A Sacred Calling

Marilyn reminds all of us mothers of the eternal importance of motherhood.

A Sacred Calling

 By Marilyn Wiens

My husband and I smiled at each other as a bamboo steamer of shrimp dumplings, and leaf-wrapped bundles of sticky rice were set before us.  We sipped green tea from tiny cups and listened delightedly to the Mandarin chatter around us.  A little boy, playing with a set of chopsticks, sat beside us—the link between us and this restaurant full of people.  We were elated to have found such an authentic Chinese restaurant in Canada.

After our food came, my husband said, “Let’s pray.”  I peeked over at Riley and watched as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. His chubby fists came together, and he bowed his head.  My heart constricted, and a knot formed in my throat.  Our son was surrounded by people with Communist roots, and he was praying!  Such a simple observation, but it blessed my heart.  In the ten short months since Riley had joined our family, he had already learned so much.  What if we had not taught him to pray?  What if one of the first tunes he learned to hum wasn’t Jesus Loves Me?  His little heart and mind were so impressionable; it was sobering to think of what all he could have learned if we had not been teaching him the ways of God.

What an awesome responsibility I have as his mother.  God has called me into partnership with Him for the salvation of this soul.  The calling of motherhood is a sacred one, no matter how God brings our children to us.  I thought of my two sons, one by birth and one by adoption.

God needs me to be broken in His hands, so that I, in turn, can teach my children obedience and submission.  He is counting on me to tenderly nurture their innocent faith and to help build their character.  In today’s world of fashion, my sons need to see a meek and quiet spirit in me.  In a society of crumbling marriages, they need to witness love and a solid commitment in my relationship with my husband.  They need to hear kind, gentle words to everybody and about everybody.  They need to see a compassionate spirit in me—one that has the patience and time to help and reach out to the hurting.   In being a loving, sweet, godly mother, I am forming their concept of God and shaping their future.  And it could mean the difference between heaven or hell.

 

This devotional was taken from A Child to Call My Own, a devotional book offering meditations to comfort and inspire women on their journey from infertility to adoption. God’s blessing is on adoption. His heart is toward His people who are willing to get in the trenches and fight for the defenseless little ones. Without our willing hearts and welcoming homes, these little ones may never know who Jesus is. To order your copy, contact Children of Promise Publishers at achildtocallmyown@gmail.com

Marilyn lives in Rosedale, British Columbia with her husband, Leroy and two sons, Tyler (9) and Riley (4). She enjoys photography, graphic designing, and cooking.  She was one of the editors and writers for the book A Child to Call My Own.  She has a sensitive heart for women walking the heartbreaking, lonely journey of infertility and enjoys a personal ministry of connecting with and ministering to them. You can contact her at  marilyn@starlandsupply.ca