THE ORDINATION OF MOTHERHOOD
Part 3

FIRST AND SECOND WATCH

“You shall teach them diligently to your children (impressing God’s precepts on their minds and
penetrating their hearts with His truths) and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and
when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up”
(Deuteronomy 6:6, 7 AMP).

We are discussing how God wants us to fulfil our commission to the end. We will look at the four watches as they relate to us as mothers.

FIRST WATCH

This is when we begin mothering. The glorious moment, although sometimes bewildering and even frightening to many new mothers, when our first baby arrives. Everything is new. We are learning a whole new lifestyle. We gradually learn how to lay down our self-life and pour out our life for someone else. This usually happens “little by little.” Unless someone is really prepared for motherhood, it takes time to change from a life of selfishness to a life of selflessness. Although I loved my first baby with such an intensity of love that I had never experienced before, I still didn’t know how to live a selfless life. I learned more with each baby that came along.

This watch is also the time of more babies coming. It is often the most physically exhausting time of motherhood when we have little ones to care for (may be one, two, or even three or four) and no extra help! I remember what that was like. I had three in 17 months because twins arrived unexpectedly with my second pregnancy! Later I had four children under four years!

These times can be physically exhausting, but God never forsakes us. Dear precious mother, as you keep the right attitude and embrace your role, you will find joy and delight, even in this busy time. God cares for you as a young mother. He is with you moment by moment.

Isaiah 40:11 says: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

God gently leads you. He doesn’t expect you to be up the front of flock, keeping up with everything you were doing before you gave birth to your baby (or babies). Forget about all those other things. You have a new career now. You are nursing a little lamb that takes all your care, night and day. You don’t have time to do all those extra things. And God doesn’t expect you to do them. So, relax. Put your feet up and nurse your baby again. Bask in the joy of this precious little life.

I remember when I was learning how to be a mother. I wanted to change the world, but suddenly I was hidden in the home with three little babies! What had happened to me? Was my life finished? God had to show me that I was in His perfect will. As I embraced it, I began to enjoy it and all my frustrations gradually left.

I still wrote my “To Do” list for each day. But I don’t think I ever crossed off one of the things on the list. It took my whole day to care for my babies! I had to learn that I accomplished everything I was meant to do for the day, even if I thought I had done nothing! I didn’t have to do those extra things.

Embrace your FIRST WATCH.

SECOND WATCH

Our little ones are growing. It’s time to officially begin schooling. I say “officially” because you have been teaching your children from the time they were born. It is inherently within you to teach. You talk to them and tell them about life. You teach them the parts of their body. You teach them the names and sounds of all the animals in the world and the names of everything around them. You are a full-time teacher.

However, now it’s time to teach them to read, teach them math, and undergird them in a basic education and understanding of life. You begin to prepare them for the future. Sadly, this is a time when some mothers abdicate their second watch. They are happy they can have some time to themselves and send their children off to the public school to be taught a socialist agenda. They think they are discharging their responsibility, but they are handing them over to the enemy’s camp. Our state schools are increasingly becoming institutions to indoctrinate our children with progressive ideology, an alternative lifestyle, the gay agenda, and even Muslim propaganda. But no Bible. And no prayer.

If we are God-fearing, Bible-believing parents, we will take responsibility for what our children are taught for so many hours each day. There may have been a time years ago when you could get away with it (I was a teacher myself), but you can no longer trust the system. We are not being faithful watchdogs of our children unless we are in the classroom every day to hear what is being taught.

The ages of five to twelves years are a powerful time in our children’s lives as we lay a foundation of truth in their lives. It is a time of great responsibility as we establish them strongly in the truth of God’s Word and teach them discernment of good and evil. In every subject we teach them we show them the ways of God because God is in every subject. God is in everything. God is the originator of all knowledge and wisdom. Apart from Him and His Word everything else is inferior.

Proverbs 2:6: “The LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Why would we send out children to a place where they will slowly be deceived rather than receive wisdom and understanding?

1 Corinthians 1:25: “The foolishness of God is wiser than men.”

Colossians 2:3: “In whom (Christ Jesus) are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Embrace your SECOND WATCH.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“I thank You, dear Shepherding Father, that You have blessed me with my precious children. Thank You for showing me that this is my new career. They are my full-time job. I embrace motherhood with all my heart, knowing that I am serving and pleasing You as I care for Your little lambs. Amen.

AFFIRMATION:

I’m not neglecting my watch. My baby and little ones are my life and joy.