You’re Not Just A Mom! Just ask Sisera
“ I am just a Mom.” Have you ever thought that? Have you ever been told that?
It’s very concerning to me how much our society today has diminished the significance of motherhood. So many women today are looked at with slanted eyes because they have chosen to embrace the calling of motherhood and not “make something of themselves” through business or otherwise. I am not, by any means, saying that you can’t fulfill your calling as a mother and rock it in business. Just read Proverbs 31. That’s pretty hard to argue against. What I am saying is that many women today feel like they have accepted the bottom-of-the-barrel calling when they have embraced motherhood, when that could not be further from the truth.
Now, I want to be super clear that what I am about to share is pretty intense for a topic that we usually approach from a flowery and fluffy perspective.
The truth is, motherhood is war!
“Yeah I know Bryan, my kids just don't stop fighting!”
No, no that’s not what I am talking about. I hear you…but not what I am talking about. This war that you are fighting as a mother is a war against hell. It’s a war against a very real demonic dimension of darkness. Let me explain.
As we read Judges chapter 4 we see that Israel is in big trouble. For the sake of time, I can’t get into all the details but the Canaanites have made life for the people of Israel extremely difficult. This had led to war taking place in the land. King Barak, the current king of Israel, receives the word of the Lord from Deborah to gather troops and head out to fight as the Lord would cause Sisera, a Canaanite general, to be drawn out. The promise was that God would go before him and the enemy would be defeated. This is exactly what happened and not one man was left (V16). Except for Sisera. He managed to escape and tried to find shelter and refuge in the tent of a lady named Jael, who was the wife of Heber a Kenite. Because the region he was in was not at war with his countrymen, Sisera thought he’d be safe to duck in here and wait for it all to blow over. What happens next he didn’t see coming.
In verse 18, we read that Jael invites Sisera to turn aside into her tent. She then covers him with a rug in order to hide time from the pursuing army. Because Sisera had been running to escape Barak’s army he was understandably thirsty. When he asks for water to drink, Jael goes over and above and gives him milk to drink. I can’t imagine it was by any means cold so, this glass of milk became a “night night” potion for an un-suspecting Sisera. Once, he was asleep Jael took a tent peg and hammer to the side of his head. I’m just quoting the bible ladies! This one-act was the beginning of the end of the Canaanite’s rule of the people of Israel.
Now, rightly so, you may be asking, “ How is this story supposed to encourage me to embrace motherhood?”
I am so glad you asked.
I want you to imagine what day-to-day life would’ve been like for Jael. Being somewhat of a nomadic people setting up and taking down of the tents were probably on her list of duties or at very least she would’ve assisted in this work. I can imagine her pounding the stakes into the ground time and time again in order to secure the ropes of the tent. I wonder if she ever thought that her occupying her role as homemaker would ever lead to the defeat of a wicked general? Do you see where I am going with this?
Mom, you might feel like what you do doesn’t make a difference. The enemy of your soul would love to make you think, the dishes you do, the food you cook, the clothes you wash and the intentional time you put in to connect with your children means nothing and will have no lasting impact. I want to encourage you today that with every decision you make to honour your husband, love your kids and impart to them the truth of God’s Word, you are pounding a stake into the head of darkness.
You aren’t just making a home, you are making war!
From the bottom of my heart, I want to give a major shout-out to all the moms who have unashamedly stepped into this sphere ready to fight. You are making the world a better place. For all those who are feeling discouraged and disheartened by the lies of the enemy and this culture, what you are doing matters. You matter! Do not quit! Make war!
-Bryan Pue