guided my thoughts and words and equipped me for the tasks I was facing. Through His Word, God had given me all I needed to live productively through the challenging circumstances He brought my way. He will do that for my children, too, which is why the Bible must be at the center of all we do as parents. One of the central ways we give our children the gift of faith is to base everything we do on the Word of God" (pg. 124-125).
"I must do what I can to stay connected to Jesus at all costs. Only when He lives through me will I have the patience, love, faith, strength, perspective, and understand I need to raise godly, faithful children. Spiritual fruit in the lives of our children even depends--up to a point--on my staying connected to the Lord" (pg. 131).
"If I trust God to care for me, I must trust Him to do the same for my children" as in when they are growing up and not physically near us (pg. 132).

TRAINING... children to think, children to pray effectively, children for tribulation

"To me, it's a comforting reminder that any kind of training takes time, patience, and endurance. If Jesus Himself had trouble getting through to His disciples--even with miracles!--we human parents shouldn't be surprised when the process of training our children hits some difficulties" (pg. 145).
In response to talking with her young daughter about having bad dreams, Clarkson writes, "By helping her develop a habit of thinking biblically about her own little-girl fears, I could reduce her stress in the present. In the process, I could also prepare her to think clearly and wisely as an adult, when she would encounter much more daunting challenges" (pg. 152).
"Jesus spent most of His time as recorded in the Gospels teaching His disciples how to think. As we give our children the gift of a trained mind, we give them the ability to resist temptation when we are not with them, to overcome fear when Satan whispers lies in their minds, to rely on the Holy Spirit when they need wisdom. The mind is a muscle that must be exercised and correctly trained, but a well-trained mind makes it so much easier for the heart to follow Christ in faith. When it comes to protecting and preparing our children for all that will happen in their lives, the gift of a disciplined mind is one that truly keeps on giving" (pg. 154).

SERVICE... with a willing heart, with hardworking hands, in God's strength

"Giving our children the gift of service is not really a matter of teaching them what to do. It's more a matter of helping them look at other people through Jesus' eyes and respond as He did. It really is that simple--though it's often not easy" (pg. 181).
"Training our children to put their energies and talents to work in the area of ministry is so important. We must not just tell our children that people should share their faith and then do nothing; we must show them a life in which we are sharing our own faith" (pg. 190).
"I don't have any desire to make my children feel guilty for what they are naturally--sinful and immature. But I do want to lead them away from their natural sinful tendencies, to show then how to use self-control and discipline their character, how to walk with God and let Him develop in them a heart of compassion" (pg. 190-191).
"In the end, the measure of my success as a mother will not be how well I have taught my kids or cared for them but whether I have been faithful in helping them respond to God's call on their lives. Seeing my children develop a heart for God's service and begin to find their own place of ministry in the world is a reachable goal for me as a mother, because God designed me to fulfill this purpose. This is the true ministry of motherhood--to usher my children into the living presence of God, to nurture in them a heart for Jesus and the Great Commission He has called each of us to fulfill" (pg. 208-209).

These were just some of the passages which stuck out to me. This is a well-written book. Clarkson also includes many stories of conversations she's had with her children about how she helped them think through their decisions and situations they have encountered. With my kids only 4 and 2 years old, I found this book invaluable as I ponder how I'll handle things as they grow older and enter the elementary and teenage years.