Why Discernment is Important in a Mother’s Life

“We need discernment in what we see and what we hear and what we believe.” Charles R. Swindoll

If the words above hold true, then this is why discernment is and will always be a powerful tool in every mother’s life. What you believe about motherhood and parenting will shape you into the mother that you become.

Also, the things we see, hear and believe on this journey of nurturing lives have the capacity to influence our choices, actions and decisions. And it cannot be denied that discernment has a great role to play in our journey as mothers raising children. You will need that ability to judge which things of a particular kind are good or bad. And you will also need perception and awareness in the trenches of motherhood as you walk through various seasons in your motherhood journey.

Are You A Discerning Mother?

Several years ago, the media was agog with sexual abuse charges against famous R&B Singer, Robert Kelly. The Grammy award winning artist is currently undergoing trial and is accused of racketeering, sexual abuse and bribery.

His younger brother, Carey once gave a detailed interview about their childhood and how he and Robert were sexually molested by their sister at a very young age. They were raised by a single mother who left them in the care of their older sibling and was probably unaware of what was going on.

And I remember watching that interview after my husband told me about it. I asked him, where was the mother in all of this? And he said this – Much more than being present in your child’s life, every mother and indeed parent needs discernment to navigate your journey and life as a parent. When you are discerning, you can be privy to certain things happening in and around your child’s life.

The word ‘discern’  according to Collins dictionary means this – “ to see or be aware of (something) clearly. And some of the synonyms used to describe discernment are as follows : perception, judgement, insight, awareness, clear sightedness, intelligence and perceptiveness. And as a mother, you need some or all of these to guide and aid you as you raise your children. So, it may just be the right moment to ask – Are you a discerning mother?

God’s Word and Discernment

God wants us as his children to be discerning. A lack of discernment led Adam and Eve to fall for the temptation of Satan in the garden. Also, there are times when evil will not always appear as evil. How then do you discern the difference in those moments? The presence of the Holy Spirit and the word of God in your life gives you the ability to discern all things. God wants you to be discerning as a mother.

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ ~ Philippians 1:9-10

God’s spirit can also bring you into a place of awareness in your life. So much that discernment becomes a powerful tool that you can use in every area of your life, including your role as a mother.

Moreover, you can ask God for a discerning heart just like King Solomon asked God after he became king. He did not ask for riches or power, rather he asked for a discerning heart to govern God’s people. And God honored his request.

1 Kings 3:9-12 “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.

So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.”

Likewise, did you know that your ability to discern can distinguish you as a mother and in your parenting journey? Say a prayer to God today – Father, give me a discerning heart as I mother and raise my children. Amen!

Why Discernment is Important in a Mother’s Life

“Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.” Charles Spurgeon

A young man once shared this story about how his mother’s ability to discern saved him from joining an occult group and eventual death. According to his story, “It was that night and I and my friends were ready to go for the initiation party to be held in the outskirts of town. We had been approached to attend a party and we were excited. After all, we were being swayed by the freedom that came with our lives as new undergraduates and we had no clue what lay ahead. And since we could not beat the cult group that reached out to us, we thought the wisest thing to do was join them.

I had some hours to go before the initiation party started. I was scared but had made up my mind to go. However, as I pondered on the event that I was about to attend, someone tapped my door. I stood up and opened the door to meet the peering gaze of my mother. I was shocked and asked what she was doing here in my school.

Immediately, my dear mother began to plead with me not to go anywhere that night. She had a nagging ache in her heart about me that wouldn’t go away. She could perceive strongly that something bad was about to happen to me. This pushed her to take a late journey to visit me here in my school that night. I eventually never went for that initiation party. But guess what, my friend who was to attend the party with me never returned till this day. I ask myself all the time, what if my mother never showed up that night because of what she perceived in her spirit about me.”

Jochabed, The Mother of Moses Was a Mother With a Discerning Heart.

She risked her life and that of her family to protect the destiny of her son because of what she could perceive about his future. The bible says that Jochabed, the mother of Moses saw that there was something special about her son.

“A man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. The woman became pregnant and had a son. She saw there was something special about him and hid him. She hid him for three months. When she couldn’t hide him any longer she got a little basket-boat made of papyrus, waterproofed it with tar and pitch, and placed the child in it. Then she set it afloat in the reeds at the edge of the Nile.” Exodus 2:1-3 MSG

It must have been a discerning heart that led Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist to go into seclusion in the first 5 months of her pregnancy. Could it be that she became suddenly aware of the role the seed she was carrying was to play in God’s story?

Or perhaps she perceived that she needed time away from the prying eyes of the world in that season of her life to protect her seed. But, whatever the case maybe, Elizabeth employed the powerful tool of discernment in that season of her life to shield her miracle and protect her seed.

5 Reasons Why Every Mother Needs A Discerning Heart

Mothers are naturally perceptive by nature and that intuitiveness seems to come alive more in motherhood. However, your relationship with God and an awareness of the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in your life as a mother can be a game changer in your motherhood journey. You get to partner with God as you raise your children. The Holy Spirit can open your eyes to see and your ears to hear things beyond the natural. And if you can ask your heavenly father, he will give you a discerning heart.

Here are 5 Good Reasons Why You Need a Discerning Heart as a Mother.

1. You get armed with insight into the ‘what and how’ of each season of your child’s life.

2. You get uncommon strategies to thwart the plans and agenda of the evil one over the life of your child.

3. You understand how to lead your child according to God’s divine blueprint and unique template for his life.

4. You are privy to certain things happening in and around your child’s life.

5. You become fully awake and are always battle ready to combat every intruder against your child’s destiny.

Will you embrace this powerful tool of discernment today in your motherhood journey?