#SheSharesTruth - A Shift from the Norm with #SheReadsTruth

Today I am traveling out of my comfort zone and out of my original vision for this blog. (Be prepared...it is a long one.) This post is not about allergies or food but about Spiritual Mothering. Why am I doing a post so off base? As a challenge, an explanation, a reflection of who I am at heart, the mom behind the food allergy blog. As women, we have many "titles": daughter, sister, aunt, wife, friend, cousin, niece, employee, boss, co-worker, mother... We are many things to many people. Each one with its own challenges and successes. At the heart of it all, we all cling to one "title" that we feel describes our core. My "title", my main success story (at least I hope it is), my goal for who I am and why I'm here, is to earn and reflect the title of a "Spiritual Mother". God has and always will be the most important aspect in my life. I was raised by very Christian women with solid foundations and unwavering faith. (Or at least to me it was always unwavering, they may tell you otherwise.) In my quest to be a better mom and better Christian, I found a group that fits me in the #SheReadsTruth community. We have just finished a study from Titus. Day 4 of our study was on Spiritual Mothering with an assignment. Like a good student, I FINALLY finished an entire devotion on time (this is a first for me) and this assignment hit home. So I am sharing my story, not to boast of myself, but to encourage others that even the simplest of actions can make an impact on someone and grow you even closer to the Gospel.

The scripture for day 4 was Titus 2:1-5 and it reads:

2 But as for you, teach what accords with psound1 doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, psound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 qOlder women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, rnot slanderers sor slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, tpure, uworking at home, kind, and vsubmissive to their own husbands, wthat the word of God may not be reviled. 

The devotion centered around verse four "So train the young women to love their husbands and children" and told a story of an older women who did just that. The assignment asked these questions:

How is spiritual mothering already taking place in your community? Has a godly woman influenced you in your growth in the Gospel, or has mentoring a young believer impacted your life? How would you like to see Titus 2 shape your relationships moving forward?

I attend a wonderful church with amazing women of all ages. I see ladies reaching out and offering love and help. Their actions alone are such an inspiration on being a spiritual mother. I have been blessed to be the daughter of a very spiritual mother, the granddaughter to an amazing spiritual grandmother, and married into a family with a wonderful mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law who are strong spiritual mothers. These ladies have shaped my life, encouraged my faith, and have shown me how important it is to devote a life to Christ. In this study, it was the question of mentoring a young believer that spoke to me. That is the story I felt led to tell.

In December 2012, a fiery red haired teenage girl came to our church. For some reason, my children fell in love almost instantly (as did I). This girl loved my kids, played with them often, and quickly became our babysitter. Little did I know the plans God had in store for her life and that of my family. She was new in the church and new in the faith. She and I talked, texted, hung out, and just created a bond no one may ever understand. As she started hanging at the house, she bonded with my husband. Before long, I became mom, he became dad, and my children became sissy and bubbie. This amazing girl described our family perfectly in her Senior Student of the Year scrapbook essay. She comes from a broken home that she and both her parents are trying to figure out. She explained that she has her dad, her mom, and her Christian family. It was then that I realized she was my "daughter by grace". God put me in her life as an example of a Christian mother, wife, and friend. It is a scary and humbling experience.

At that point in my life, I was living my life as I always had. Church, kids, work, repeat. As she and I became closer, she asked questions about God and about life in general. I searched to answer in a Godly way and not an earthly way. She needed spiritual guidance and unconditional love. I knew that was (and still is) my role in her life. I began catching little things I would say and do and wonder the impact. I encouraged myself to be exactly what God asks of a spiritual mother. I still have the same "church, kids, work, repeat" lifestyle; however, I strive to encourage more, teach others, devote time to the Gospel, serve my church in all ways that I can. I struggle with each of these in so many ways. I say often I'm a struggling sinner saved by Grace hoping to do something right. I don't hide my mistakes from her. I have a God (and she has a mom) who loves me (and loves her) despite our mistakes. 

I am so proud of the young adult she is becoming. She works actively with the children's ministry in our church. She earned a full paid scholarship to a local baptist college and chose to go there. She says often she has to watch her actions because she has a little sister and brother watching her every move. That was even more encouragement for me because I now have three children watching my every move. I thank God for what He has done in her life. I thank Him for choosing me to be this person for her, because (whew) I don't feel worthy of such as role. My prayer is that God will continue to strengthen me, to help me to grow, to be the Spiritual Mother HE wants me to be. I tell my daughter often that I will always be her mother and she always has a place in our home. I feel family isn't blood but those people in your life who love you unconditionally and would do anything to make you smile. I am not the woman I was two years ago and I have God and her to thank for that.

My prayer is His words through me have touched you in a way to reach out to another, to grow yourself to be what God call us to be. I encourage you to visit #SheSharesTruth for more encouraging words about Spiritual Mothering!