The Sacred Call to Mommyhood

My husband and I don't have any children. And we don't plan to for a bit, what with me still in school and wanting to be completely settled and able to take care of a child. That doesn't mean we won't fully embrace it when the day comes-it's quite the contrary actually. We can hardly wait for the day that we get to cradle in our arms a precious little miracle that we can call our own. To see the precious little toes, the small, innocent eyes and the button nose sets our hearts and imaginations running wild. Yet, despite how we feel, we've decided it's best to wait until our life settles down.

But how is it, that in our day and age, the prospect of "just being a mom" is severely looked down upon. Oh, well you'll never accomplish anything. But is that really true? The other night I was reading a Psalm before bed, like I always do, when I read a simple passage: "And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies." (Psalm 105:24) So simple a passage is filled with so great a meaning. Because would the people of Israel have increased in number so greatly had their women not chosen to "just be a mom"?

My mama and the second youngest, Eliana

Let's go back to the beginning. One of the first commandments given to Adam and Eve was to inhabit and fill the earth. If Eve had not chosen to bear every one of her children, this may not have happened. The global population would have grown quite slowly. The same was true for the wives of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Once again the world was without people and once again it fell to them to refill the earth. 

Now, to move forward in Biblical history a bit. In the book of I Samuel, to a man named Elkanah. He had two wives. The first was Peninnah and she had born children for her husband although it doesn't state how many. The second was Hannah and she was childless. Now, for some, this might seem like an ideal situation. She was still a man's wife but she had no children to care for and could live how she pleased; her husband adored her and, apparently, doted on her. But all Hannah wanted was a child. You may say, why? She had it good! But I think what some people fail to understand is that having children is woven into the very being of woman-it is one of the greatest honors one could receive. It's one of the reasons women dominate the field of nursing; we are, by nature, caregivers. Hannah wanted a child so much and was so grieved that as she lay on the floor crying out silently to God, Eli the priest thought she was drunk. Hannah vowed to God that if He only gave her a child, she would return that child to Him to serve the Lord all his days. God granted her request and Hannah was given a son, Samuel, who would become one of God's great prophets. 

And, probably one of the most famous mothers in history, was Mary, the mother of Jesus. Now historians believe Mary to have been around 14 or 16 years old when she was pledged to Joseph as his betrothed. Under Israelite law, once betrothed a couple was essentially married; however, they were to remain apart for a year before they were officially man and wife. If it was discovered that this law had been broken, the couple would be punished and shamed. So put yourself in the place of young, frightened Mary for a moment. An angel is visiting her and telling her that she will bare a son, the Son of God. Now Mary, knowing the consequences of being discovered as being with child before her marriage, was well aware of the consequences. She would be tried for adultery, found guilty, and stoned to death. That is, unless, Joseph, her espoused, would come forward and claim the child as his own and not press charged against her. Only then would she be spared the stoning. With all this in mind, she was well within her rights to refuse. God, when He created man, wanted followers that wouldn't follow Him just because they had to-He wanted followers that would follow Him because they chose to. Hence the tree in the garden. He gave Adam and Eve a choice. So Mary could have very well said no and chosen not to be a mother and not to give birth to Son of God. 

Back from when we were just a family of six
and I was the baby of the family

And what if she had said no? Sure, God probably would've gone and found another girl who was more willing, but let's say He didn't. Let's say He simply decided to give up on humanity. What would the world look like today? The Crusades probably would've never happened and neither would the Catholic Church that, at one point, united the entire known world. But the biggest peice of it is that we most likely would not be living freely and happily in the good old USA. Sure, the land would've still been discovered. They had to go west at some point. Christianity was not the big motivator behind Columbus' voyage-it was money. But would America have been quickly populated? Most likely not. America, for the most part was populated by people looking for religious freedom as the battle between Catholism as Protestantism waged in Europe. Others still would have come, but probably not in quite so great a number. And America would've most likely still broken from England but not under the same declaration or constitution. For even though not all the Founding Fathers were Christians, they were all raised in that culture and it greatly influenced their politics. Therefore America, thanks to the willingness of a young girl named Mary, was founded on strong Christian principles that, for the most part, remain to this day.

So what's the point of this post? I merely wanted to remind women that being a mom isn't a bad thing, especially when it's all you do. Is it okay to still work and have kids? Sure. I'm not saying that being a working mom is necessarily a bad thing unless it's taking up all your time and someone else is raising your children (that's a whole other thing for a whole other time). But I'm simply trying to remind women that motherhood is a wonderful thing and not something to be looked down upon. God has given you a precious gift in the form of children and it's not something we should take for granted. In this world that tells us that we need to be strong career women and not let anything, even children, get in the way of that, I feel sometimes we just need a gentle reminder that "just being a mom" is a wonderful thing to "just" be. Especially for those stay at home moms that may feel inadequate because they sit at home wiping runny noses and cleaning up spit up all day instead of going out and climbing the corporate ladder. Because for all you know that child that you are investing so much time in could one day grow up to be a great doctor, leader, missionary or even, as so many Biblical women were, just another great mom. God's plan may not manifest itself for generations, like the birth of Christ through the obedience of Mary or even the birth of David generations after his ancestors Ruth and Boaz were married, but when it does, whether you see it with earthly eyes or heavenly ones, you will be so glad you chose to be "just a mom."

Our family at the time of my mom and stepdad's wedding