Thursday, May 2, 2013

Mothers of Influence

  She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

  She watches over 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:

    Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD,
she shall be praised.

Proverbs 31:26-28,30 NKJV


With Mother's Day approaching, I thought I'd revisit a previous post and share a few stories of mothers who had a great influence on their children.  (some of the information is from the book Mothers of Influence).  These mothers are just a few of the many examples of a Proverbs 31 woman. 


Proverbs 31:30 refers to a woman who "fears" the Lord.  This is not referring to the type of fear we think of today.  Websters 1828 dictionary explains it well: 
the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God.

Susannah Wesley


Susannah Wesley (1669 – 1742) mother to 19 children and famous hymn writer Charles Wesley (wrote over 9,000 hymns), as well as John Wesley, a great preacher of his day.  Mrs. Wesley prayed one hour a day for her children, and could often be seen with her apron over her head – a sign to her children that she was praying.   She also set aside individual time for each child to teach them spiritual things.  A mother of influence teaches her children to pray.

Mrs. Graham with her son Billy

Morrow Coffey Graham (1892 – 1981) prayed that her son would become a world-renowned evangelist and taught him to trust God and believe the Bible.   Her prayers were answered for her son Billy Graham, preached to more people than any other evangelist.   She never stopped praying for him until the day she died.  A mother of influence prays diligently for her children.


Amy Carmichael

Catherine Jane Carmichael (unknown – 1913) taught her daughter Amy Carmichael to love and trust God for all her needs.  Amy later became a very famous missionary to India, rescuing thousands of girls from a life of abuse.  She was known as the mother to the motherless.  A mother of influence nurtures her children and releases them to God’s care.

Fanny Crosby

Mercy Crosby mother to Fanny Crosby (born 1820) was totally devoted to her only daughter.  Blinded in infancy, Fanny was taught the Bible by her mother and grandmother.  She committed much of it to memory and became one of the most famous hymn writers of all time, writing over 9,000 hymns.  Her mother was a firm believer in prayer and taught Fanny the same.  Because of her mother and grandmother’s influence, Fanny’s hymns have blessed millions of people.  A mother of influence devotes herself to her children’s needs.



Well known women’s Bible teacher and author Elizabeth George says:  You and I as parents must always be praying hope for our children regardless of their age or stage in life. In fact, this is yet another one of God’s “missions” for moms and dads: We are to be diligent prayer warriors. We are to do battle through prayer on behalf of our precious children. Pray for their spiritual growth into a man or woman after God’s own heart as your calling, your mission assignment from God.


Commit to doing your part
and trust God to do His! 

~ Elizabeth George ~

For those who do not have children, reach out to children or young women who need a mother's influence in your circle of family and friends.  One can always pray for them if nothing else. 



This post is linked to:

A Sheltering Tree, Monday's Musings, Word Art Wednesday, Hearts 4 HomeEncourage One AnotherHope in Every Season, Free Pretty Things for You,


16 comments:

  1. These are noble women, and we should all be more like them, I suppose, but the reality is that we are all mothers of influence--good, bad, or even absent. My heart still moans over my mistakes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really look forward to your Scripture Thursdays. Today's was extra special because of the topic :) Thank you for weaving history into this post to inspire us on...

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a beautiful post! Thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very much enjoyed reading a bit about the mothers behind such notable people. And I think that "Mercy" is such a nice name.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you, Abby! This post confirmed something that I am to teach. " Out of two or three witnesses let everything be established." (my paraphrase)
    Thank you for sharing about the faithful women in recent history. May we continue the legacy.... God bless!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I can sure use the reminder to pray for my children even more than I do. These stories are wonderful reminders of what God is able to do in answer to prayer. Thank you for being that constant encouragement I need to live my life the way He would have me do. You are such a blessing to me.
    Thanks for sharing with us this week, Abby.
    Karen
    Word Art Wednesday

    ReplyDelete
  7. Praise God! Thank you dear Abby, this post blessed me! I thank God for leading me to read this beautiful post of yours just at the right time.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you, Abby, for this beautiful post. Susannah Wesley is a woman I look up to and am inspired by her love for the Lord and her children. Growing up, Proverbs 31 was my "role model" for being a wife. I would read it all the time, desiring to be a virtuous woman for my future husband. My heart still has that desire, and with God's grace, help and leading, I pray He will help me each day to be a virtuous woman.
    May the Lord richly bless you!

    Love and hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh Abby, your posts are always so interesting. My heart is always blessed. I have a dear mother. I always feel like Abraham Lincoln -- all that I am I owe to my angel mother.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for the beautiful post Abby! I enjoyed reading about the women from "Mothers of Influence". huge hugs!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What an interesting post...perfect for Mother's Day! Thx for stopping by my blog, Abby! HAPPY Mothers Day and Happy May:)
    shawn

    ReplyDelete
  12. Reading about the power of a praying mother is so inspiring. Thank you for putting this together for us, Abby. I can't wait to show my youngest daughter, who's our little history buff - she LOVES Amy Carmichael, which is her favorite person in history and her hero.

    ReplyDelete
  13. ... always such inspiring posts from you, Abby. Thank you for including encouragement to those of us that do not have children. Prayers & love to you for a wonderful Mother's Day!
    ~Pamelyn

    ReplyDelete
  14. Abby...what a GREAT post! You featured wonderful moms to encourage me. Don't know which I one liked the most. I will have to check our the reference you used for this post. Love the graphics as always. Be sure to share at Monday's Musings when you can. Praying you have a blessed week dear friend.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you for such a wonderful post! My mother was always a great inspiration to me and my siblings. I have a Mother's Day Praise report and a testimony to the power of prayer that I would like to share. My daughter was diagnosed with cervical cancer last year and has gone through all the treatments. Last week some testing was done, and the results came back that she is CANCER FREE, in remission. This is the Best Mother's Day gift ever!! Praise GOD!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Paula, that's wonderful news. Thank you for sharing. There is power in prayer. ~ Abby

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are blessings to my day.