A Cheerful mother

This post is a follow on from 'Why be a mother'. Last year I was challenged to become a more 'cheerful mother'. The title of this blog was inspired by a book I have used to guide me in my mothering. "The Mother at Home" by John S C Abott written in 1833, was lent to me by a very inspirational friend of mine. The first half of the book is all about the mother - her relationship with God and her character. If I want my children to love the Lord with all their heart, to love others as themselves, to have characters that display the fruits of the spirit, then.... I had to be like that!

So often I find I am telling my children to be wait patiently while we are in the check out line, while inwardly I am becoming impatient, and frustrated with the person in front of me who has 20 items in the 10 items only line! I tell my son to speak kindly to his sister after she has snatched his toy away from him, and yet how often do I inwardly and outwardly snap at my husband when he leaves his shoes in the middle of the bedroom floor!

Two of the chapters in the book are called Fruits of Piety, and the fruit that challenged me the most was 'Cheerfulness'. I long for my children to have a cheerful spirit in all things, yet I found that often I wasn't such a cheerful person! Abott says,

"Therefore make it a daily duty to be cheerful. Pray that you may be cheerful; meditate upon your blessings; look upon the bright side of everything; and carefully study your own heart, that you may ascertain what those feelings are which disturb the tranquillity of your mind, and should therefore be checked, and what those emotions are which are satisfying and pleasurable, and should therefore be cultivated. You probably have no idea how much your usefulness and happiness depends upon the careful cultivation of a cheerful spirit."

Upon reading this book I was also challenged in my own devotional life. If I wanted to be 'cheerful' I knew I had to receive that cheerfulness from God each morning before I started my day. The key to being a better mother was to spend more time with my perfect Father. The more I learn about how He delights in me as His child, the more it motivates me to delight in my children. The more I learn about His unconditional love for me knowing how often I sin and fail Him, the more I am challenged to love my children unconditionally despite their sin and disobedience.