A Different Kind of Mother: Encouragement for StepmomsSample

Accountable Parenting Glorifies God The early months of my marriage were a challenge. It was hard to join a family already in motion – there were television series and movies that I wasn’t invited to watch, there were moments where my exclusion went unquestioned, maybe even unnoticed, by everyone except me. I quickly learned there is no honeymoon period for a blended family—I never had a single night alone with my husband in our new home. There were family patterns and idiosyncrasies that I was an outsider to, further compounded by the fact my mother-in-law lived with us, yet another person with whom I had to blend my life. I became jealous of friends who got married and enjoyed the quietude and solace of being just two for a while. In the beginning, I was sometimes burdened and bitter by this additional aspect of my marriage. Gone were the would-be date nights, stolen cuddles on the couch, and in their place was a family. A family whose spiritual walk I’m at least a part of if not fully entrusted with. And yet we can take comfort in knowing that in the situations we deem “unfair”, God notices our actions, our replies, our decisions. And He has a task for us – that the family we have joined would see Jesus when they see us. We have been called to our families similarly to the way Mary and Joseph were called to raise Jesus, loving whoever is given into our care. And this walk of faith often requires sacrifice and selflessness. May our journey as stepmothers be one of joyful accountability for the lives of little children before God and therefore may we embrace the extra responsibility that comes with a blended family. Application: Consider, pray about, confess, and repent of parenting children in any way other than what is righteous and unto the Lord.