What are Tabernacle Tikes? Learning What God has to Say about Motherhood

I’ve been struggling in this motherhood world for almost 5 years at the time I write this.  And I mean, STRUGGLE.

I struggled for years to get pregnant.

I struggled through a very difficult first pregnancy that ended in an emergency section.

I struggled with the pain of breastfeeding THAT NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT (come on women?!).

I struggled with leaving that princess for work each day.

I struggled becoming a stay at home mom and the financial burdens that brought.

I struggled when we became pregnant super quickly with baby two and the guilt of what it all may mean for my first born.

I struggled to find a doctor who would let me have a VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesarian …sorry I said the V word…)

I struggled with the fear surrounding VBAC.

I struggled at having two tiny humans to keep alive.

And the list goes ON and on and on…

But around the time my second was born, Daddy God started revealing something to me.  I didn’t have to work so hard.

See, I was trying to do everything according to the culture.  I wanted us to be busy.  I wanted the girls to be well behaved.  I wanted us to have lots of playdates.  I wanted to have a clean home for my husband.  I wanted, I wanted, I wanted.  Where did all of these ideas come from? You’ve got it.  Social Media and TV Shows/Movies.

I was setting my expectation of motherhood on the WORLD, not on the WORD.

So I started seeking God and HIS desire for my motherhood.  And that’s when I came across Exodus.  I know what you’re thinking – that’s a really random book to have God speak to you about motherhood.  Just bear with me.

In Exodus 35-36 we see God giving the commands to build his tabernacle.  The place HE, almighty God, was going to LIVE in order to be with His people.  Now we all know that place doesn’t need to exist anymore due to the cross and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  But the idea remains because we are called in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies.”  So what exactly did God say to me in Exodus?

Well, when we look through versus 35-36, we see a couple common themes.

1. We see God consistently giving constant, detailed and precise instructions on how to build His dwelling place.
2. We see Him looking for SKILL.
3. We see Him calling WILLING workers.

There we see where the idea of Tabernacle Tikes comes from.

First, God, through His Word, has given US precise, detailed and constant (if we are diligent in our Bible time) instructions on how to live and how we should instruct others, including our tiny humans, to live.

Second, we see God asking for those He had gifted with skills to come forward and serve Him to build the tabernacle.  You, momma, have been gifted with skills.  If God blessed you with those tiny humans through birth, adoption, or some other means, He entirely trusts that you can raise them.  You have the skills. He knows it. You just have believe it.

Third, and most important, He asks for willing participants.  Can you have tiny humans and not be willing to raise them according to God’s divine purpose for their lives and yours? Of course you can.  All aspects are in place – His instruction and your skill – for every momma.  But it takes willingness, to buck the culture and live for God alone, to create Tabernacle Tikes.

I don’t know about you, but I want to live a life that pleases God.  I want this process of motherhood to sanctify me day in and day out.  Through that refining process of myself and my kiddos, I know that we will create a welcoming, encouraging home and the hearts of our children will be developed so that they are willing to serve and home the Holy Spirit and change the world for the Gospel.

So join me on this journey, momma.  It’s not going to be easy.  God has a lot to say in His Word about how we are to live and it’s definitely not a walk in the park.  But if we bring our skills, rely on Him and willingly submit ourselves, we can all resemble the tabernacle – in our hearts, homes and tiny humans!