n. Enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal and tireless diligence in its furtherance. See Synonyms at passion.

noun -fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor.

There isn’t a mama I know who isn’t devoted to her children.  Somehow children strip away all the walls and barriers and imbed themselves in our hearts.  We are devoted to loving them, nurturing them and helping them grow. And being a mama is a tireless job.  It is 24 hours a day, seven days a week with no real room for getting sick or taking a vacation.  Maybe you can take a break for a few hours here and there, but what a child wants more than anything (especially if they are age one and three) is the loving embrace of mommy.

I also picked up on the word diligence.  Makes me think of the words persistence and tenacity (holding on and never letting go).

I heard a pastor speak once on this topic and he said “Dilligence is the price of freedom.”  The bible says we need to stay alert and be “on guard”.  We have to engage in what is going  on around us even when it isn’t pretty.  We have to face head on the tough challenges that parenting brings if we want our children to live in freedom; freedom from vices, addictions, and sin.

As mamas we can’t let go of our cause, ideal or goal.  If we don’t take up our cross to teach our children we can’t expect that someone else will. I love this quote by author Sally Clarkson “In the absence of biblical conviction, people will go the way of culture”.

Zeal mama – Zeal.  What do you want passionately for your family, for your marriage, for your children?  What will you pursue and drive for?  What goals and ideals do you have that you are willing to pursue with tireless diligence in its furtherance?

For that – you have ZEAL.  “Z” is not the end of our focus as moms, it’s the beginning.