Juniper Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I wasn't sure how to title this as I didn't want to limit it to a specific religion. :D Earlier today I read a comment on another forum. A young mother was reflecting on her own mother. She remembered regularly waking up to find her mom reading her Bible. It impacted her and she wanted to pass the same devotion on her to her children. It has been a long time since I have come across a statement like this that was both positive and wasn't based out of an uber controlling type of faith. I realize that it struck me as sad that I have begun to associate this type of devotion in a negative way. If you had a similar mother and want to pass that on to your kids, what made the difference? What did the devotion practice look like? (I do not want to just limit to morning devotions) What about it evokes feelings of comfort (or other positive emotions)? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I wasn't sure how to title this as I didn't want to limit it to a specific religion. :D Earlier today I read a comment on another forum. A young mother was reflecting on her own mother. She remembered regularly waking up to find her mom reading her Bible. It impacted her and she wanted to pass the same devotion on her to her children. It has been a long time since I have come across a statement like this that was both positive and wasn't based out of an uber controlling type of faith. I realize that it struck me as sad that I have begun to associate this type of devotion in a negative way. If you had a similar mother and want to pass that on to your kids, what made the difference? What did the devotion practice look like? (I do not want to just limit to morning devotions) What about it evokes feelings of comfort (or other positive emotions)? Thanks in advance! I would say my mother was/is devout and I am doing my best to live that way and raise my son that way. It was no one thing but rather the whole of her life. The way she spoke, lived, carried herself---every decision she made was (to the best of her ability) in line with what she felt God wanted. She is in hindsight hard on how she raised us....she laments that she put too much emphasis on responsibility to God and too little on how much God loves us. I try to learn from her 'mistakes', but honestly I think she rocks as a mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I was raised by my grandparents and if I woke up early enough I would find Granny reading her Bible or praying. She had tons of spiral notebooks filled with notes taken at church (and that church's services went 2 hours.) Then she would get the tape of the service and go back over her notes, pausing when she needed to. It was such a beautiful example of devotion and her love of God. I would love to be able to as inspiring to my children, but I am soooo not a morning person. I take a lot of notes in church, but what I do devotion wise usually is not in front of the kids. I've been thinking that I need to do more, to live it more. Thank you for the reminder. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Can I just say I'm jealous? :) :) I am so thankful to have her. And for the last 11 years my step dad. She raised us alone, no child support, no practical support from our bio dad---we were VERY poor at times....then she went back to college to become a teacher. She is well known as someone who knows how to stretch a dollar. She doesn't have to pinch pennies anymore....she and my step dad are generous with all us kids (he has 2 also) and they are both still very busy in the ministry. So she is still walking the walk. I heart her. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rieshy Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 My mother always did early morning Bible study and reading. It evoked feelings of comfort and peacefulness. I knew that if I had a problem and wanted to discuss it in private I could wake early and pour her a fresh cup of coffee and she would make time for me- though it was understood that this was her time. She was the exact opposite of controlling though. She walked the walk and therefore had to do very little "talking". She never required that we do devotions and she always encouraged critical thinking, discussions, debates about all issues, including issues of faith. It's funny, I find I don't know what exactly she did during her morning Bible lessons, she never really discussed them. I know often she was working on Bible lessons for Bible Study Fellowship. Curious, she died at age 54 so I can't ask her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Both my mother and grandmother were very devout in their faith. I remember watching my grandmother kneeling every night and saying her prayers. My mother had a morning devotional time where she would say her prayers, maybe read the Bible, and read devotional intercessory prayers to her patron saint and others. I left my religion of origin for another, but I am still grateful for the examples of piety from the women in my life. It helped me to know that I had someone above that I could turn to when I needed help. They helped me to learn to place my trust in the Lord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 My mother was/is very devout and I am more grateful for this the older I get. I definitely think her example affected me, although you would never be able to tell when looking at my teen years. She kept prayer journals and that is the main thing I remember- her sitting there with her Bible and her prayer journal. She would pray a LOT through the day. For a long time it annoyed me because she would just suddenly bust out praying if we were talking about something, but now I find myself doing the same thing. :lol: I left my religion of origin for another, but I am still grateful for the examples of piety from the women in my life. It helped me to know that I had someone above that I could turn to when I needed help. They helped me to learn to place my trust in the Lord. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Thank you all so much! Some of you already mentioned this, but are there specific things you find yourself wanting to model for your children? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Thank you all so much! Some of you already mentioned this, but are there specific things you find yourself wanting to model for your children? I think the model of prayer is an important one, so my children know they can always turn to God. If I can pass on going to Mass every Sunday, that's a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 More than anything else, the Bible reading the prayer, the lectures, the church attendance, what impressed me about my mother is that she LIVED GOD's truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I could live 50 lifetimes and not be as devout as my mother. All the same, as much as I admire her, I wouldn't want to pass on to my kids what she had as a spiritual life, as honorable and good as it was. Aim is too high, you know? I'm honored just to have had her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 (edited) My parents were both devout, and I grew up watching what a difference for good that made in their lives, the lives of their children, and in the broader community. I saw that it gave them a sense of inner peace, even in the hard times, as well as a source of strength to draw on, and a place to sort of "center" themselves and regroup. I saw how putting what they believed into practice positively affected their relationships with other people, because people knew they could be counted on to be honest and hardworking, and follow through on what they said they would do. Mom was sought out when people needed advice, help, or just a listening ear. Dad could be counted on to roll up his sleeves and do the moving, building, or digging, or milking that needed doing, and I remember several people speaking admiringly to me (rarely to him, though, I think) of how they didn't expect someone with a PhD to be willing to get his hands dirty, or take instruction from someone who was "only" an electrician or whatever. Hearing my parents pray for me helped me realize that they really did notice at least some of the challenges and problems in my life, and sincerely care, and want good things for me. In our faith, fathers can give formal blessings to their children when they are sick or discouraged, or just feel in need of one. They always made me feel close to my Dad, and to God. My father is also the one who baptized me, which is a lovely memory for me. I saw a contrast between my parents, who quietly lived as our faith taught, and people around us who lived differently in various ways, and the older I got, the more reasons I found to want their kind of life. And I could see, increasingly, that a lot of the choices they made were founded, ultimately, in their faith. ETA: Oh, I didn't see the question about things I learned from my parents that I want to model for my kids. I'll just tack that on here. There's a lot, but here are a few important ones off the top of my head. I'd like them to learn to ask questions and seek truth for themselves, rather than just blindly take someone else's word for it, even mine (though obviously I hope they will also be willing to learn from the experience of those around them who've been down that road before them, including me). I would like them to see that I live my beliefs and don't just preach them. I'd like them to learn to go to God with confidence, and recognize when they receive answers to their prayers, even if the answers are not what they expected or hoped for. I hope to show them the benefits of regular church attendance and full participation. I would like them to see the power and peace that can be found through faith in God. That sort of thing. Edited June 27, 2012 by MamaSheep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rieshy Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Thank you all so much! Some of you already mentioned this, but are there specific things you find yourself wanting to model for your children? Yes. My mother was grounded. She knew who she was and who she wanted to be. Her Bible studies and prayers were not about checking piety off a to-do list. I can't think of a better example of what makes a woman strong than knowing your worth. My mom respected herself because of her faith- she knew she had worth. She modeled dealing with life's hardships (her life was full of tragedy and hardship) through prayer, reflection, writing, and turning to the scriptures. Pretty much the opposite of dealing with life's problems with noisy energy-sucking drama... I want to pass that strength on to my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 My mother was/is very devout and I am more grateful for this the older I get. I definitely think her example affected me, although you would never be able to tell when looking at my teen years. :iagree: Mine wasn't a daily devotional type - she had to be out the door really early for work - but she really lived her faith. I remember lots of reminders to pray about/for things, and her telling us she was praying for us (even when we didn't care to hear it). She was very careful to get to church every Sunday, and to make sure we went when we were there, even if we refused to dress for it or dragged our feet & made her late. She modeled dealing with life's hardships (her life was full of tragedy and hardship) through prayer, reflection, writing, and turning to the scriptures. Pretty much the opposite of dealing with life's problems with noisy energy-sucking drama... I want to pass that strength on to my kids. This too. Finding out later, as an adult, some of the things my mom went through, I so admire her strength, and I know a lot of that is due to her faith. She went on a retreat weekend every year, and I know that helped. She wasn't afraid to give God credit for helping her, admitting that she couldn't do it alone. She never hid her faith, but also didn't push it on people (including us kids). Compared to the example of my dad, who pretty much totally walked away from any evidence of faith, I'm even more thankful for the example of my mom and my grandma. Seeing that all my life is a large part of why I returned to the church as an adult (after some atheist years). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 One habit of my mom that really stuck with me and that I try to model was her prayer life. We usually had family devotions before breakfast. Each morning we took turns praying, but I loved Mom's prayers that were just a real heart-to-heart talk with her Lord (nothing formal). I have realized as an adult that most people aren't raised with this. We prayed for each family member by name and brought to the Lord all the little concerns we had like tests and volleyball games. Mom helped make us see God as a Real Presence in our lives. Faithful church attendance and volunteering for church activities was big, too, I'm sure. Great question! It's neat to hear the responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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