The Blessing of Motherhood
When my children were little, my sweet and very sentimental husband began my favorite Mother’s Day tradition of giving me a “what we love about mommy” video recording of my kids. As my boys have gotten older, according to their answers on these videos, my skill set has morphed from being good at playing Ninja Turtles and packing a diaper bag to helping with homework and giving them food. While their responses to the questions in the video always change, two things always remain the same: time as their mom is flying by, and motherhood is one of the greatest blessings of my life.
Blessed. It’s a sentiment that fills social media feeds on Mother’s Days as mothers post pictures of their families and echo the same feelings of gratitude and blessedness that I feel every Mother’s Day morning snuggled up with a lap full of boys watching these videos. It got me thinking, “What exactly is the blessing of motherhood?” Honestly, it’s a blessing that is hard to articulate, perhaps because it is the hardest, most joyous, draining yet fulfilling, sacrificial yet most rewarding thing that has ever happened to me. Motherhood is a blessing that’s filled with a lot of holy, ordinary moments. By ordinary I mean laundry, cooking, discipling, taxiing, bathing, etc., and when you are done there is more laundry, cooking, discipling, taxiing, and bathing. Yet there are also the wonderful little ordinaries like morning snuggles, giggle fests, coffee dates and bedtime talks that you miss if you are caught up with the business of life.
Pondering the blessing of motherhood brings me back full circle to one of my first experiences as a mom. In the wee hours of the morning, not even 24 hours from the birth of our son Jack, I lay in the hospital bed holding my new baby still fresh with the scent of heaven on his skin. I could not stop staring at this beautiful creation that God had given me. I loved everything about him from his little cow licks on the top of his head down to his perfect little feet. I recall feeling overwhelmed with love and delight and other inexpressible emotions that made my heart feel like it could explode. In that moment, in the peace and silence of my hospital room, I heard the clear whisper of God say to me, “You see how you look at your son? That is how I look at you.” Suddenly, all the scriptures of God’s love for his children and his delight over us became more real.
I know we are supposed to teach our children, but do you ever stop and think that God gives us our children to actually teach us? Through this experience of becoming a mother, I have gained a deeper understanding, a richer knowing about myself and a fuller knowledge of God and his love for me. And therein lies the blessing. The blessing of motherhood is in this knowing. It’s a greater knowing of trust: as our hearts wander around on the outside of our bodies in the form of our kids, we must trust His plan for their lives. It’s a greater knowing of joy and what’s important: for things that matter most should not be at the mercy of things that matter least. Finally, motherhood is a richer knowing about my Father in Heaven and his love for me. Every night I tell my boys the truth that motherhood has taught me about God’s love: that I am loved all the time no matter what and there is no greater blessing than that.