5 Ways to Live Like Jesus as a Mom
“Mom, can you make me some chicken nuggets?” My son asked me this question the other day, even though he is fully capable of making chicken nuggets on his own.
“I am not your servant.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying. I felt the Holy Spirit speak to my heart and say, “Yes, you are.”
Jesus was a servant-leader, and He invites us to follow His example. Even though Jesus was never a mom, the Bible says that He became a human like us. He felt what we feel.
Being a mom means being a servant. From the time a child is born until the day they leave home (and often beyond), we take care of them.
We balk at being a servant to little people. But we don’t need to look far to see that being a mom-servant is a picture of Jesus.
Mom gets up in the night to feed a hungry baby, changes countless dirty diapers, and wipes endless noses. As they get older, she preps food, washes laundry, drives to endless activities–and loses sleep taking care of her baby. Because your child is always your baby.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15
As moms, we can follow Jesus and live like Him. It’s not always easy, but we can do it in His strength.
5 Ways to Live Like Jesus as a Mom
Following Jesus as a mom isn’t a new idea — it’s something many of us were taught long before we had children of our own.
I might be dating myself here, but I’m old enough to remember the What Would Jesus Do? craze of the 90s. We wore WWJD bracelets and t-shirts, put magnets on our fridge, and people with cars had bumper stickers.
Asking yourself, “What would Jesus do?” in every situation is always a good practice. But what does it mean in reality?
After all, Jesus was a man living in a different world than we live in today. But He did display character traits and actions that modern moms can copy today.
1. Jesus spent time with His Father every day.
While He was here on earth, Jesus was fully God, but also fully man. He had all the power of God. We can see it on display when He healed the sick, cast out devils, and raised the dead.
But He still intentionally sought out time to be alone with His Father.
And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
Matthew 14:23
Everywhere Jesus went, multitudes thronged Him. He preached, taught, and healed throughout the land. But He sent these multitudes away so that He could be with God.
How to spend time with God every day.
Every mom I know is busy. We dream of a magic day when we’ll wake up and not be busy. But that day isn’t coming.
We need to be intentional about having a daily quiet time. It doesn’t just happen. Like Jesus, we might need to put other people or things out of our lives temporarily.
Remember, we have a lot of things going on, but nothing is more important that being with our Heavenly Father.
2. Jesus memorized Scripture and used it.
In Matthew, we read about Jesus being tempted by the devil. Satan offered to turn stones into bread and to give Him all the kingdoms of the earth (which, ironically, did not belong to Satan to give!).
Satan told Jesus to cast Himself off the temple and let the angels protect Him. But Jesus didn’t fall for the devil’s temptations.
Instead, Jesus quoted Scripture. “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
Jesus fought the devil with the same tool we are given–the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
How to Memorize Bible Verses.
If it was important for Jesus to memorize Scripture, it must be important for us, too! Being able to rattle off a long Bible chapter by heart is impressive.
But it’s not necessary to memorize full chapters. I like to memorize verses that I can apply in my life right now. Maybe they are verses about patience, peace, or loving God.
I use my daily Scripture writing plan to focus on a particular theme, and memorize some of the verses that speak to me.
Check out my free Scripture writing plans here.
3. Jesus served with a patient heart.
How crazy is it to know that the King of the Universe came down to earth and washed dirty feet? Jesus was entitled to be waited on hand and foot. He could’ve demanded it.
But He didn’t.
Jesus said that the greatest person in His kingdom is a servant. “And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.” (Mark 10:44)
To the disciples, this was twisted thinking. In our human minds, the greatest person is the one who sits in the fancy chair while everyone serves. But Jesus says no.
And He lived that out. On His final night before His crucifixion, Jesus washed His disciples’ dirty feet. Even after three years of following Him, the disciples still hadn’t learned this lesson.
How to be a servant mom.
As we’ve already discussed, being a mom naturally makes you a servant. But we can learn from Jesus’ example and be patient servants.
Service done without a servant’s heart is not service that brings honor to God. And it’s really easy to serve without a servant’s heart.
When we have a complaining spirit and a grumbling attitude, even the greatest service doesn’t bring honor to the Lord.
A servant mom honors God by serving her family with a happy heart. She does this even if no one sees or acknowledges her hard work. God sees, and He rewards His faithful servants.
Related: 10 Powerful Bible Verses About Joy Every Mom Needs to Read
4. Jesus helped people without expecting repayment.
The society in which Jesus lived was far different from ours now — but maybe not as different as we like to think. The scribes and Pharisees were considered to be holier than everyone else.
But there were certain people they would not dare speak to or even look at. They made a show of giving in the temple, but would not stoop to help an injured man beside the road. (Luke 10:25-37)
Not Jesus. He loved and helped everyone, even those that society deemed unworthy. He touched a ceremonially unclean woman and healed her issue. He sat and ate with sinners. He forgave a woman caught in adultery.
According to the law of the day, a holy man would not even speak to these people. But Jesus loved these unworthy people.
How to be a helpful mom.
While our societal system is far different from that of Jesus’ day, there are still similarities. Some people are considered “less-than,” and good people don’t associate with them.
I’m certainly not advocating for women to put themselves in danger to help others! But we all know people who need help and are shunned by society.
They are at the local food pantry. They visit our churches at Easter and Christmas. Sometimes they are dirty or smell bad. But Jesus loves them. And He wants us to love them too.
It’s hard to reach out to people who can’t do anything to repay us. But it’s the Christlike way to act.
5. Jesus set healthy boundaries on His time.
In Mark 1, we read how Jesus walked around Galilee, healing the sick and casting out devils. He worked late into the night.
The next morning, the people returned, wanting Him to heal them more. However, Jesus’ mission here on earth was not heal people. Healing was simply a sign that pointed people to Him.
So, He told His disciples, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.”
Jesus had the power to heal all that came to Him. But His goal was to heal their souls, not their bodies. He stayed true to the call from His Father, even if it left others feeling disappointed.
How to set boundaries as a mom.
For some reason, modern moms struggle to say no to all the things that press on our time. We feel guilty if we try to protect our time, and we end up filling our schedules to the breaking point.
God gave us homes and families to take care of. That is our calling. We can try to say yes to everything. But by default, we are saying no to something.
Unfortunately, it’s usually our homes and families that suffer from our lack of boundaries. (Not to mention our own health and sanity!)
Jesus shows us that being a servant doesn’t mean being endlessly available — it means being obedient to the Father.
We can be like Jesus by making a conscious choice about the things that matter most. This might mean saying no to good things that don’t serve our purpose.
Mama, Be Like Jesus!
We often hear people say that we should live like Jesus. We need to live out “What would Jesus do?” in every part of our lives.
It feels impossible. But it’s not. God gave us the Bible as a “how-to manual.” By reading it, we can see how Jesus lived and learn how we can follow His example.
No, we can’t heal people or calm storms. But we can spend time with God every day, love our neighbors, and learn how to focus on the things that matter.
These steps are simple, but not always easy. Thankfully, we don’t have to do it alone.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:24
He calls us to do a job. Then, He works through us to do it.
Trust God to lead and guide you. Depend on God, and live a life that honors Him, just like Jesus.
