Motherhood And The Gospel: A 5-Day DevotionalSample

Giving Ourselves Away

Why am I doing this? This is the question—spoken or unspoken—that we ask ourselves as we persevere through the labor of expecting a child and daily mothering our children. What is our driving hope when we struggle—annual Mother’s Day brunches? Seeing our kids off to good universities? A house full of future grandchildren? 

Day and night, why do we give ourselves away? Because of the gospel. This stunning portrait of the Suffering Servant shapes a Christ-centered perspective for our motherhood. Every theme of pain and suffering in this world gives way to a vision of our glorious Christ. Friend, every one of us suffers loss in various ways and is tempted to think we are the less for it. We blame God for our pain and throw away our confident faith instead of persevering by grace through faith. Where we have failed in our trials and groaned in our self-sacrifice for our kids, Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him. In our calling as moms we are willing to suffer these various losses with the hope of glory because this Jesus—the Suffering Servant—is the founder of the salvation we enjoy.

Reflection questions:

1. What compels you to keep going, giving, and striving for the sake of your children?
2. How does the gospel infuse true meaning into your work of mothering?
3. What does it mean that, according to the author of Hebrews, Jesus was made perfect through suffering?

Prayer:

Heavenly father, thank you for showing us the way of weakness and sacrifice. In small part, what we do in parenting—giving ourselves away for the sake of others—mirrors what you did in giving your life over for our sake. Lord, help us to model with humility the way of your sacrificial love.