Blessed Is the Mom by Mary Hamrick
The following is a wonderful talk that I heard today at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) by Mary Hamrick who is with Dragonfly Ministries. It explains what I consider to be a big picture truth in mothering. Enjoy!
Blessed Is the Mom Who Clings to Christ by Mary Hamrick (Dragonfly Ministries)
“CLING TO JESUS. Cling to His legs, His words, His ways. Never let go, always hold on, and always bring your needs to Him. Everything that you do for your children is recognized and emulated; choose to walk with the Lord and to live by HIS word so that the lives of your children will be impacted and blessed for generations to come.”
Blessed is the Mom Who Clings to Christ
Proverbs 31:28 “Her children arise and call her blessed.”
Psalm 127:5 Blessed is the mom who has her quiver full of children!
Blessed – held in reverence; honored in her home.
How do I receive that blessedness? What can I do?
| Verse | Blessing for Mom | What she learns |
| Psalm 1:2 | Blessed is the mom whose delight is in the law of the Lord | To delight in God’s word |
| Psalm 2:12 | Blessed is the mom who puts her trust in the Lord | To put her trust in the Lord |
| Psalm 32:1 | Blessed is the mom whose sins are forgiven | To accept that she has been forgiven |
| Psalm 37:23 | Blessed is the mom whose steps are ordered by the Lord | To seek God for the right path |
| Psalm 37:24 | Blessed is the mom who delights in the ways of the Lord | To walk in the ways of the Lord |
| Psalm 84:4 | Blessed is the mom who abides in the Lord | To abide in Christ |
| Psalm 94:12 | Blessed is the mom whom the Lord instructs and teaches | To allow the Lord to instruct and teach her |
| Psalm 106:3 | Blessed is the mom who keeps justice and who does the right thing | To do the right thing |
| Psalm 112:1 | Blessed is the mom who fears the Lord | To honor and love the Lord, to respect Him |
| Psalm 119:2 | Blessed is the mom who seeks the Lord with her whole heart | To seek Him whom she can not see but whom she knows is there! |
| Psalm 146:5 | Blessed is the mom whose hope is in the Lord, her God. | To put her hope in the Lord |
| Proverbs 3:13 | Blessed is the mom who finds God’s wisdom and understanding | To ask HIM for wisdom and understanding |
| Proverbs 29:15 | Blessed is the mom who disciplines with consistency | To discipline with love and consistency |
Blessed is the Mom Who Clings to Christ
Proverbs 31:28 “Her children arise and call her blessed.”
Psalm 127:5 Blessed is the mom who has her quiver full of children!
Blessed – held in reverence; honored in her home.
How do I receive that blessedness? What can I do?
| Verse | Blessing for Mom | What she learns |
| Isaiah 30:18 | Blessed is the mom who waits on the Lord | To wait on HIS timing |
| Job 5:17 | Blessed is the mom who God corrects | The importance of correcting her children |
| Luke 2:51 | Blessed is the mom who treasures the lives of her children | To enjoy her children and pray for them. |
| James 1:12 | Blessed is the mom who perseveres | To push through the toughest of situations |
Blessings of living God’s way:
Your children will arise and call you blessed. They will honor you. The blessings of your obedience will be passed down to your children. Your faith in God will be passed down to your children. The inheritance you will leave for your children will be a spiritual inheritance.
For the mom who clings to the Lord, she leaves a great spiritual inheritance for her children:
Proverbs 20:7 The righteous mom walks in her integrity; her children are blessed after her.
Psalm 37:26 The righteous mom is ever merciful and her descendants are blessed.
Psalm 112:2 Blessed is the mom who fears the Lord and delights in HIS word. Her descendants will be mighty on earth, her generation will be blessed.
Blessed is the Child Who Clings to Mom
The young child’s life is completely absorbed in her mother, whose life is completely absorbed in Christ
The mom teaches by example and the child learns:
| Verse | Blessing for the child who Clings to their mom | What the child learns |
| Psalm 1:2 | Blessed is the child whose mom delight s in the law of the Lord | To delight in God’s Word |
| Psalm 2:12 | Blessed is the child whose mom puts her trust in the Lord | To trust in the Lord |
| Psalm 32:1 | Blessed is the child whose mom’s sins are forgiven | That humanity includes sin and forgiveness |
| Psalm 37:23 | Blessed is the child whose mom’s steps are ordered by the Lord | To yield to God’s ways |
| Psalm 37:24 | Blessed is the child whose mom delights in the ways of the Lord | To walk in God’s ways |
| Psalm 84:4 | Blessed is the child whose mom abides in the Lord | To abide in Christ |
| Psalm 94:12 | Blessed is the child whose mom the Lord instructs and teaches | To seek understanding from God |
| Psalm 106:3 | Blessed is the child whose mom keeps justice and who does the right thing | To seek integrity |
| Psalm 112:1 | Blessed is the child whose mom fears the Lord | Honor, love and respect |
| Psalm 119:2 | Blessed is the child whose mom seeks the Lord with her whole heart | That God is real and answers prayers |
| Psalm 146:5 | Blessed is the child whose mom’s hope is in the Lord, her God. | To trust in the Lord |
| Proverbs 3:13 | Blessed is the child whose mom finds God’s wisdom and understanding | That wisdom and understanding come from God |
| Proverbs 29:15 | Blessed is the child whose mom disciplines with consistency | To be teachable, humble, correctable |
Blessed is the Child Who Clings to Mom
The young child’s life is completely absorbed in her mother, whose life is completely absorbed in Christ
The mom teaches by example and the child learns:
| Verse | Blessing for the child who clings to their mom | What the child learns |
| Isaiah 30:18 | Blessed is the child whose mom waits on the Lord | That God’s timing is different that ours |
| Job 5:17 | Blessed is the child whose mom God corrects | Obedience to authority |
| Luke 2:51 | Blessed is the child whose mom treasures the lives of her children | Unconditional love |
| James 1:12 | Blessed is the child whose mom perseveres | That all things are possible with God. |
Blessings of living God’s way:
The child clings to her mother who clings to the Lord. While clinging to the mother, she recognizes and emulates the things that her mother does. The child recognizes that her mother gains her strength, wisdom and understanding from God. The child learns that God’s words are truth. The child learns to honor her mom because her mom honors God.
The cycle of learning to cling – teaching by example:
Proverbs 20:7 The righteous child walks in the integrity as taught by her mother.
Psalm 37:26 The righteous child learns to be merciful because her mother is merciful.
Psalm 112:2 The child learns to fear the Lord and delight in HIS word because her mother fears the Lord and delights in HIS word.
Blessed is the Child Who Clings to Christ
The older child pulls away from her mother and clings to Christ because that has been modeled by her mother.
The mom teaches by example and the child learns:
| Verse | Blessing for the child who Clings to Christ | What the child has learned |
| Psalm 1:2 | Blessed is the child whose delight in the law of the Lord | To delight in God’s Word |
| Psalm 2:12 | Blessed is the child who puts her trust in the Lord | To trust in the Lord |
| Psalm 32:1 | Blessed is the child whose sins are forgiven | To seek and receive forgiveness |
| Psalm 37:23 | Blessed is the child whose steps are ordered by the Lord | To allow the Lord to lead their lives |
| Psalm 37:24 | Blessed is the child who delights in the ways of the Lord | To walk in God’s ways |
| Psalm 84:4 | Blessed is the child who abides in the Lord | To abide in Christ |
| Psalm 94:12 | Blessed is the child whom the Lord instructs and teaches | To allow the Lord to instruct and teach |
| Psalm 106:3 | Blessed is the child who keeps justice and who does the right thing | To seek integrity |
| Psalm 112:1 | Blessed is the child who fears the Lord | Honor, love and respect |
| Psalm 119:2 | Blessed is the child who seeks the Lord with her whole heart | To seek the Lord |
| Psalm 146:5 | Blessed is the child whose hope is in the Lord, her God. | To trust in the Lord |
| Proverbs 3:13 | Blessed is the child who finds God’s wisdom and understanding | That wisdom and understanding come from God |
| Proverbs 29:15 | Blessed is the child who understands discipline | To be teachable, humble, correctable |
Blessed is the Child Who Clings to Christ
The older child pulls away from her mother and clings to Christ because that has been modeled by her mother.
The mom teaches by example and the child learns:
| Verse | Blessing for the child who clings to Christ | What the child has learned |
| Isaiah 30:18 | Blessed is the child who waits on the Lord | To wait on God’s timing |
| Job 5:17 | Blessed is the child whom God corrects | To receive correction with gratitude |
| Luke 2:51 | Blessed is the child who understands the purpose of life | A life of purpose |
| James 1:12 | Blessed is the child who perseveres | That all things are possible with God. |
The cycle continues as the child grows:
Their children (your grandchildren) will arise and call them blessed. They will be honored. The blessings of their obedience will be passed down to their children. Their faith in God will be passed down to their children. The inheritance they will leave for their children will be a spiritual inheritance.
And they will leave an inheritance for their children:
Proverbs 20:7 The righteous adult walks in their integrity; their children are blessed after them.
Psalm 37:26 The righteous adult is ever merciful and their descendants are blessed.
Psalm 112:2 Blessed is the adult who fears the Lord and delights in HIS word. Their descendants will be mighty on earth, their generation will be blessed.
Blessed is the Mother who Clings
Recently I was in Texas to get a good dose of the grandchildren. It’s been a long time since I’ve had small children in the house, so the dynamics of having children all around brought back memories of exhaustion, laughter, and lack of solitude. One morning I was in the bathroom trying to get dressed for the day. About every two minutes there was a knock at the door, “Grammy, will you throw the football with me?” Then another, “Grammy, will you play hide and seek with me and the big rubber ball?” Oh, the sweet voices of a 6 year old grandson and a 5 year old granddaughter, competing for my attention behind closed doors.
When I finally opened the door, there stood three children. My six year old grandson holding a football, my five year old granddaughter holding a big rubber ball, and my one year old grandson holding a balloon. Immediately I was bombarded with, “will you throw the football with me?”, “will you play hide and seek with me and the big rubber ball?” and “balloon!”
Then I quickly remembered the part of motherhood that involves clinging children. Clinging to the legs, the purse, the apron. Never letting go, always holding on, always needing something.
My daughter recently read an article that stated the lives of children between the ages of birth and six years old revolve around their mother – the mother is the center of their universe. Around the age of six, the child begins to pull away from their mother and become more self-sufficient. So around the age of six, the child stops clinging to their mother and needs something else to cling to. Ponder that.
Recently I was asked to lead a devotional for a baby shower. The Lord gave me the verse from Proverbs 31:28, which says, “Her children arise and call her blessed.” I responded, “Oh Lord, not Proverbs 31. No woman can live up to those standards”, to which the Lord replied, “I didn’t say Proverbs 31. I said Proverbs 31:28, “Her children arise and call her blessed.” I then understood that the devotional was about the spiritual role of mothers in the lives of their children.
I contemplated what this verse really meant in terms of mothering. “Her children arise and call her blessed.” The dictionary defines blessed as held in reverence, respected. I reworded the verse to say, “As her children grow, they will respect and revere their mother.”
But how do we know how to raise our children? How do we know what is right and what is wrong? And if we mess up, how do we know not to throw in the towel? Where do our wisdom, strength and perseverance come from? Being a mom is the hardest job in the world. How do we know that we are doing it right? Are there blessings from God available to us as we raise our children? I began researching scripture to find the answers. The verses usually said, “Blessed is the man”, but I know that in God’s terms, He is referring to humanity, so I took the liberty of inserting MOM in place of MAN. Look at these verses:
“Blessed is the mom whose delight is in the law of the Lord.”
“Blessed is the mom who puts her trust in the Lord.”
“Blessed is the mom whose sins are forgiven.”
“Blessed is the mom whose steps are ordered by the Lord.”
“Blessed is the mom who treasures the lives of her children”
“Blessed is the mom who perseveres”
“Blessed is the mom who disciplines with consistency”
I remembered how children under the age of six watch everything that we do and learn from our example. These young children cling to us for life, sustenance and direction. As moms, we cling to the Lord for life, sustenance and direction. As the child clings to our leg, we cling to the Lord’s leg, so the child is benefitting from our clinging to the Lord because she is a direct recipient of the Lord’s teachings – coming through us! Picture it – the Lord leads the way, the mom clings to HIS leg, and the child clings to her leg. As the Lord leads, the mom follows the Lord and the child follows the mom. As long as the mom continues to follow the Lord and cling to Him, she will not be led astray. Same for the child; as long as the child clings to the mom who is clinging to the Lord, the child learns the ways of the Lord.
As the child clings to the mom who is clinging to the Lord, look at those same verses,
“Blessed is the child whose mom’s delight is in the law of the Lord”, for the child will learn to enjoy reading and studying God’s Word.
“Blessed is the child whose mom puts her trust in the Lord”, for the child will learn that the Lord is trustworthy and faithful.
“Blessed is the child whose mom’s sins are forgiven”, for she will learn about God’s grace and mercy.
“Blessed is the child whose mom’s steps are ordered by the Lord”, for the child will learn to yield their life and direction to the Lord’s guidance.
“Blessed is the child whose mom treasures the life of her child”, for the child will be raised with love, correction, guidance, wisdom and understanding.
“Blessed is the child whose mom perseveres”, for the child will learn to press on through tough situations and lessons, never giving up.
“Blessed is the child whose mom disciplines with consistency”, for the child will learn that there is a difference between right and wrong and God’s ways are best.
What about when the child reaches age six and releases her clinginess from her mother and tries to find her own way? Because she has learned by example, she will loosen the grip from her mother and tighten her grip on God. Now look at these same scriptures in that context:
- “Blessed is the child whose delight is in the law of the Lord.”
- “Blessed is the child who puts her trust in the Lord”.
- “Blessed is the child whose sins are forgiven.”
- “Blessed is the child whose steps are ordered by the Lord.”
- “Blessed is the child who treasures her own life.”
- “Blessed is the child who perseveres.”
- “Blessed is the child who receives discipline and teaching.”
The beauty of living for Christ is handed down through all generations. The Bible says
- “The righteous mom walks in her integrity; her children are blessed after her.”
- “The righteous mom is ever merciful and her descendants are blessed.”
- “Blessed is the mom who fears the Lord and delights in His word. Her descendants will be mighty on earth, her generation will be blessed.”
What mom doesn’t want her children and grandchildren and generations to come to be blessed by God? When you live your life according to God’s Word, your children will indeed arise and call you blessed. They will honor and respect you. The blessings of your obedience will be passed down to your children. Your faith in God will be passed down to your children. The inheritance you leave for your children will be a spiritual inheritance.
You ask, “what if I can’t do all of these things listed above?” Be encouraged; your life is lived out day by day, step by step. Ask God for His wisdom, understanding, strength and help; HE will lead you in being the best mom ever for your children.
CLING TO JESUS. Cling to His legs, His words, His ways. Never let go, always hold on, and always bring your needs to Him. Everything that you do for your children is recognized and emulated; choose to walk with the Lord and to live by HIS word so that the lives of your children will be impacted and blessed for generations to come.
Be blessed, be encouraged. Be clingy.
Mary E. Hamrick
