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I don’t think people ever intend to be different.

In fact, if we are honest, we spend much of our lives trying to blend in and be more like someone else.

Even as Christian women, we are going to try to imitate those who have lived a Christian life before us. Maybe we will follow in the steps of our mom, Grandma, or a dear mentor and friend. We certainly should try to be imitating Christ.

Here is the hard part. If we are truly going to be a Christian mom who leaves a legacy and difference, we have to be different. Christ was different. There was a reason crowds followed Him and then left. And there was a reason men stepped away from their livelihoods to follow Him forever. Christ was different and it made following Him worth that sacrifice because He sacrificed all for us.

Christ was different. He lived a life set apart wholly to God the Father’s service.

And when Christ did this, He called us to, “follow in My footsteps.”

What a Difference!

When we surrender our lives over to Christ and let Him be the true Lord of our lives, we transform. We become different.

This difference should be evident in every single area of our lives. It should affect the thoughts we think, the choices we make, even the attitudes we encourage in our hearts. Every single aspect of life will be different.

We will be different because Christ is transforming us to be like Him. Different.

As a Christian, I knew that I was going to be set apart from the world I lived in. God calls all of His children to live lives that might look crazy to the world. And I can say that my decision to save myself for the man I married was just one area that this difference showed.

But I will be honest. Nothing prepared me for being a different mom.

Becoming A Different Mom

Having kids will rock you to the core of your existence. Good grief, just the labor and delivery portion of becoming a mom is enough to do that!

Raising kids means every single thing changes. Not of minute of your time is every truly yours again. Sleep is not an on-demand option anymore. Showers are cut short by wailing lungs that will only be satisfied by mommy. Trips to the grocery that used to take 10 minutes now take 30 minutes (at least.)

And training up kids to love the Lord and know Him requires you to surrender your life over in whole new ways as a Christian mom.

Christian motherhood is high and holy calling from God. It will most definitely make you different.

 

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7 Ways That God Calls Us To Be A “Different Mom”

There are probably an infinite number of little ways that Christian motherhood will make you look like a different mom to the outside world. But there are several hallmarks of being a different mom that every single one of us should be seeking to live out as we fulfill our holy calling of the Christian mom life.

 

Difference #1: Being Intentional In Daily Training My Children About The Bible

So shall My word be that goes out from My mouth;
    it shall not return to Me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11

Kids can memorize anything. Seriously. Try saying one thing that you don’t ever want your kid to say. They will remember and repeat that one thing until your dying day!

God has hard-wired these little ones to soak up information quickly and easily. Which is why it is not a surprise that in Deuteronomy 11, parents are commanded to teach God’s Word to their kids at home, as they are on the road, at bedtime, and first thing in the morning. Basically, God makes it clear that He wants us as Christian moms to teach our kids about Him, no matter the location or time of day.

Instead of just telling our kids that they should study their Bibles, let them learn from us. Grab a Bible yourself and invite your kids to join you as you study your own Bible. Bible study times with kids will look different than the quiet Instragram pictures we might be dreaming of but those Bible study times will instill a love of God’s Word. What a difference!

Mostly, we must remember that God promises that His word won’t return void. Basically, that means the more we plant God’s Word in our kids lives, the more opportunity God’s Word has to work in their hearts.

 

Practical Ways To Apply This Difference

• Read the Bible aloud together every day. Find an age appropriate Bible for your child and spend time together each day reading it.
• Memorize Bible verses together. Pick verses that will help your child face their current struggles and will remind them of how much God loves them. Commit them to memory together. (Don’t be surprised if they memorize faster than you! 🙂 )
• Sing songs that are based on Bible verses. Personally, I love using Amazon Prime Music to create playlist of great Christian kids songs that help them memorize their current Bible verses. There are so many available!
• Listen to or watch dramatic interpretations of Bible stories. While dramatic interpretations shouldn’t replace actually reading the Bible, they can be a great resource to help you and your kids better understand and remember the truths of God’s Word. A Visit With Mrs. G is a ministry that created dramatized Bible stories for years and those stories did much to help me grasp Bible stories in whole new ways!

 

Difference #2: Praying Together Throughout The Day With My Children

Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17

A different mom will keep up an ongoing conversation with God as she moves through her day. While we might not be on our knees with eyes closed, we can keep an attitude of prayer.

Pray as you walk through your home. Offer quick praises to God for little blessings that arise in your day. Pour out your troubles to God when unexpected trials come up.

Most of all, invite your child along for the ride of faith that growing prayer warriors will take. 

Praying in front of your child doesn’t have to be awkward or challenging. In fact, it can be a rewarding time of bonding as you both grow closer to God. Different moms will help their child see the beauty of talking with God each and every day of their lives.

 

Practical Ways To Apply This Difference

• Set aside two or three times a day to spend in prayer with your child. Meal times and bedtimes are simple places to start. However, also consider the moments before they leave for school, during an afternoon snack break or as you are about to leave the house for the day.
• Give them chances to pray aloud. Invite them to follow your example and pray whenever they show an interest.
• Make a prayer journal together. If you would like, you are welcome to sign up for my free Mommy and Me Prayer Journal below. I promise I won’t bombard your inbox with tons of unwanted emails and you can unsubscribe at any time. Plus, you will have an easy to grab prayer resource to start with your kids today!

 

Difference #3: Guarding My Children From The World’s Influences On Their Souls

They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 
John 17:16

Being a different mom means guarding our kids against the thousands upon thousands of little ways the world will bombard them with ungodly messages.

As tempting as it is to just move away to a secluded cabin the woods, that most likely isn’t a possibility for most of us. (If it is for you, then I am jealous! 🙂 ) Instead, we must seek to guard our kids against all the messages the world is slinging their way.

Now, I want you to hear me. This does not necessarily mean sheltering your child so they never glimpse evil. They will see this world in all its full glorious chaotic evil. But before they get a full blow taste of that, we should be helping them develop a set apart way of life that won’t be swayed when they do come into contact with the world’s evil.

You are the gatekeeper to your home and family. Guard the gates well. Train your kids to have a Biblically grounded worldview so they can have wisdom to someday filter all the world will throw at them.

 

Practical Ways To Apply This Difference

• Limited screen time. Studies already show that screen time can be pretty bad for our kids health. Depending on the type of screen time, it can also be detrimental to their spiritual well being as well. Limit and monitor all screen time. Don’t hesitate to shut something down if you feel it is going to compromise their faith and integrity. Also, openly communicate often the reasons why we are to guard our hearts in all areas including electronic forms of media.
• Set boundaries. Spend time with your spouse determining boundaries that you can clearly communicate with your kids. If they are younger, it might be that they only have one day a week with screen time and you provide a selection of approved options for that screen time. If they are older, it might mean you restrict their interactions with the opposite sex to only in public locations with other adults present. Prayerfully comb through what boundaries your family will set to guard against the world’s influence over their hearts.
• Invest time in studying Christian worldview and apologetics. Many people think that Christians have to shut their brains off and have a blind faith. That couldn’t be further from the truth! Visit summit.org and crossexamined.org for numerous resources to help you teach your kids a solid Christian worldview.
• Provide alternatives. As parents, we get the joy of saying “no” all the time. It can get exhausting being the mean mom. Find alternatives that you can present to your kids and say yes to. There are numerous games out there for families to play together such as Kingdomino, Sleeping Queens, Spot It!, Sushi Go, and Timeline to name a few that my family play all the time. Or you can perhaps pick up a hobby such as gardening, hiking, or geocaching to do together as a family. Stock your home library with great books or bring home good books from your local library and read together. Give your kids options for activities that won’t be compromising to their Christian faith.

 

Difference #4: Prayerfully Selecting What Activities My Children Will Join

Decide for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. 
Joshua 24:15

Want to know something? Hard decisions happen as parents. This past year, I had to tell my parents that we wouldn’t be participating in our church’s Vacation Bible School program. After much talk and prayer, my hubby and I just sensed that God was leading us not to put our kids into the week long program at church. It was crazy hard to have to tell my family that was involved that I wouldn’t be joining them. And I know telling them again this year won’t be much easier.

But as my husband and I decided, we want to instead focus our family’s time and energy into the church’s Sunday School program. For the past several years, our church has not had a children’s Sunday School due to lack of volunteers, desire, and even the fact we were without a pastor for an extended period. Now that those situations are changing, we feel led to invest our focus on the weekly program rather than one week of the year.

Vacation Bible School is not evil. I am not saying that this is a decision for every parent. But for our family, we knew this was a tough call that we were going to have to make.

Parenting comes with lots of tough decisions about how we will spend our time. The are untold huge amount of options that I could involve my kids in. But as the different mom, I have to prayerfully pick which ones are right for our family.

 

Practical Ways To Apply This Difference

• Set up a family calendar. Make sure that you have one calendar with everyone’s schedules listed in one place. No matter how many or how few activities you pick, it will help keep you organized and on time!
• Consider all your options and pray about them with your spouse. Secular activities versus church activities? Sports or musical? Bible clubs, Sunday School or Children’s Church? Pray, listen for God’s quiet wisdom, agree with your spouse, make a decision and communicate it together with your child.
• Pick only one or two. More can be added later. Or you can trade some out for new activities as your child grows and has changing interests.

 

Difference #5: Modeling A Relationship With God As My Highest Priority

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33

Monkey see, monkey do. Your kids can hear you say that they need a relationship with God. They can hear every lecture about how their Christian faith should take top priority in their life. Kids won’t care if that is all they hear.

What will they care about? Kids will notice if they see you making your relationship with God a priority.

Different moms don’t simply tell their kids to do the right thing. They live life every single day demonstrating what they are saying. Do we have to get it perfect? Nope. In fact, our kids will probably benefit even more from seeing how we stumble and recover over and over and over again.

While there is never a guarantee that our kids will follow God, we can help influence them in the right direction by living a Godly life in front of them.

 

Practical Ways To Apply This Difference

• Spend time studying God’s Word daily. In the past year, I have done three different times and methods just to make Bible study a possibility in my life. And no, my sessions are not hours in length. Usually 15 minutes is my average length. Some time studying God’s Word is better than none. Don’t let a search for the perfect Bible study time keep you from the Word. Do it when it is less than perfect. Your kids will see what a priority you place on your relationship with God even in an imperfect state.
• Keep a prayer journal of your own. I know you should have a prayer journal with your kids but let’s be honest. Some things are stuff that you won’t want little eyes seeing. Keep your own personal records of prayer requests, praises, and answered prayers. Remind yourself of God’s faithfulness!
• Praise God through song. Turn on your music and praise God from the heart as you go about your daily tasks. Let the music speak your words of love even while your hands are busy.

 

Difference #6: Disciplining Our Kids With God’s Love And Truth

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Sin has a way of creeping into our hearts and lives when we aren’t looking. In Paul David Tripp’s book, Parenting, he reminds parents how easy it is to not notice our own sins. And how much easier it is to see the sin in other people’s hearts.

Since our kids just happen to be as human as us, this means they also won’t be able to see the sin building up in their own lives. That’s where we step in as Christian moms. As we discipline and disciple our children, one of our jobs is to help them spot the sin in their own lives.

Now, no one likes being told that they are sinning! But as a different mom, we become one of the ways that the Holy Spirit will speak to our kids about the sin that they are harboring in their souls.

When we correct and discipline our children, let’s remember to do so in a way that helps point our kids to the truth about the sin in their hearts and the love of God that can take away all their sins.

 

Practical Ways To Apply This Difference

• Praying after they have made a mistake or bad decision. Whether they are two or twelve, pray with your child after they have made a bad decision. Help them learn the importance of asking for God’s forgiveness. And even more, train them to turn to God for strength to face the sins that they are so easily tempted towards.
• Memorizing verses that target their weak areas. God’s Word is powerful and active when we know it. If you see areas that your child is constantly struggling with (and needing discipline in), find Bible verses that you can memorize with them about that particular struggle. Help them learn to use God’s Word to fight their spiritual battles.
• Talking about sin and salvation while you discipline them. As you discipline your child, don’t forget to help them see what is causing them to make these poor choices. While this will look different for your toddler and your teenager, sit down and have a conversation with them about the effects of sin in their life. Most of all, highlight what Christ did on the cross to cover their sins. Discipline doesn’t have to be all time out corners, spankings, or groundings. Discipline can also be a time of conversation and discipleship.

 

Difference #7: Giving Our Children Back To God Every Single Day

Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.”
Mark 10:28

Being a mom truly does mean that part of our hearts walk around outside of our body. From the moment we know we are pregnant, we take on the role of protector and nurturer of each of our children.

While God designed us to take many roles in our kids life, He does not want us to try to take over His role of being God in their lives.

Currently, I am fighting to remind myself of this on a daily basis. As I get closer to the time of the birth of our third child, I find the “What if something happens to my kids while I am at the hospital?” type of questions coming up more. Or questions of “What if something happens to me and I would die and not be there for them?” Even in the normal course of the day, we all face “What if?” questions about our kid’s future without us there.

Recently, God has been using His Word to remind me that these children that I love and hold so close to my heart are still ultimately His children. And God loves and cares for His children. He is not going to wake up surprised if something happens to them or me or my husband. But He will be there to help us walk through any and all situations that come our way-both good and bad!

As a different mom, this means we have to release our control over our children. Daily bring our kids to the throne of God in prayer and surrender them there to His love and protection.

God has gifted us so much by allowing us to love and disciple and raise our kids. Let’s remember to turn our anxieties over to Him and rest our children in His tender care.

 

Practical Ways To Apply This Difference

• Praying for them at bedtime every night. As you are doing your nightly rounds of checking and tending to your children, stop and say a prayer of surrender over each one of them. Leave them in God’s care. Praise God for each moment you do get to spend together!
• Finding little ways to release them to grow in their own faith. As your children grow, find ways that will let them spread their own wings of faith. Perhaps you let older children go on a mission trip. Let them learn to trust God for provisions as they plan for their trip. For younger children, encourage them to set aside their own times to pray or study the Bible without you around. Let them learn how to motivate themselves to come before God and seek Him.
• Choosing to enjoy the moments you have together. Don’t let fear steal the moments you have with them now. Instead, take time to relish the moments-yes, even the hard moments!-that you do spend with one another. Be sure to let your kids know that you thank God for the blessing of being their mom. No matter how much they roll their eyes, they will always be glad to know that you think of them as a blessing not a burden.

 

Other Resources That Might Help

Becoming MomStrong

While you can just read the Becoming MomStrong book and glean a wealth of encouragement and help to be a different mom, I highly recommend you get the Bible Study guide too. Together these two books will walk you through a six week journey of growing as Christian mother. This resource works great either by yourself or as a group which is a bonus too!

Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family

Throughout the entirety of this book, I found myself grasping a whole new view of my role as a Christian parent. When we start our parenting from a Bible-based point, it will create many changes in our hearts and minds not to mention our actions! Prayerfully read this book and encounter the beauty of God’s wisdom in your life as a different mom.

Let Me Be a Woman

While this book is not exactly parenting related, it will challenge and encourage you in your growth as a Christian woman. And Elisabeth Elliot does not shy away from talking about mothering through the essays in this collection. In a world that would have you conform to the culture, Let Me Be a Woman is a high calling to become a woman (and mom!) after God’s own heart!

 

Your Turn

If you haven’t gathered yet, being a different mom is exhausting, never ending work. But you don’t have to do it in your own strength. Place your children in God’s hands and seek His wisdom and strength as you mother your child every single day.

Most of all remember that you are not alone in your differences. Christ will walk with you and comfort you as you face the challenges that will arise as a different mom.

 

What are some ways that you have found make you a different mom from the moms in your life?

Have you noticed how your faith in God affects your parenting decisions?

If you were to say some words of encouragement to another different mom, what would those words be? Leave those words in the comments below to help encourage the other moms who stop by!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

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