21 Principles for Single Moms: Spiritual Leadership
- Lori Little Hope & Help for the Single Mom
- Published Jul 27, 2004
Being the spiritual leader of your home as a single mom is the most important role you have in this season of life. You have influence over your children no matter what age your children are. What is important to understand though is how are you influencing your children spiritually? Are you driving them to God or are you driving them to the world?
My son was eighteen months old when I became a single mom. I was a new Christian at the time and did not have a good, solid foundation of Gods word. It wasn't until I realized what an impact my own spiritual life would have on the life of my little boy that I started to take that role very seriously. I heard a message on Christian radio one night that changed my life forever about my role as the spiritual leader of my home as a single mom.
I heard a man speak one night about his life being raised by a single mother. His father passed away when he was only nine months old. His mother had only a sixth grade education and had to work in a textile mill making less than ten dollars a week. They lived in a one room apartment and had to crawl out the window to get to the bathroom. She never complained about their situation or raised her voice to her son. Even though his mother did not have a lot of time to spend with him, she was a tremendous influence on his life by what she did when she was there.
The greatest impact she made on his life was that she got down on her knees with him every night and prayed. No matter how old he was or how late he got in at night, his mother was there to pray with him. It was the very fact that she would call out his name before God that made him want to be obedient to God. It was also her complete trust in God that made him trust God. In everything she did, she set an example that drove her son to God instead of the world. Instead of telling him what to do or what not to do, she would ask him to seek God for what He would have her son do in every situation. He learned from her not so much by her teaching him the Bible; he learned from watching and listening to her in everything that she did. She set the example for him with a gentle quiet spirit that set the foundation for his life.
Today the man whose story I heard that night on the radio, Dr. Charles Stanley, preaches the gospel to every nation in the world in over fifty languages. He is also the Pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta and Founder of InTouch Ministries.
You see, you don't have to be a Biblical scholar to be a spiritual influence to your children. But you cannot impart what you do not possess. Teach them what you know -- no matter how much or how little -- and trust in God to do the rest. Keep learning and growing in God's word. I made a decision to read my bible in the morning before my son got up. I share with him what I learned that morning and continued my bible study at lunch and share with him what I learned at dinner and in the evening. Just having your children see that you are learning about God will make a difference in their life.
The answer to raising godly children is your own godly relationship to God Himself. Today, make the choice to be a positive spiritual influence in the life of your child. With every decision you make ask yourself: "Am I driving my child to God, or am I driving them to the world?" Make a decision to pray with them every day, read God's word on your own and with them, and make your actions one of a gentle, quiet spirit that will drive your children to God.
Dr. Charles Stanley says of the 21 Principles:
"If a single mom will follow these 21 Principles, there is no way for her to fail. She will watch herself grow in her own strength and abilities and become more confident as the leader of her home.
The 21 Principles of a Healthy Single Mom is a practical asset for single mothers to apply specific, workable, successful guidelines to her life."
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