GOD CREATED WOMEN with special traits for the most strenuous and honorable task of motherhood. No job on earth takes more physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual strength than being a good mom.

Moms have a powerful influence over their children. The home is the greatest theological seminary in the world. It’s where children get their basic training about God.

Many times, children learn about Who God is more from what they observe in the home than what is said to them. Your actions speak louder than words ever will. Therefore, it’s important for moms and dads to always be conscious of the attitudes, values, and deeds they display in the home. Children learn by example, and being a proper example to your children is what a true Christian home is all about.

Hannah—A Model for Motherhood

When I think of a wonderful example of a mother, I think of Hannah in the Bible. I’ve always loved the story of Hannah and Samuel. (See 1 Samuel chapter 1.) Elkanah, Hannah’s husband, had two wives. One, Hannah, was barren, and in those days it was considered a curse if women didn’t bear children. Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, had borne him children, and for years she taunted Hannah for being childless. But Peninnah was jealous of Hannah because Elkanah loved her more.

Hannah desperately wanted a child. She prayed and cried out to God year after year for a son, promising to dedicate him to the Lord. God answered her prayers and opened her womb, and she gave birth to Samuel (and five more children later). Samuel became a great prophet mightily used by God.

Mothers and wives can learn some great lessons from Hannah’s story. If you read the entire account in the Bible, you will see that before Hannah was a mother, she was first of all committed to God. She didn’t believe in complaining to others. Instead, she believed in prayer and going to God for her needs. She also didn’t belittle Peninnah, even though she had caused Hannah great distress.

Hannah knew her God could solve the problems in her life. She had a vital first-name relationship with the Lord. We must be as committed to God as Hannah was. We need to look inward and ask ourselves if we are that committed to our Heavenly Father.

Second, Hannah was committed to her husband. She was a loving wife who endured criticism without complaining. Hannah didn’t threaten to leave Elkanah because of how his other wife treated her. She didn’t nag her husband; she took her burdens to God.

When Hannah could have held a grudge against Peninnah, she chose to forgive her. Oftentimes as women we say, “Well, I’m going to forgive you, but I’m never going to forget what you did.” Forgiveness is not forgiveness until we forget.

If you’re a wife, don’t remind your husband of things you’re still holding on to that may have happened years ago. If he said “I’m sorry,” that’s enough. Forget it. Hannah did.

Third, Hannah knew her children were a gift from God. Mothers need to recognize that children are a gift from the Lord and treat them as such. Furthermore, she was committed to train her children in the ways of God. Hannah’s responsibility was to train Samuel in the ways of the Lord so he would recognize the voice of God.

A mother’s job is to train her children in the things of God. A significant part of that training is teaching them to pray, reading the Word with them, and teaching them to be honest and kind to others.

Finally, Hannah honored her commitment to give Samuel back to God. You know, Hannah didn’t have children until she was older. It would have been easy for her to cling to her firstborn. But she kept her promise. And that is what we must do with our children. We must train them, but then we must give them back to God.

Are you preparing your children for the moment when they must do what God has called them to do? A mother’s responsibility is to train her children. God’s responsibility is to call them to whatever He has for their lives.

I will never forget what I did with my own children before they were born. I said, “God, thank You for giving me this child. However You want to use him and her, I’m willing.”

We must dedicate our children to God as Hannah did. Someone once said, “Maybe the reason we don’t have more Samuels today is, we don’t have more Hannahs.”

LOVE MATTERS MOST

The most important way mothers can walk like Hannah is by pointing their children back to the love of God. The number-one thing a mom can do is to love her children and teach them to love her God.

A boy wrote a letter to his mom who had been nagging him about straightening up his room. He said:

“Dear Mom, I have decided that you and not I are the casualty in the battle of the bedroom. Yes, my bedroom is a mess. Yes, it’s true you don’t ask too much. But will wars end because I make my bed? Will world hunger end because I hang up my clothes? With all the terrible things happening in the world today, what does the condition of one bedroom matter?

“Yes, I know that before the world can be put in order, each person must put their own little world in order. But this doesn’t bother my world. To put my world in order, Mom, I need love, not Ajax. So Mom, I’ll make you a deal. You use a little more love, and I’ll use a little more Ajax.”

Many times in training their children, mothers are using “Ajax” on them, and they are not combining it with love. Do you know what happens if you use only Ajax to clean everything? Those things will get scratched, dull, and damaged by the abrasives. So as a godly mother, yes, you may have to use a little “Ajax” on your children. But combine it with love—God’s love.

Remember, be committed to God as Hannah was. Be committed to your husband. Treat your children as a gift from God. Commit to train them, and then give them back to the Lord. But most important, give your children love and point them to God’s love.