When God Gives You A Proverbs 31 Mom
For as long as I can remember, my Mom has been my best friend. Undoubtedly, I went through those tough teenage years where I wanted to be on my own, independent, and definitely put my foot in my mouth a time or two, but regardless of how difficult I made it for her, she never changed. My earliest memories are of kindergarten when I would go to school for half the day then as soon as I got home my Mom had a day of adventures planned for us! We’d bake, go on picnics, go ice-skating, go to the park, go on a bike ride, and the list goes on and on. There truly was never a dull moment. She was always creating something new and even the most everyday, normal activity had a fun and positive spin!
As the years went on, we moved a couple times (or eight) and the first few months were always spent as a family figuring out our new city or town, so we grew closer and closer. Through all of those moves and the scary first days of school, my Mom was always there to be our rock. She was the one to send us off in the morning and the one waiting for us when we returned. Every time, she’d ask us for the “chocolates and spinaches” of our day and if it was a particularly hard day in elementary school, she’d take the time to hear our “problems” and help us solve them. But here’s where I feel she really excelled as our mother. Any problem we ever had was never solved by telling us not to worry and that we were the greatest. Instead of pushing it under the rug, so to speak, she’d guide us kindly and honestly. Just as Proverbs 31:26 says, “when she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.” I remember in third grade I came home crying because my “best friend” at school called me bossy. In the most loving way, and knowing me all too well, my Mom responded with, “Well Caitlin, do you think you acted in a way that made her say that?” Of course, I responded defensively saying I was only trying to show my leadership skills… but by simply asking that honest question in the most loving and kind way, she made my nine-year-old mind stop and think about my actions and how they can affect others. I commend her for that. It truly is the hardest thing in the world to be honest with those that you love the most because of the fear of hurting them, but instead of hiding behind that fear, she had faith in Proverbs 22:6, “train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”
That way of parenting has continued throughout the years and I truly believe it has helped both my brother and I look at life a little different. Being the humans that we are, I know we have failed at this more than a time or two, but I feel as though we try to see things from an empathetic standpoint and are always looking to bring a little bit more joy into others lives. Definitely something we resemble from our Mom!
To have a Mother that is so strong in her faith and her relationship with God is such a blessing. In times when she could respond with hurt and anger, we can thank Jesus above, she responds with such grace and mercy. Speaking for myself, I have not always made it easy on my parents. I question, I prod, I challenge. But due to my Mom’s peace and understanding through her relationship with God, she has never changed that about be but instead has helped polish it. She saw my independence as a strength, not a weakness. Instead of the easy response of “because I told you so” when I would challenge her, she would take the time explain things to me and even when I didn’t want to hear it she’d let me know when I was out of line without shutting me down completely. It allowed for us to have conversation that helped me grow and mature rather than be stubborn and stick to my ways.
She has never once taken the lazy route with parenting. Just as Proverbs 31:27 says, “She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.” When I tell you this woman goes ABOVE and BEYOND in every sense of the phrase, I truly mean it. It doesn’t stop at just her parenting, whether it was baked goods for class, a party theme, valentines on Valentines Day, family dinners, and even now goody bags for my friends and I in college, this lady doesn’t stop! And the best part about it is that she does absolutely none of it for praise. If she could do all of those things anonymously, she would in a second! She is the kind of person who loves spoiling others but is actually physically pained by being spoiled in return because she thinks it could have gone to someone else. Like how many people are truly like that? I have always been so proud to tell people who my mom was and show off all of the amazing things she does for us! I typically don’t let her hide very often, getting me into trouble sometimes, because I want everyone to know how incredible she is!
Granted, I realize I am very biased, but I think almost everyone who has ever met my Mom would agree that she is one THE most AMAZING woman on earth. She lights up a room immediately as she enters it, she sits and genuinely listens to everyone’s story, she is constantly doing for others, I mean I really could keep going but the list would never stop. I consider myself the most blessed daughter on earth to have such a godly woman as my Mother and my Best Friend...
Because when God gives you a Proverbs 31 Mom, He’s giving you an Angel on Earth.