With the many questions I receive from moms raising strong-willed kids, I thought I’d send some encouragement your way by paying homage to one woman who had the honor of raising a strong-willed son. God honored her faithfulness and used her tenacious son to make an incredible mark on history.
Did you know one of the most influential preachers of all time, Charles H. Spurgeon, was a strong-willed child? He had this to say about his mother:
“I cannot tell how much I owe of the solemn words of my good mother.”
Spurgeon’s brother James said,
“Mother was an exceptionally devout and gracious woman. She was the starting point of all the greatness and goodness of any of us, by the grace of God.”
The zeal that defined Spurgeon lit a fire in the people who heard his message. Thousands of souls were won for Christ because of his faithful witness. Talk about tenacity! Oh, for history to record such things about the strong-willed children of this generation.
Not accounts of earthly trophies or fame–but treasures stored up in heaven. Not how much money our kids made–but how many lives were transformed through their fiery obedience to God’s call on their lives.
How blessed Charles’ mother, Eliza Spurgeon, must have been to know God used her son’s strong personality to transform the generation in which he lived. I wonder how many people Eliza has met in heaven who came to know Christ through her son’s powerful preaching?
Does this make you curious to learn more about the woman who raised Charles Spurgeon? What is recorded about Eliza Spurgeon, and what can we learn from her?
One Sunday while Eliza’s husband, John Spurgeon, was on his way out of town to preach, he turned the carriage around and returned home out of concern for the spiritual well-being of his four children.
When he entered the house he heard the sound of earnest prayer. “He discovered,” says Charles, “that it was my mother, pleading most earnestly for the salvation of all her children, and praying especially for Charles, her first-born strong-willed son.”
After hearing Eliza’s prayers for her children, John Spurgeon felt that he might safely go about his Master’s business while his dear wife was caring so well for the spiritual interests of his children.
It only makes sense that C.H. Spurgeon would have been a strong-willed child. Over and over again I have witnessed how God uses strong kids infused with His grace to turn the world upside down! (I’ve raised a few strong-willed kids myself. Once they surrender to Christ, their tenacity for doing what is right is incredible.)
Eliza tapped into one of the most neglected resources mothers of strong-willed kids have –PRAYER. The Bible says, The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16).
What will history record about you–mom? Will your strong-willed child remember you as one who prayed–or one who battled them tooth and nail? Remember, the Bible says your righteous prayers are effectual, not your shouting or manipulating for control.
Learning to pray for God to break the will of your strong-willed child, so that He can impart a passion for doing His will into their hearts, is an essential role you can play in a strong kid’s life. By God’s grace, won’t you commit to become a prayer warrior on their behalf?
One day may your kids join with Charles & James Spurgeon and say of you, “She was the starting point of all the greatness and goodness of any of us, by the grace of God.”
For more inspiring insights from moms in history who raised godly sons, read my book Moms Raising Sons to Be Men.
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