Like the Mind of Christ
Let’s face it moms, we don’t always know what to say to our girls when they come to us needing direction and guidance in challenges they face. I know I don’t. Too often though, we stumble into saying the wrong thing, urged on by the pressure to be perceived in their eyes and hearts as “Mom always knows what to say or do in the moment,” and we wear it like a badge of honor.
The first time one of my daughters asked my advice on a matter concerning school, I coyly asked her if we could talk later in the evening when we both had more time to delve into what the issue was. I was a young mother wanting desperately to do everything right. Smiling, anticipating our time to tackle the problem, she agreed as she walked off satisfied, feeling assured that help was on the way. I, on the other hand, couldn’t get to my prayer closet fast enough, which caused me to fall right there in the middle of the floor! It was a sight to behold as I laughed heartily at myself. But I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and headed to meet Jesus……in the closet because that’s where Jesus and I meet, and I needed to know what to say!
I learned after searching the scripture that according to 1 Corinthians 2:16, ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.’ Having the mind of Christ frees us from ourselves, our own opinions and perspectives enabling us to adopt the perspective of Christ! If we make a practice of asking God to filter our words, conversations, and interactions with others, then we adopt his perspective on things concerning our lives and our daughters’ lives. As we grow in that, it becomes automatic, second nature so to speak, that we respond with the mind of Christ.
When it was time for my daughter and I to talk, I felt empowered after having spent time with God because I knew that whatever the issue was concerning my daughter, I already knew that the perspective of God needed to resonate and captivate the moment. I learned a valuable lesson in 1 Corinthians 2:16. To draw from the wisdom of God’s word to guide my thinking and decision-making all the time now. I was sure to mention to her that I had spent time with God before she and I met because I was depending on his authority to guide our conversation.
This did 3 major things for me. It freed me of feeling that I had to have all the answers at the moment, and it helped me to teach my daughter about all the questions concerning our lives, the answers are imbedded between the pages of the word of God. Everything is there. We simply need to search the scripture, and then appropriate it to meet our circumstances. But to appropriate the scriptures, remember, we must first know the scriptures, and the only way to know it is to read it and meditate on it.
Also, my willingness to be vulnerable showed my daughter that at times I’m just like her; scared, unsure, and in need of help and guidance. I think sometimes our daughters hold us in such high esteem, that they don’t know that we’ve been where they are, things they are experiencing, we too have experienced. I think the mother-daughter bond is made even more cohesive when we, as mothers, show our daughters not only that we don’t know everything, but also that we consistently rely on our relationships with God to bring the truth we are seeking.
