You know all of those guys in the Bible? The disciples? The warriors? The kings? The everyday men God used to further His Kingdom? You know what they all had in common?

They all had moms.

We don’t hear about some of these moms and some of them may not have been present in their sons’ lives at the time they are found in the Bible, but they definitely all had moms. And I’ve been pondering a lot lately the mom’s perspective behind some well-known heroes of the Bible.

Think about Peter and Andrew, a story we heard again at church yesterday…

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” ~Matthew 4:18-19

I never really thought about it before having children, but these two brothers must have seemed insane to their mom. They had jobs. They made their living doing fairly normal work for that time and place. And because some newcomer to town asked them to join him on who-knows-what kind of journey, they just left it all?! Peter and Andrew’s mom had to be thinking, “Crazy kids.”

I’m sure David’s mom had a HEART ATTACK when she learned that he had taken on Goliath.

And what about Joshua’s mom? What in the world was she thinking when she heard he was leading the troops in marching circles around a city in order to take it over? Did she think he was delusional?

I’ve been reading Bible stories with the boys and chapters in my own Bible time and I can’t help but think of those boys’ mamas. I’ve been reading the Word as a boy mom wanting to know more about the boy moms behind the great “stars” of God’s story. I want to know what they said to their sons before and after their God-sized adventures. I want to know how they felt and what they prayed and if they had any inkling of how God was using their boys. I want to know if they were scared.

Jen Hatmaker shared very profound words at dotMom in Birmingham last fall that I can’t shake out of my brain…

Scared moms raise scared kids. Brave moms raise brave kids. Real disciples raise real disciples.

If David’s mom had said, “Nope. No way you’re letting my young son go join his brothers near the battle lines,” the Philistines may have just had their way with the Israelites and then…well, God is control, but the story probably would have proceeded much differently.

The story of David and Goliath is a great example to my boys of God doing great – AMAZING – things through young people. David didn’t see his age or size as limitations. He saw only what God saw in him and what He could do through him.

But if I was David’s mom, I’m afraid – no, I’m SURE – I would have been running after him, telling him there was no way he would walk right in to the middle of that danger zone. What is that kind of attitude from me going to teach my boys?

Following Jesus looks different for every single person. For Peter and Andrew, it meant giving up everything they knew and literally walking with Jesus. Saul walked out of the “safety” of being the persecutor right into the line of persecution when he was converted.

When my boys come to me with a big, crazy, wild idea that involves following a call God has placed on their lives, I want to be able to say, “YES! Go for it! I’m cheering you on all the way!” Honestly, I’m not there yet. Fear and worry are much more present in my parenting than I care to admit. But I am praying for the strength and courage from God to get me there.

This verse…

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. ~2 Timothy 1:7

That is the verse I want to guide my mind as we raise these boys to be BRAVE followers of Jesus.

And, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I will be their BRAVE mom.

Have you had to be brave when your kids wanted to do something that scared you? What helps you find courage as a parent?