5 Ways to be a Super-Powered Mama

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” – Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV

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original photo credit: Chiot’s Run via photopin cc

 

I believe mothers are the most super-powered beings on the planet. Not because we sometimes possess laser vision, sonic screams, or superhuman senses, or that we dream of amazing powers like invisibility, flying, or even duplication (I really want this one!).

 

 No, our business lies in the realm of “power augmentation” – the ability to enhance or weaken the powers of others.

 

 I know what you’re thinking…Nope, don’t have that one. I have trouble getting my kids to brush their teeth, stop writing on the walls, or sticking junk up their nose. I missed out on that ability!  

 

 Or maybe your thinking…I don’t want it. It’s a power I know I have, but I feel ill-equipped to wield it.

 

 But the truth is, it’s a responsibility – a power, we can’t escape. Mothers are influencers.

 

 As a child I suffered at the hands of my mother. This experience made me keenly aware of her power of influence over me. I decided early on that her influence was not going to dictate the use of my powers.

 

 So what kinds of powers do our children possess? The same ones we do. Theirs are just purer, and not yet muddled with the stuff of life. Over the years our powers tend to get injected with fear, worry, or boredom – not so of our children.

 

They (and also we) have the power to:

• dream big dreams
• imagine beyond what’s seen
• love unconditionally
• experience life abundantly
• and hope boldly

As mothers we have the ability to influence how long, and to what extent they keep their powers. So what can we do? How can we become influencers that increase our children’s powers? Here are five things I think we can do:

 

1. Buy into being a mom. Sounds crazy, right? Not really. It took me a long while to accept my role as “mama” – and I begged God to make me one! I spent so much time looking outside of motherhood for purpose and significance.  Being a mom is the MOST challenging thing I’ve ever done, and as a new mom, I often wondered what I had been reduced to (that was hard for me to write, but I’m trying to be honest.). The Bible tells us, “Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there.” (1 Corinthians 7:17 MSG)
2. Model “responsible influencing”. The old adage, “Do as I say, not as I do” won’t cut it. If we want our kids to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly (Micah 6:8 NIV), we must continually demonstrate what that means.
3. Gather around other “responsible influencers”.  The African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” is all well and good, but that depends largely on who’s in your village. A steady mindfulness of who and what influences US, will greatly increase our ability to positively influence our children.
4. Understand it’s a process, not a perfection. Bishop Robert South once said, “Action is the highest perfection.” We’ve got to keep moving. Our humanness will cause us to fail, but we can’t let our failings replace our purpose.
5. Give motherhood away. I know. I know. I just told you to buy into motherhood, but when I say, “give motherhood away”, I mean we should present it to God as a living sacrifice. Worship the One who gave it to us to begin with.  Only he has the super-powers to mold, shape, and change it – and us, into the kind of holy and pleasing sacrifice he deserves. Let us always influence with God’s power – not our own.

Happy Mother’s Day – you super-powered influencers of the future!

 

 P.S. I recently found this definition of “mother”:

A condition that is the inspiration for an activity. As in, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” I’d rather say, “Influence is the mother of power.”

 

God bless!