Sowing Seeds in the Flower Garden
When I became a mother about fifteen years ago, I never knew that being a mother would be so challenging. Without a guidebook or clear instructions, I entered an unfamiliar, surprising, stressful, and yet enjoyable world. Every day became a learning experience, sometimes painful or even making me feel like a failure, but it often filled me with joy and happiness.
In this simple article, I want to dedicate to every woman called a mother, mama, grandmother, grandma, or any other similar title. I want to say that you are all special and incredibly precious. You are the ones who sow seeds in the flower garden, which will eventually grow and bloom into fragrant and beautiful flowers that everyone around them can enjoy.
There will be times when we feel that everything we do is in vain. Failures may make us feel unworthy of being good mothers to our children. But let us look at what the Bible says about a mother from the story of a woman named Hagar.
Hagar was Sarah’s servant who bore Abraham’s son named, Ishmael. When Ishmael grew up, and Sarah gave birth to Isaac, an event led Sarah to drive Hagar and Ishmael out of their home. Hagar felt deeply disappointed, especially when she saw Ishmael almost dying of thirst in the wilderness of Beersheba. She felt like a failure as a mother, and the circumstances around her made her feel sad, angry, and unable to accept the reality.
But then, the Lord God met Hagar, and the story of Hagar and Ishmael did not end there. Hagar found newfound strength and Ishmael grew into a great and mighty nation as the Lord had planned and desired since his birth. So, what can we learn from Hagar and practice in our lives as mothers today?
- Hagar wept and brought her tears to the Lord
When various problems arise, our children stir up various emotions within us, or the circumstances around us are not as we expected, let us weep and make sure the Lord hears our tears. Bring every complaint and pour it out before Him. Truly, that is our strength in facing the days ahead. Not many people may understand what we feel, but the Lord is more than capable of comforting, strengthening, and helping us in every situation. - Hagar allowed the Lord to open her eyes and lead her steps
When Hagar tried to see with her own eyes, she could not see the well the Lord had provided for her and her son. But when the Lord opened her eyes, a well, which symbolizes hope, appeared before her, and from that well, they gained the strength to continue their lives.
Worries, fears, and anxieties often blind our eyes and make us want to give up. When that happens, allow the Lord to open the eyes of our faith and show us His beautiful plans for us. Ask the Lord to lead our steps and reveal His plans for our children. Surely, His plans will never fail and will surely be fulfilled. - Hagar obediently fulfilled her part to completion
The Lord told Hagar, “Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him fast…” and Hagar did it. The Bible does not tell us about Hagar’s struggle in raising Ishmael, but we can see until this day that Ishmael’s descendants are a great and mighty nation, accompanied by the Lord. So, we can be sure that Hagar did her part well and completed it according to what the Lord commanded her.
Being a mother is not easy, but the key to our success lies in obedience and doing our part to the best of our abilities. That is enough to allow God to work and accompany our children until they achieve the goals that God has set for their lives.
We may not know what will happen in our children’s lives in the future. We cannot even guarantee that they will always be good, safe, and have a burden-free life. But one thing is sure when we walk with the Lord, who is the owner of our children, allow Him to take control of our lives and the lives of our children, and faithfully do our part, then we are working on something great with Him, producing future generations that are strong, capable, and understand God’s will in their lives.
Dear mothers, continue to sow seeds even if you don’t know what will happen. Believe that whatever you do will never be in vain. You are preparing extraordinary individuals who will manifest God’s love to many people, and it all starts from your heart, tears, faith, and obedience.
Source : Ps. Ancella Gunawan (Global Kids Coordinator)
