Mother, Press On

By Kim Doebler

There are three words that are key to remaining visionary in training children in character. The three words are: perseverance, repetition and seeking. An acronym to help us remember those is:
PReS on.

In order for us to press on in our mothering we must choose perseverance.

In other words, it is finishing what we start. So often it is easy to start out passionate, but to lose zeal as the years pass by. Remember the toddler years, when only the best books and movies were allowed in the house? An ear was always peaked to every conversation so unkindness could be stopped immediately. It looks different as the children mature, but as mothers we must persevere in guiding our children in the way they should go.

Galatians 6: 9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

We must finish strong!

Never be surprised at the need for or the amount of repetition in mothering.

It truly requires commitment for a mother to press on and repeat another time to a child what seems like should be second nature by now. We cannot give into the attitude of ,“When are they going to get this?” or, “How many times am I going to have to tell them this?” Instead, we need to repeat until they own it! With a heart of willingness to be used by God in our child’s life, we can live as David did in Psalm 51. Verse 12 reads,

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

David was teaching transgressors God’s ways and turning sinners back to God, very much like a mother’s roll of repeating.
Most importantly we must…

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” Matthew 6:33.

The Lord wants to reveal Himself to us. He is the creator of heaven and earth; He formed us in our mother’s womb; He knows what we need and what our children need. As we press on to seek Him, as we draw near to Him, He promises to draw near to us.

James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

Proverbs tells us to seek wisdom like buried treasure. This kind of seeking is not passive, it is desperate.

Remember holding that newborn and praying with every morsel of being that God would keep that child and guide you to parent him? That same commitment is needed today, whatever age our child is.

Through perseverance, repetition and seeking we can PReS on and finish our race strong.