love your children.

There is a scripture in the Bible in the book of Titus, chapter 2, that tells the older women to teach the younger women to love their children.

At first glance, this seems like an oxymoron. There is a bond between mother and child unlike any relationship in the world. No matter if you live in Mongolia or Manhattan, a mother's love is incredible.

So why would God address this?

It's pretty simple if you know the Bible. It's because God's love is not the same as our love. We have conditions. He does not.

Throughout the years of mothering there will be endless opportunities for sacrifice. The demands are unknown until you hold your newborn. Then, let the games begin! Sleepless nights, sore nipples and/or nightly feedings..the list goes on. Yet, the joy and fulfillment our children bring far outweigh the work.

We all have various tolerance levels. For instance, I like to teach so homeschool was a good fit for me. However, my strength and ability did hit the proverbial brick wall and that is when we find there is more to give that we either want or have within us. This is where loving your children comes in. As outlined in the scripture, love is not just a feeling. It is an action that is based on a choice to do whatever it takes. And since experience is on the side of older women, this is why God instructs us to teach the younger women.

There have and will continue to be plenty of opportunities for sacrifice. It's one thing to have to get up for 2 and 4am feedings. It's another thing to be drained mentally and emotionally for difficult situations involving your children that are not yet resolved or watching them make choices and decisions that you do not agree with.

When a mother realizes that her life is in service to her family, she is willing to take on the instruction to love her children (and husband, as Titus 2 says). In today's world with it's empowered women who have sat under the tutelage of feminism, mothers have to decide which path they will take.

I don't know about you, but I have to give it all I've got and then some. We aren't always going to see the results right away nor will we see it in our lifetime. We instruct our children for them, but we also instruct them for the whole of society, a nation, and the world.

There is a sense of deep fulfillment, one that I find cannot be tampered with when we live our lives based on principles and values that are timeless and based on truth. While I have seen me give it all only to find the results were sorrowful, I still have within me the fulfillment of having done all.

Moms, loving your child is hugging and laughing and cuddling. But it also is loving them no matter what.

And that, is God's love.