By Lisa Bevere
A Godmother’s Assignment
Godmothers are empowered with the purpose of teaching. Let’s not just read the Word of God;
let’s live it. This enables us to teach the younger women the good and worthy pursuits of life and
position them to discover what is genuinely beautiful.
Love requires learning. We are not born knowing how to love our husbands or even our
children. Building a healthy marriage and family involves work. Love does not mean enabling
your husband or spoiling your children. Love naturally causes growth. John and I have grown in
love even as our love has grown. People grow when they are loved. No matter what our
marriage or mothering story was, we can help the young marriages and families around us grow
in love and strength. Each year is another chance to write a new chapter. Don’t be afraid to
open your life when it comes to marriage and children. Show them how to raise their children by
sharing the things you did well and your mistakes.
Wisdom and virtue should be our pursuit. If you’re an older woman, don’t allow idleness or the
pursuit of pleasure to distract you. This can be your most rewarding season of life if you don’t
devolve into a critic. This world has more than enough critics and detractors; what it needs is
mamas who model support. If you are wondering how to do this, why not make kindness your
king?
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly. (Prov. 31:26
MSG)
Sweet one, I know you are wise enough to know it is not just what we say but how we say it.
Let’s not pretend we are tone deaf. We all hear so much better when kindness is present.
People can even hear hard things when they are said in kindness.
“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.”~Amelia Earhart
You never know what grows in response to your seeds of kindness. But be assured; something
is growing. Our world is growing increasingly unkind and cold, which means there is a desperate
need for kind godmothers. Remember, kindness can act like magic and works the most
powerfully on the least deserving.
I found the “taking care of their household” part in Titus 2 a bit frustrating until I discovered that
housekeeping is far more than housework.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive.
(Prov. 31:27 MSG)
You are not the maid! This verse in Proverbs describes a mother who is doing far more than
cleaning up after her family. It describes a mother who is discipling and developing everyone
under her care. I want more for my children. This means I want them to grow more rather than
get more. It looks different in a marriage than it does with children, but I want to foster the same
dynamic of growth in my husband.
I’ve discovered nurture does better than nagging. If you are married, be devoted to your
husband. Be careful not to undermine or dishonor one another in word or deed. It is not easy,
but it is worth it. Making one another look bad will never make either of you look good. This has
been a hard one for John and me. We both feel things very strongly, and each day is another
opportunity for growth. That’s the tricky part about being one. When we lash out at one another,
we injure ourselves. When I see newlyweds, I tell them it will only keep getting better. Time,
trials, children, and shared experiences only serve to enrich your life.
Let’s embrace our years (even if some see you as a youth) and all the lessons we’ve learned
and refuse to adopt our culture’s worship of youth and frivolity. If you’re a younger woman, this
means you have lots to look forward to. If you are an older woman like me, it means that you
are being watched. Lead by example; hiding or opting out is not an option.
**This is an excerpt from Lisa Bevere’s new book Godmothers. Used by permission. Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group copyright 2020.
Purchase your copy of Godmothers today through the Messenger International store.
About the Author: Lisa Bevere has spent nearly three decades empowering women to find their identity and purpose. She is a cancer survivor and a New York Times bestselling author. Her books include Without Rival,
Adamant, Lioness Arising, and Girls with Swords. Lisa and her husband, John, co-founded Messenger
International to develop uncompromising followers of Christ who transform their world. To this
end, Messenger has given away nearly 40 million resources in over 100 languages.
