43 For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. ‭‭- Luke‬ ‭6:43-45

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

Sisters, how do we know our motherhood is producing good fruit that honors God? 

By no means have I got this motherhood thing figured out. In the nine years of being a mom, there are only three moments where I knew I may have had a shot at not messing up my kids…and that was about the five minutes after each of them were born. After that, I was toast!  Thank God for His unending grace. 

With that said, I’ve been fortunate enough to witness some amazing mothers who were a few steps ahead of me. Here are three truths I’ve learned from them as to how motherhood bears good fruit.

1. Stay connected to the Vine. 
2. Guard your tongue.
3. Each mothering moment is a gospel moment.

To bear good fruit in motherhood, we first must stay connected to the Vine. 

I love sleep…a good night’s sleep, that is! I have three kids, and I get eight beautiful uninterrupted hours of sleep every night, said no mom ever! Sleep is nice, but if I’ve learned anything from being a mom, waking up early is the key to a lot of things. To be able to spend time with the Lord in the quiet of the morning, studying His Word and abiding in Him, the Vine, for strength for the day is vital for growth. When we are growing and abiding in Him we will be better mothers and can guide our children toward Christ-likness.  Before we know it, our kids will leave our homes and go out into the world. They may leave knowing how to sort whites from colors, throw a fast-pitch softball, or properly ask a lady on a date. Those things are good, but are they of eternal value? If I am not connected to the Vine, how will I know how to teach my kids to go out into this scary world armed with the gospel and the boldness to proclaim it? At the end of the day, all that I have to give them that is good, holy and of value is Jesus. I must spend time connected to the Vine for my sanctification in order to truly mother these ones entrusted to my care.

All that I have to give them that is good, holy and of value is Jesus.

To bear good fruit in motherhood, we must guard our tongue. 

How many years do fig trees live if nurtured and cared for?  I’ll save you from googling it… 200 years.  What!? Do you think a fruit that stays around for that long would ever grow abundantly on a thornbush? No, it was created to flourish on a good tree. So how do we nurture our children so that the seeds we sow in them outlive us? We all know that our speech can flow out of our mouth so easily but yet cannot be taken back. It primarily happens when our patience is thin and we open our mouth and proceed to blast whoever is in our path.  The scars of hurtful words live in our minds for a long time. Therefore, we can choose to either be life-giving with love and correction or we can spew thorns with our hasty words of negativity. Which do you think will produce good fruit in our kids? Do we want to sow seeds that produce fruit that outlive us like a 200 year old fig? Then we must guard the very thing (the tongue) that has potential to divide a gospel believing generation from one that doesn’t. Jesus said “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). So, sisters our prayer each morning should be “let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). Right now, whatever stage of motherhood you are in, infancy or launching a child into adulthood… your words give life or death (Proverbs 18:21). Fatherhood and motherhood are conduits to help equip children to be fruit-filled trees that grow to become disciples who live out the gospel of Christ. 

To bear good fruit in motherhood, we must view each moment through gospel lenses. Every moment is an opportunity for a gospel moment for both you and your kids. 

It’s really hard to comprehend the redemptive work of Christ when you’re covered in spit up and changing endless diapers. But it’s there. In every correction, in every melt down, while discussing good grades and not so good ones…the gospel is at play. God in His kindness supplies grace, mercy and redemption in this process of caring, nurturing, and discipling these little people He has entrusted to us. It’s our daily sanctification. As we seek to become more like Christ, we then are transformed into His likeness and can therefore offer up the messiness, mistakes, and triumphs of motherhood to Him for His redemptive work and ultimate glory. For example:
Next time your toddler pitches a fit over not getting what he wants, pray this:

• Thank you God, that You are patient with me. Your Word says “but You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15). Help me to do the same. 

When your teenager gives you the silent treatment after being disobedient and receiving a consequence, pray this: 

• Oh God, I am a sinner in need of your mercy. Forgive me when I fail and turn to worldly ways and not You. Thank you for sending Jesus to pay the debt of my disobedience so that I could be in good standing with You. (Psalm 34:17).

We must train our minds to think about Christ when our frustration is rising and in those moments preach the gospel to ourselves. As we seek to display Christ to our children in the daily struggles of motherhood, we are sowing to the Spirit who displays His fruit in and through us (Galatians 5:22). When we refrain from selfishly responding in anger and instead selflessly respond with grace and truth, we are making an eternal impact in the lives of our kids. That is the goal of motherhood.

In conclusion sweet sisters, why would we turn anywhere else? The Savior of our souls is offering a wellspring of abundant life without requiring us to be Instagram perfect! That wellspring is Jesus Christ! He has and is redeeming motherhood to be a great tool for raising disciples. Motherhood shouldn’t look like it does on social media; it should look like the humble, sacrificial, servant-hearted, quick to listen, slow to anger, tender-loving Jesus.

The Savior of our souls is offering a wellspring of abundant life without requiring us to be Instagram perfect!

The only way we can be like Him is to be connected to Him, our true and living Vine.  Let’s start today, sisters. Happy Mother’s Day!