Toys were everywhere, counters cluttered, and bathrooms hadn’t been cleaned in who knows how long. Oh, and I’d gotten angry at my children . . . again. I’d been a mother for seven years now. Why couldn’t I figure this thing out? I knew I needed to develop the characteristics of a good mother in the Bible, but so far I wasn’t doing so great.
I hope you can learn from my mistakes and some things I’ve learned along the way. It’s important to go to the Bible for answers to the questions of life, including motherhood. Let’s discuss the role of a mother according to the Bible, what the Bible says about mothers, and some characteristics of a good mother.
- The Role of a Mother According to the Bible
- What Does the Bible Say About Mothers
- Characteristics of a Good Mother
- 1. A good mother will keep Christ first
- 2. A good mother will submit to her husband
- 3. A good mother will love, teach, train, and discipline her children
- 4. A good mother will be a keeper of the home
- 5. A good mother will not crave outward beauty
- 6. A good mother will be content
- 7. A good mother will seek wisdom
- 8. A good mother will seek God’s approval and not man’s
- 9. A good Christian mother will model godly behavior for her children
- 10. A good mother will train younger women as she ages
- Prayer to be a Good Mother
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The Role of a Mother According to the Bible
According to the Bible, the role of Christian moms is to love and care for their children. She is to teach and train, nurture, and discipline. A godly mother is to model godly living for her children and take care of her home. She is also to care for and help her husband.
While motherhood often feels like a thankless job, God way places high value on the role of a mother. As mothers, we have a significant role in the lives of our children.
Our influence and care allow our children to thrive. We also teach and train our children in the ways of the Lord along with our husbands. This is why the qualities of a good mother are so important. A great mom who is depending on God’s plan for her is also a virtuous woman.
What Does the Bible Say About Mothers
Mothers play an important role in the Bible. We see courageous mothers in the Bible, such as Jochebed, who thoughtfully developed a plan to save Moses; Hannah, who begged God for a son, only to give Samuel back to God; and Sarah, who waited years and years to bear the long-promised Isaac. Of course, we can’t forget about Mary, the woman favored by God to birth Jesus the Messiah!
The Bible also talks about what a blessing it is to be a mother along with the many roles and tasks a mother is called to do. While motherhood may be intimidating, especially at times, as Christians we have the Holy Spirit to help and guide us along the way.
As we lean into Jesus, He changes us into amazing mothers and women of God. Just take a deep breath. We have God’s help to grow into role models we should be!
Bible verses about motherhood
I find it helpful to see what the Bible actually says about the blessings and joys of motherhood. There are also Bible verses that talk about some of the importance of the role of a mother on a child.
Psalm 127:3-5
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5 ESV
What wonderful things these verses say about motherhood! Children are a reward and a blessing! Knowing that will help you as you parent.
Leviticus 19:3
“Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:3
As mothers, we need to teach our children to honor and respect us as their parents. We also need to teach our children the ways of God.
Proverbs 31:25-29
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.'” Proverbs 31:25-29
As a godly mother, you will be instrumental in your child’s life. You will also be honored and blessed in time by your children. They may not appreciate you now, but they will. As you teach your children about God, those teachings will guide them throughout their lives.
Proverbs 6:20-21
“My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you.” Proverbs 6:20-21
It’s our teaching that will later lead our children, so it needs to come from God. As moms, we are privileged to play such an important role in the lives of our children.
Bible verses about mother’s responsibility
As a good mother according to the Bible’s standards, there are certain things we are responsible to do for our children. Check out these Bible verses which mention some of these things. We’ll discuss them a bit further in the next section.
Isaiah 66:13
“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” Isaiah 66:13
Comforting our children is an expectation as we see from this verse in Isaiah. Comforting a child is a natural response to them going through something tough.
Titus 2:3-5
“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” Titus 2:3-5
This particular passage is full of mothers responsibilities. We are to love our husbands and children. We need to control ourselves, take care of our home, be kind, as well as submit to our husbands. Woo! I know that’s a lot, but with God’s strength, you can do it!
Proverbs 29:15
“The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” Proverbs 29:15
Part of a mother’s responsibility according to this Bible verse is to discipline and reprove her child when he or she is wrong. Parenting takes intentionality. We can’t just leave our children to themselves and expect them to turn out well.
Proverbs 14:1
“The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.” Proverbs 14:1
I know that you realize the power of words. Our actions also play a big role in the overall feel of our homes. Be a wise mother and make sure you are building vs tearing down your home.
1 Thessalonians 2:7
“But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.” 1 Thessalonians 2:7
According to this verse, a mother is to be gentle and caring. This is just what our children need. As moms, we have a crucial role in this care.
Characteristics of a Good Mother
What are some characteristics of a good mother? The Bible verses above, along with some other verses about women and wives, give us some great characteristics of a good mother. A good mother according to the Bible is a godly mother. I want to be a godly mother, don’t you?
As you seek to be a godly mother, keep these characteristics in mind. This is not an exhaustive list, but it does give you a great start in learning who you are to be as a mother in Christ. Being a good mom is hard, but I’m so thankful God helps us!
1. A good mother will keep Christ first
It’s so easy to get distracted by culture or by your own selfish desires. However, you are commanded to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and might. This world is temporary, but what you do for God is eternal. This is the most important thing you can do as a virtuous mother. Keep that in mind.
2. A good mother will submit to her husband
God has an amazing design for marriage. As the husband loves the wife as Christ loves the church, the wife submits to the authority God has given to the husband. As we do this, we are modeling a Christian marriage to our children in an ungodly world. The gospel needs to be lived out in our marriage. This will give our children a solid foundation.
3. A good mother will love, teach, train, and discipline her children
Our children depend on us to love them unconditionally. They need us to teach and train them in the Lord, so we need to do this by giving discipline as well as praising what they are doing right. What an important role of motherhood!
4. A good mother will be a keeper of the home
I know this is highly debatable according to today’s culture, even Christian culture, but Titus 2 above is pretty clear on this matter. Motherhood is a high calling, and God gave us our children to nurture and train. It’s not someone else’s job, but ours.
This doesn’t mean you can’t bring in any income — even the Proverbs 31 woman did that. However, as a Christian woman, your priority is your family and your home. Our family needs to feel our unconditional love. They should never feel that they come second to your work.
What does the Bible say about the role of a mother? To learn more about being a godly mother, check out these 10 characteristics of a good mother according to the Bible.
5. A good mother will not crave outward beauty
This is another tough one in today’s culture. There’s so much emphasis on our outward appearance! While it’s fine to look nice, it’s not okay to be craving that outward attention.
Our heart toward God is of utmost importance, and that makes us truly beautiful. As godly women, we will seek a quiet spirit instead.
6. A good mother will be content
We want to keep up with those around us. We want our children to have the things we never had, or maybe we want them to not feel left out. Unfortunately, those things do not bring us true contentment. If we have the basic necessities, we should be content. Let’s be a good example and practice gratitude instead of wanting more.
7. A good mother will seek wisdom
The proverbs are full of verses talking about how we should seek wisdom. James 1:5 is one of my favorite verses. It reminds us that God gives wisdom to whoever asks. Wisdom is such a great character trait of a godly woman. I don’t know about you, but I need all the wisdom I can get!
8. A good mother will seek God’s approval and not man’s
Do you base your decisions on what others will think of you? What about what the culture around you is doing? Our priority needs to be pleasing God and seeking His approval with a pure heart above all else. A wise woman will do just that.
9. A good Christian mother will model godly behavior for her children
Have you ever heard the expression that more is caught than taught? Our children learn from our behaviors. Yes, that can be intimidating, but they can also learn from our mistakes and our willingness to ask for forgiveness.
They need to see us reading God’s Word and praying. They need to watch us serve others and share the gospel. Our children should see us sharing God’s love with others. No, we won’t be perfect, so they need to see us ask for forgiveness.
10. A good mother will train younger women as she ages
Again from Titus 2, it’s important to have someone ahead and behind us in life. An older woman can be a mentor to you and share God’s wisdom as you mentor others who are younger than you in motherhood and/or in faith. Young women need to learn from a godly woman who is older and wiser.
Prayer to be a Good Mother
You will not become a good mother overnight, but as you grow in your walk with God, grow in the fruit of the spirit, and seek His plan for you, you will grow more into the good mother He wants you to be. In the meantime, be open to God’s work in your life. Also, take the time to pray and ask for His help in becoming a good mom. God wants to hear from you and He wants to help you.
“Dear Lord, sometimes I wonder if I can ever even really be a good mother. I feel like a mess up all the time, but then I remember that this is what You have called me to be. Since You’ve called me to be a mother, You will give me what I need to do this well and for Your glory. Help me to always remember what a blessing my children truly are. Give me words of wisdom and kindness on my tongue. Please guide me to train my children in Your ways. May I honor and glorify You as a mom. Amen.”
Which characteristic of a good mother according to the Bible do you struggle with most? Do you struggle with your role as a mother? What do you love about being a mom? Please comment below.
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Awesome teaching! Thanks for sharing. My daughter-in-law is about to deliver her first child and I am going to share this with her.
That is so exciting, Michelle! Congrats! Thanks for sharing this with her!
I give God the glory that after reading this post I will go the rightful ways in becoming a good godly mother.
I pray that you are inspired to be that for your children. Thanks for commenting!
God bless you for such great teachings about godly mothers, who we are, our responsibilities etc. I have been so blessed and it is what I need now. God bless you. More grace, insight, wisdom and anointing in the name of Jesus
Thank you for your kind words. I’m glad this blessed you. 🙂
I love being a mother to three lovely children. Your message on mother love, pushed me to another level in the Lord Jesus.
I’m so glad to hear that, Betty! Thanks for commenting!
Superb