“The
noblest calling in the world is motherhood.
True motherhood is the most beautiful of all arts, the greatest of all
professions. She who can paint a
masterpiece, or who can write a book that will influence millions, deserves the
plaudits and admiration of mankind; but she who successfully raises a family of
healthy, beautiful sons and daughters whose immortal souls will exert influence
throughout the ages long after paintings shall have faded, and books and
statues shall have decayed or been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that
man can give, and the choicest blessings of God.” – David O. McKay
What
a beautiful sentiment – and so true!
Motherhood is indeed a high calling.
But, wow – what a huge responsibility!
It is at the same time humbling and overwhelming to be entrusted with
such an enormous task.
As women, we have a diversity of talents and gifts and
callings – but when we have children, we also assume the sacred calling of
motherhood. This calling is
all-consuming. It sometimes requires you
to put down other things – to prioritize your family over your work or your
hobby or your favorite volunteer cause.
This putting aside of other things is necessary, and we do it willingly,
understanding the importance of raising our children to love God and love
others and to become good citizens of the world when they grow up.
But, if I’m really honest with myself, sometimes it feels
like I have gotten swallowed up in my identity as a mom. It feels like I’ve lost a bit of who I used
to be – who I wanted to be – who I thought I would be at this point in my
life. And, just for a minute, I feel a
bit of sadness for what isn’t. But, then
I remember – To everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose
under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3). And, this
season of motherhood – this season when I have all of my children under my roof
and in the intimate sphere of my influence – is a short one. Just a few short years, and they’re gone –
launched into the world with a hug and a prayer – off to follow their own
dreams and discover their own callings.
So, we embrace this precious season – but in the embracing, we
have to be careful not to let our identity – our worth – get wrapped up in our
motherhood. We must not fall prey to
comparing ourselves to others. We must
not listen to the lie that we are not good mothers – because the lie will
surely come – from the voice inside our heads or the voices that come at us
from the media, from friends, and even from family. We can’t let the failures – or the successes
– of our children define us or be used as the measuring stick of our success as
a mother. The only one who can judge our
success as mothers is our heavenly Father.
His approval is all that we need.
And, He gives His approval generously and graciously, applauding us when
things are going well and carrying us when they’re not. He is the One who sees the sacrifices that we
make that no one else sees. He knows the
hours spent in prayer, the sleepness nights when our children need us by their
bedside, the long days caring for them and helping them with their homework and
driving them to soccer practice. Only He
can see into our hearts and know the depth of our love for our children.
We need to give ourselves the same grace that we would give
to those around us. So what if the house
isn’t clean – or the kids didn’t have a new outfit for picture day – or the
cupcakes that were sent in to school for a birthday came from Target and weren’t
homemade. Those things don’t mean that
we’ve failed as mothers. They just mean
that we’re human. Maybe they mean that
you’ve prioritized your relationships with God and your family above some of
the more mundane tasks of motherhood.
Or, maybe they just mean that your schedule is filled to overflowing and
that you cannot take on even one more thing.
God looks on the heart and He knows and He understands – and believe it
or not, our children know, too. They
understand. And, they love us anyway –
even though they may not always show it.
So, when we’re feeling weary – or we’re tempted to say “I
can’t” or “I’m not good enough” or “I’m the worst mom ever,” we need to
remember Hebrews 13: 20-21 that says, “Now may the God of peace… strengthen
(complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with
everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in
you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight.” In other words, God will give us everything
we need to do the thing that He has called us to do. Instead of giving in to discouragement when
things are spiraling out of our control, we need to declare that He has given
us everything we need to be a mom. We
don’t have to do it on our own. We can
rest in the knowledge that God has called us and He has equipped us and He will
carry us through this season as we work at the high calling of motherhood.
“There is no way to be a perfect mother, but there are a
million ways to be a good one.” -- Anonymous
