How to Bring out the Best in Your Husband and Children
The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands. (Proverbs 14:1)
Recent research data concludes that children who receive critical psycho-social support from their parents, early in life, develop into adults with high levels of self-esteem and better personal control, and go on to sustain better relationships. It is an obvious fact that children spend more time with their mothers in the early stages of life than they do with anyone else. Mothers, more than they often realize, have an unusual capacity to influence the character of their children and to shape their future.
Wilma Rudolph wore metal braces on her feet as a child. Nevertheless, she went on to win three Olympic gold medals and was named the fastest woman in the world in 1960. This success, she attributes to her mother, saying, “My doctors told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.” The truth is, you can bring out the best in your children and usher them into a great future. God has particularly equipped you for this. You have the power to create an enabling environment, not just for your children to flourish, but also for your husband.
The contributions of Sir James Mackintosh, the famed jurist and statesman, to the cause of science and humanity are phenomenal, to say the least. In one of the most touching tributes ever given, Mackintosh attributes his achievement to his wife: “She gently reclaimed me from dissipation; she propped my weak and irresolute nature; she urged my indolence to all the exertions that have been useful or creditable to me, and she was perpetually at hand to admonish my heedlessness and improvidence. To her I owe whatever I am; to her, whatever I shall be.” According to William A Alcott, “it has been said of the wife of Jonathan Edwards, that by enabling him to put forth his powers unembarrassed, she conferred a greater benefit upon mankind, than all the female public characters that ever lived or ever will live.”
Woman, you have a greater measure of influence on your home and on humanity than you know. I encourage you to seize the knowledge of this truth and go ahead to fulfil this unique role God has gifted you to play. No matter how fraught with challenges your relationship with your husband or children may be at the moment, you can turn things around. Your power lies not simply in giving advice or instruction, but also in the tone and spirit of your conduct; in your manifestations of love and faith; in standing under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and drawing strength from them to discharge the, sometimes, thankless duties of wife and mother.
The influence of the woman in the fall and redemption of man, in Eve and in Mary, will never be lost on history. Your husband needs you. Your children need you. Humanity needs you. Be stingy with criticism and generous in praise and encouragement. You are a person of influence. The Lord will give you the wisdom and the grace to know how to bring out the best in your husband, children and everybody around you. Your children will arise and call you blessed. Your husband will praise you. In the name of Jesus, your home will never be the same again.
I look forward to reading your testimonies as they roll in. If you require counseling or want us to prayerfully agree with you on something, please send me a mail at pastortaiwo@tfolc.org. I also encourage you to visit our websites: www.discoveryforwomen.net, www.thewomanleader.org, www.ruthandboaz.org, and http.homeaffairs.tfolc.org for other useful resources.
God bless you.
Pastor Taiwo Odukoya
