I love the Bible account of Deborah.  God had appointed her a judge over Israel.  Pretty special since judges were to save God's people out of the hand of those who plundered them.  Judges 1:18 says:  "Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge". During Deborah's day, King Jabin had oppressed cruelly the people for 20 years.  Things were bad.  Community life had all but ceased, the highways were abandoned and hardly a shield, spear or fighting man could be found.  Until it says...until Deborah arose a mother in Israel.

Nowhere does it mention Deborah was a biological mother but she arose a mother in Israel and saved the day! God’s people were in a mess. Their choices and behavior impacted the lives of their families, community, and society in general. As a woman (helper and mother) - Deborah was a leader, she was a warrior and she changed her society!  Community life here is much like that of Deborah’s time. Our choices and behavior have impacted our lives, our families, communities, and society in general.

I have never had children of my own so I really don't know nothing about birthin' no baby.  But, I do know about mothering and right now we need to be as Deborah.  We need to arise as mothers in America.  My last posts have been an attempt to share the longing of my own heart to arise as a mother and perhaps inspire you that...together we can do it!  Together we can fight for our families, homes, churches, and communities.  Together we can use our influence and superpowers (so to speak) as God's wonder women to save the day.  

Good and godly mothers think biblically, speak truth into the situations around them and do what is right so that those living within their reach and influence no longer live in oppression or can avoid living in oppression.  I love what Susan Hunt says about spiritual mothering.

"The name El Shaddai and Scripture surely give value to mothering, but they also imply a capacity for mothering that has been given to women. Biological birthing is not the activator of this capacity; women who have never given physical birth still have this mothering capacity and can exhibit mothering characteristics. 

The development of this mothering capacity is affected by instinct and learning but is hindered by sin. When the Holy Spirit produces faith in a woman, she becomes a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). A dramatic result of her newness is her even greater potential for the development of this female capacity. The Christian woman not only has a new Pattern, she has a new Power. 

As a woman’s growing desire to imitate God produces obedience to His Word, she develops mothering characteristics. Our femaleness gives us the capacity for mothering; our faith produces certain characteristics of mothering. Some characteristics we see from the Scriptures are strength, excellence, tenderness, generosity, desire to nurture, comfort, compassion, affection, protection, and sacrifice. These characteristics are relational – they simply will not allow a person to be an isolationist. The possession of these characteristics creates an intense desire to nurture and to be nurtured. The results in the recipients are security and fruitfulness. They will flourish like grass."

Oh, sisters,  we can do it.  Oh please let's do it!  Let's arise mothers in America and let's live out our helper design.  It will not be easy and we will not win any popularity contests while arising.  But, as Nehemiah 4:17 says....."do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight" for those within your reach and influence. The result will be security and fruitfulness and they will flourish like grass.  Glory be.