"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." —Ephesians 6:4 ESV

How exactly is motherhood ministry? What is it about our role that God can use? There are lots and lots of answers to that question, but the simplest is that God uses us to lead and train our children to be like Him.

In Beyond Bath Time I wrote about it this way:

Your children are also an unreached people group. They don’t come into the world with a knowledge and heart for God. It’s your job to teach them, and it’s a big job. It’s big in the sense that it demands much of you, but is also big in the sense that it matters a great deal...

Keep widening your lens and consider how many people will hear the message of Christ if you teach your children to live the Great Commission. How many other moms would be challenged to live Christ-centered parenting if they saw you doing it well and with joy? How many husbands and children are connected to those moms?

I hope you get the sense that as a mission-focused mom, your job is not small or insignificant. As a co-laborer in the trenches of motherhood, I want to nudge you to embrace the radical notion that you’ve been called to something gigantic.

But the gigantic task of discipling your children won’t happen in leaps and bounds. It won’t be like a camp experience where they are downloaded with a huge dose of truth and zeal. Nope, mom disipleship requires a slow and steady approach. Here’s a little tidbit to help you with perspective.

Parents have between 3,000–4,000 hours a year to disciple their child. Church staff members have less than 100 hours.

In terms of points of contact, you have a huge leg up on anyone else who will influence your child. That means every second you spend teaching them about Jesus, praying for them, and modeling the fruits of the Spirit builds up over time.

Action Step: Take up family devotions.

If you are not already in the habit of doing so, start family devotions. This can be as elaborate is choosing a devotional plan or book and using it every night or as simple as reading the same verse aloud to your kids once a day and praying together as a family. For a great book on incorporating the Bible into your family life in a way that is manageable and effective, I highly recommend Together: Growing Appetites for God’s Word by my friend Carrie Ward.

A Mom’s Prayer: Lord, thank You for giving me the huge task of teaching my children to be like You. Help me to be a wise steward of the points of contact I have with them each day, and use them to show them more about You.