A Mother’s Armor

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, meditating on His word day and night.  Remember that you are saved through childbearing, as you continue in faith, love and holiness with self-control.  The self-control that comes from the Spirit, who will help you and strengthen you in the moments you don’t think you can keep it together.  The truth stands ready to train and teach your children, as you love and discipline them, bringing them up in the way they should go so that they will not depart from it.  The belt of truth holds everything in place. 

Put on the breastplate of righteousness.  The righteousness that comes from Christ alone.  The righteousness that covers all of your shame, your weaknesses, your shortcomings.  There are many ways you may fall short today, but your children don’t need you to be perfect, they need you to point them to your perfect Savior.  Take off the false breastplate of self-righteousness you may try to carry, it is worn and full of holes, instead of protecting it destroys.  Let Jesus’ righteousness be enough for you and for them.

Be ready to run with the Gospel of Peace.  Marvel at the wonder of God’s saving grace so that it pours over into your children’s lives.  Know it so well that you can run to your child’s broken heart and point them to their Father who loves them so much He did not consider the death of his son too great a price to pay for them.  Be ready to attack arguments with the humility of our Lord who lived a perfect, sinless life rather than claiming his rights as creator of the universe, he made himself obedient to the point of death on a cross.  When tempted with despair and defeat, be ready to run with the power of the resurrection, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead that now lives in us and enables us to keep walking forward.

Take up the shield of faith.  When you think you’ve failed, when you’ve said your worst, done your worst, when your mind if full of condemning thoughts, when you are lonely, depressed, and despairing, and these arrows of accusation are flying at you, rest in your faith.  Remember that there is no more payment to be made and nothing that was not known to Jesus when he went to the cross saying, “It is finished!”, defeating all of our sin as well as Satan, the great accuser.  There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Protect your mind with the helmet of salvation.  Let everything you see, read, watch, hear, be filtered through the truth of salvation.  Let your limited time be spent filling your mind with the word of God, with edifying relationships and conversation.  Help your children put on their helmets as well, as you teach them to be wise and discerning, to not to be conformed by this world but to be transformed by the renewal of their minds.  Rejoice always in the gift of knowing Jesus Christ, which surpasses everything else in this world. 

Be ready with the sword of the spirit, the word of God always ready to slay the enemy.  The promises ready to fight despair and defeat; the commands ready to fight laziness and disobedience; examples of mercy and grace ready to fight an unforgiving heart; the Psalms always ready to praise and rejoice. 

And pray.  Pray without ceasing.  Pray as you wake in the morning, claiming your dependence on God from the very first moments of the day.  Pray as you cook, abounding in thankfulness for all that God provides, including hungry mouths to feed and dirty dishes to clean.  Pray for scraped knees, for hard hearts, for misunderstandings, for exhaustion, for honesty, for wisdom, for grace to overflow and abound in our homes where the thick of the battle lies.  Pray as your head hits the pillow at the end of the day, in confession and reliance and thankfulness.  Prayer is the battle cry that summons angel warriors to fight on our behalf.  Prayer knits our hearts to God’s as we care for his children.  Prayer reminds us we are never alone and the battle is worth fighting and that we are fighting from victory. 

Put on your armor, beloved mother, fight the good fight!