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For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the
strength I need. Phil 4:13
If you're having trouble thinking out the box, then you're probably in
the wrong box.
But that is not what I meant at all.
I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but that becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.
I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse
than watching your child die.
I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to primitive level of a bear protecting her cub.
That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation. I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood.
She might arrange for child care but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of her discipline to keep her from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.
I want my daughter to know that everyday decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma.
That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that rest-room.
However she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother. Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself.
That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child.
That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years - not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.
I want her to know that a Cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks..
I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child.
I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.
I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the
threat of nuclear war to my children's future.
I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike.
I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or a cat for the first time.
I want her to taste the joy that is so real, it actually hurts.
My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes.
"You'll never regret it," I finally say.
Then I reach across the table, squeeze my daughter's hand and offer a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.
This blessed gift from God!
Being a Mother
Hard work makes you sweat. Notice, when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden they had to "sweat to earn a living" ( Genesis 3:19 CEV). Farmers sweat to turn their crops into cash, the same as bricklayers on a construction site or an executive writing a report in a high-rise office suite. You tend to value what you have to work for - and God values your efforts as well. That's why when David had the chance to offer God a sacrifice he said, "Nor will I offer… the Lord… that which cost me nothing."
Whether you do it figuratively or literally, you sweat to earn a living. And you'll also do the same when you're committed to worshipping God. This doesn't necessarily mean praising Him loudly and raising your hands in church; those things are good at the proper time. But in-depth worship goes far beyond that. The word worship comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "worth-ship," which is "the act of ascribing worth or value to a person or object." In the New Testament worship encompasses service, adoration, reverence, humility, love, and giving. For example, tithes and offerings are the part of worship where you give God the first portion of your earnings ( Proverbs 3:9). It's another way of honouring Him with the fruits of your time and energy. When you sacrifice sleep to get up early and spend time with God, you're also doing something that costs you. And when you inconvenience yourself to help somebody in need, you're offering God something of real worth ( 1 John 3:17).
So examine your heart today and make sure you're offering Him something of value, and not just your leftovers.
