The Born Again Mom

[Hey Mom] if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I’m doing it again, writing a blog post based on the crazy notion that God speaks His Word (today) right into our personal lives. Specifically, into this mothering season with kids and chaos, laughter and the need for a long-suffering sort of love. Today I’m considering again, as I often do, how to change… to be more like Him and less like me as I parent these (not so little) people.

You don’t have to wait for the start of another new year to consider new behaviors, new habits, and a new you there in that old home of yours. God promises that He make all things new, including you and me and our kids. But today we’re focusing on us, not them. God has a good plan for them too, but it starts with Him working out His good plan in our lives. We’re the adults. Their job at 2 and 12 is to be more immature than we are at 32 or 42… so today we’re believing God’s Word for us.

If you are stuck in and old sad sin-pattern of anger, bitterness, envy or unbelief, or spend your days complaining and undone by the foolishness of others, this promise to remake you brand new is for you today. These words, His Word, was written like a love-letter directly to you. Amazing! You were on His mind when He breathed this promise into existence. The old you you’re still battling and the new you too, He knew it all. He knows it all.

There is a phrase that is common among Christians: Born again. Though the imagery seems strange, the words are clear and possible and straight from the Scriptures. To live this life as God intended us to live it (now with them and forever with Him) you need to die to the old you and start living brand-new. As always, I’m preaching to myself here as I call you out into the light of God’s best life.

If you are living in your old sin-tendencies, with your loved ones all around you each day, suffering as you suffer, there is a new life for you through Christ. When we come to Jesus as our Savior, asking Him to save us from our past sins and the ongoing sin-behavior that feels impossible to break away from, He not only forgives those sins and the punishment those sins deserve… He gives us a new life, a sin-free life, to live freely! He makes us new. We are born again.

I’m come to believe that it is near impossible to mother those born to me with love and grace, when I’m not functioning from a place of having been born again.

If you have placed your faith in Christ, than Christ has placed Himself in you. He doesn’t dwell in the old version of us… He only lives in born again skins. Therefore, if you are in Christ and Christ is in you than you have been born again and have the power to choose to live that way — to mother that way — to go to the grocery store that way — to love on your husband that way and do the dishes that way and take the kids to the park that way and discipline them that way. That’s right, even if you have been born again, you must make the choice to live it out, Sister!

Raised up in newness, that was all Him. But He requires you to walk win newness like it’s all brand-spanking true.

The old is gone, the new is here. Gentleness, kindness, forbearance, love, and long-suffering tenderness… This is your new life, it affects all you do and say! But it requires an ongoing commitment to live like it out and walk it out.

It’s no longer you living for you, it’s Christ living for you! Christ in you, having His way as you make dinner and switch out the laundry and remind your kids (again) to pick up their toys and set the table. It’s Christ in you breaking up a fight and putting the little one down for a nap. It’s you when she comes out of bed for the umpteenth time and He forgets to study for a test and your husband calls saying that he’ll be late, “Can you get all three of the kids where they all need to be tonight?”

This is a call to arms! But it’s also a call to new legs and a new heart and new facial expressions each exasperated afternoon. Let go of the old you. Through faith, embrace Christ and you’ll also embrace the new you. The born again you.

“You need you to be born again... but they need you to be born again too. ”

Need more encouragement in your parenting? Losing your temper daily? Acting like your old-self, not your born-again-self? Grab a copy of Triggers: Exchanging Parents’ Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses. This book is changing lives, changing moms, changing families, changing generations. Commit to the change today.