Generation NeXt Parenting

Spiritual Role of Moms

I was checking my email this morning when I came across an interesting email from George Barna (www.barna.org).

Here is a short excerpt:
May 7, 2007
(Ventura, CA) - Mothers inhabit many roles inside and outside

the family. Within the household, they are often counted on to be

the emotional compass, organizer, and multitasking manager of the family. Add to

that list another common function: spiritual energizer.

According to a new Barna study, women who are raising children are among the most faith-minded and spiritually active segments of the American population. The study explored faith-related activities, commitments and perspectives, relying upon nationally representative interviews among more than 10,000 adults and nearly 2000 women who are currently parenting children under the age of 18.

The study shows that more than three-quarters of moms identify "family" to be their highest priority. At the same time, a majority of mothers strongly agree that their faith is very important in their life. In contrast, fathers also tend to list family as their top priority in life, yet they are much less likely to equally attribute importance to faith.

You can read the rest of the article here.

I am blessed that my husband has grown as a spiritual leader over the years. I think there are three major reasons for this.

1. God convicted me years ago of my tendency of being John's "Jr. Holy Spirit." God reminded me that He can and will speak to my husband. Thank you very much.


2. I've allow John to "do" spiritual leadership his way--not how I think things should be. I have my ideas of the types of family worship or Bible Study I'd like to try, but my way does not mean the only right way.


3. I pray for my husband's success. I pray that He will listen to God's leading. I pray that I will follow and be an encourager.


Also, I thought of something else that ties in--as parents it's our job to raise our sons to be the spiritual leaders of their future homes.

In fact, just this morning I was talking about this with my 18-year-old son. I told him, "You know what? The type of girl you're looking for will be more attracted to your spiritual maturity than anything else. So the more time you spend with God, the more you'll attract a girl who has a heart for God."

I'm also excited because of a new resource I just bought. This weekend I was super-blessed at a women's retreat that featured the speaker Sheri Rose Shepherd. Sheri is a fellow Multnomah/Waterbrook author.

One of Sheri's books that I bought is Preparing Him for that Other Woman. I can wait to start reading it! With two teen sons I need all the encouragement I can get!

Oh, and if you haven't read Generation NeXt Parenting yet, then make sure to check it out. I give more ideas about how to train our kids while also being a helpmate to our husbands. The men in our lives deserve nothing less.


© Tricia Goyer

posted by Tricia Goyer @ 8:26 AM