By Pamela Williams
Recently, my daughter and I spent the day with my sister-in-law and her two daughters. As we sat in the living room, I listened to my husband’s sister pour words of wisdom into these three young-adult women. She reminded them about God’s love for them, she gave them advice about how to deal with life’s difficulties, and she finally reminded them that trusting God is better than trying to struggle with life’s burdens alone. As we listened, I noticed that she had a direct line to their hearts and minds.
When she finished, we launched into an intense conversation about God. We exchanged questions and answers about why to trust God in an age of difficulty, and we told stories of our struggles and discussed the meaning of certain Bible passages. Because we spent years building relationships with them, we could share deep and personal thoughts with them. Then it occurred to me, this is what it means to be a “Mom Apologist.”
Why Should Moms Learn Apologetics?
Every human story starts with mom, and somewhere between the birth and sending offspring into the world, mothers have multiple opportunities to do what moms do. Besides changing thousands of diapers, preparing a gazillion meals and wiping the same runny nose hundreds of times, they have opportunities to build within each child the reasons for God. How can this be done?
Moms Influence Their Children
The research group, Barna, wrote an article called “The Powerful Influence of Moms in Christian Households.”1 The researchers report that among Generation Z (“Gen Z”), or the teenagers of today, they are most likely to ask their moms questions about faith and the Bible rather than their father, friend, grandparent, sibling or any other person. Today’s teens are willing to talk to mom about things that bother them. These moments are ripe with opportunity to give them the answers to their tough questions.
Moms Are Available to Their Children
Moms spend a lot of time with their children. It could be on the sidelines of a basketball game or going over difficult math problems. It could be watching a favorite movie, playing in the sand, or riding together in the car. These opportunities allow all sorts of conversations to flow, and when questions of God, church, or the Bible arise, moms can be ready to give an answer or they can search for answers with their children.
Moms Are Role Models for Their Children
Children watch how moms react to life. Navigating bumper-to-bumper traffic or waiting in a long line shows children how we respond to life’s challenges. Through our own behavior, we can show them patience, or even if we lose it, apologizing teaches them that we are human. When children see parents practicing biblical principles, it opens the door for discussions and questions. It can even give them the reasons why they’d like to practice the same behaviors. The dinner table or the car becomes the classroom where examples of Biblical living come to life.
Moms Counsel and Advise Their Children
As children grow into teenagers and young adults, mom remains a source of information. When something doesn’t make sense, they often turn to mom to ask questions. Sometimes arguments with friends, a breakup, or a difficult class in school may lead to deep conversations. Moms have the opportunity to draw on a wealth of experience and biblical teachings to bring comfort or wisdom. Because of the long-term relationship, teens come to mom when they want to rebel against the church, when they become angry, or even when they get in trouble. Moms often play a strong role in comforting, advising, or passing onto them the wisdom they have gathered.
Because of these and other opportunities to communicate the love of God to children, teens, and adults, moms can plan ahead and build a deeper relationship with God. Many tools are available to help moms get ready to answer the hardest questions and tackle the greatest challenges.
Prayer
Seeking God at every level and in every circumstance is the first place to start. God gives wisdom to those who ask as it is promised in James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (NIVUK). Then we commit to finding the wisdom that we seek. Praying for each child throughout their lives is another strong anchor in helping them build relationships with God.
The Bible
Committing to study the Bible is the next step. Study Bibles, commentaries, and other references are the beginning of building a platform for understanding what we believe and why. Reading the Bible from cover to cover helps to understand what it says, and commentaries further elaborate on what is in the Bible. Asking questions and seeking answers also grows our ability to be ready to give answers to the ones we love.
Resources
Women in Apologetics (WIA) has a website, womeninapologetics.com, with articles and resources by women to help women on the apologetics journey. If you have a certain topic that you’re interested in, just type it in the search bar and resources on that subject will come up. WIA also hosts an annual conference to help equip, encourage, and educate women in apologetics and is planning to hold several mini-conferences throughout the year, as requested. Attending conferences is another way to develop the ability to defend the Christian faith.
Seeking to understand God’s Word and living out what is learned under the direction of the Holy Spirit will give moms what they need to tackle the job. Those who commit to seeing their children through to adulthood can also commit to laying a “God-fearing foundation” in their hearts from birth. And when the challenges come, they will be able to stand.
Notes:
- Barna Group, “The Powerful Influence of Moms in Christians’ Households,” Research Releases in Family & Kids, May 7, 2019, https://www.barna.com.