We continue today exploring the idea of being a warrior mom versus a soldier mom. Yesterday, we dug into the idea of being called to be a warrior mom. Here is a fun story along those lines. . .
Once upon a time, there was a little girl. The youngest of five, she was the only girl. Her family never thought of giving her too many girly things as it was easier to just let her run around “like one of the boys”. Her mom had much to handle working full time as a single mom. She didn’t realize her daughter was growing up with all things “boy”. When she did stop and think about it, she thought it was easier to just let her play with balls and Legos. Until her great Aunt Dorothy bought her a baby doll and the next year a princess dress. This little girl felt a call, a longing for a world she didn’t know existed.
One day her mom happened upon her, all dressed up rocking her baby doll and singing to her. The scene would seem quite normal upon first glance; however, just behind the little girl, tucked into the sash of her princess dress, was her brother’s very large sword. Her mom was startled and asked her, “Honey, why do you need the big sword?” She replied in true warrior fashion, “Mommy, I have a job to do that only God could give me. So I am taking care of my baby and am ready for anything”.
As I reflected upon this little girl in the story, I realized being a warrior mom comes from God. We are called to be a warrior mom, not just a soldier mom who feels duty. Here is another thought on the subject.
A Warrior Mom remains Faithful.
In Girls with Swords: How to Carry your Cross like a Hero, the author explains soldiers are trained, but warriors are tempered. And becoming tempered comes from living under pressure.
How do we stay faithful to our calling under pressure?
Having children has tempered me. The definition of tempered is: to be made less intense or violent, especially by the influence of something good or benign.
Bruce and I attended parenting classes for 12 weeks before we ever had Christian, our first child. While some would say this training was silly, we wanted to be prepared for our first attempt at parenting. Once we had Christian, then Danika, and the rest, we began to realize even though the information we learned was good and useful, we could not just stick with the step-by-step plan. We were trained, but what we needed was supernatural help. We were under pressure and we had to rely on God to give us insight on the children He had given us.
We became tempered over time and trusted our kids and instincts to the Lord, which was more important than training.
As true warriors, we have to take each lesson we learn on the path of parenthood. We understand that the challenge in this last season was meant to build strength in our future and our kids’ future. Cancer has been this kind of challenge for me as a mom. Having cancer has taken me away from being a mom for hundreds of hours and has exhausted me for the days I have been available. If I was not careful, I could become angry at God, distant from my kids or give up on the task of being an intentional mom for the sake of my health. All of them have been tempting in one form or another. However, I know the calling of being a warrior mom and I have accepted the call. I know cancer was meant to build strength in me and make me more like Christ.
Being tempered under pressure as a warrior mom has caused me to put my focus on prayer. All the training in the world will not make my kids into Christ followers. My parenting skills fail in many areas so I know they will need me to pray and be faithful to the calling I have as their mom. Focusing on training and duty only makes me angry and bitter, but giving my children to God and praying for them helps me to be a warrior mom. It does not mean I don’t train or take care of them, it just means I go beyond the things within my power and rely on the power beyond my own. Relying on Christ to remain faithful to the call of motherhood.
In what ways do you remain faithful in times of pressure as a mom?
~Jeanna Young
When Jeanna is not writing, speaking, event planning, or homeschooling, she can be found scrapbooking her life, redecorating her home, loving on her husband, planning fun events for her kids or eating healthy to stay cancer-free!
