What Motherhood Means to Me

A piece written for presentation on Mother's Day at our church in 2008.

What does motherhood mean to me? Wow! That is such a hard question to come up with a half-decent answer for!  Motherhood means a million things to me.  I thought about talking about what Motherhood doesn’t mean to me – like sleeping in on Saturday mornings, clean floors, fancy suppers, or being able to listen to an entire church service uninterrupted.  I thought about how motherhood makes me love things I never thought I could love – like crumbs on the rug, boogers on my shirt, and toys all over the house.  But I love these things because they are proof that my son lives in our home.  Having him, and the joy he brings, is impossible to describe.  To us he is a treasure, a miracle, just amazing.  He is what makes me a mom – and I love being his mom.

I have a blog on the internet, and this week I asked my readers what motherhood means to them.  These are just a few snippets from the responses I got, and I had to completely agree with all of them.

"Motherhood truly fulfills me, and brings out the best in me. It's got to be the BEST job in the world!  It’s rewarding, irreplaceable, indescribable. A God-given role, a privilege, an honor. Blessed beyond measure. Best of all, my children love me despite my short comings and feel thankful to have me in their lives."

"It’s the greatest gift I have ever recieved.  Being a mommy sometimes is so very challenging but yet is something that is the most rewarding. Indescribable joy that can never be replaced."

Another woman said, “Motherhood has finally driven home the true power and meaning of God's sacrifice of his son. When I really think about just how overwhelming my love for my son is, and realize that God loves all of us like that and infinitely more, and because of that love he sent his Son to suffer and die for us. It makes any frustration of motherhood completely disappear. I don't think anything but parenthood would have driven that message home in such a way.”

For myself, I know that motherhood changed how I see God, and how I want Him to see me.  Motherhood pushed me to know God intimately, and to seek Him with all my heart so that I can learn how to better take care of my son.  Motherhood has pushed me to take up the motto “Fully Rely on God”.  Motherhood made me realize that I want to stand before God one day, and know that I did all I could to show Christ’s love to my children, that they would want that same love in their lives.  Motherhood made me realize that I want my children to rise up and call me blessed.  Motherhood made me realize that I want nothing more in my life than to be able to confidently say to my children, “Come, take my hand and follow me”.

A verse that has helped me through the mystery of motherhood has been James 1:5.  I keep it on my fridge, and I read it daily.  I like the Message version, which says “If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open”.

So to all you mother’s out there, or soon-to-be-mothers, mothers of adopted children, mothers who have angel children, or those that are hoping-to-one-day-be-a-mother, happy mother’s day to you. May God richly bless you today – you deserve it.