“May our sons be as plants grown up in their youth, And our daughters as corner-stones hewn after the fashion of a palace;” Psalm 144:12
This verse has been on my mind lately; but not just the verse, the tremendous responsibility that goes along with it for us parents, particularly mothers.
I’m thinking of daughters, as I look at my own. “Like cornerstones”.
I want you to pay close attention to the definition of a cornerstone:
The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Does that make you dizzy with the realization of your job? I look at my five girls and realize they will be grown up in a relatively short time. We’re led to believe that if we just “do the normal thing”, you know, hope they stay out of trouble or do well in school, or whatever, that we have accomplished our purpose.
Don’t be fooled! We have a huge job to do, every day, fashioning our daughters, shaping them, teaching them, training them to be “the stone that determines the position of the entire structure”.
Take a deep breath…we were created for this.
More on the practical applications of this job in a bit!
7 comments
You’re absolutely right. Being “good” or a “good christian” whatever that means isn’t enough. They need a vision for the future! For their role in furthering Christ’s kingdom! “For without vision, the people perish.” Prov 29:18
🙂 Of course, I am looking forward to raising my son as well (due in 8 weeks!), but this just made me so proud to be the mama of a little girl. There is so much potential in her–and not just potential for intellectual or financial success, which the world deems of utmost importance, but potential to do great things for God!
~Bethany
as a single mom, i approach the job of raising my son with more than a bit of trepidation… it is SO hard!
without the Lord, i would be lost, that is for sure… praise Him that He will never leave me♥
Thanks for reminding me of this scripture so that I can meditate on it too.
Excellent post!
training them to be “the stone that determines the position of the entire structure”.
Wow. I need to paste this definition somewhere in my house. This not only points to our important job as mothers, but how we ourselves are placed in our homes – determining the structure – are we in our proper place? are we crooked?
Also, the definition (btw where did you get it?) of a disciple in your last post –
in order to become capable of doing what that person does or to become what that person is.”
This was very direct and convicting – do I want my children doing and being what I am? It makes me think of Philipians where Paul is telling the church to be like him…but somehow these posts helped to apply it all so clearly for me and my children. Thank you.
Mrs. Santos,
You nailed precisely, the topic of the next post–that we can’t separate training our children from who we are…VERY convicting indeed!
I think you are so right about this. As mothers, we set the tone of our homes and what better way than to start with daughters.
I have only boys, but those boys will hopefully one day marry women who will be corner-stones for their homes. This is sobering because I want my boys to choose mates very selectively!