Honoring Motherhood

This post was inspired by a very touching letter by Amy Young written to encourage pastors on Mothers Day to "honor mothers without alienating others."  (The post can be found here: http://messymiddle.wordpress.com/2012/05/10/an-open-letter-to-pastors-a-non-mom-speaks-about-mothers-day/ .)

Motherhood is an integral part of womanhood.  Not only our bodies but also our natures are designed to nurture. Although the tendency for women is to seek to marry and rear a family, the plan to become a mother can be thwarted anywhere along the way.  Women do not always find suitable husbands; the reproductive process is not always successful; accidents, sin, and selfishness can each destroy a family leaving many women solitary or barren.


I find it disturbing that the role of motherhood is often ignored in the atmosphere of pleasure-seeking, instant gratification, glorification of romance typical of American youth for at least the half century that I have witnessed. Motherhood and fatherhood are often the result of a passion-filled moment, but the home that makes motherhood and fatherhood so revered is seldom produced by those parents who have not honored one another enough to make a commitment to one another before becoming parents, a role that requires continual subjugation of one's desires in order to fulfill the needs of another.

The words family values are heard often today, but the value of a family is seldom considered. The time parents spend with their children continues to shrink.  Day care centers proliferate.  Latch key kids are the norm. Families who love each enough to spend time together are as rare as diamonds, but in most of those families, there is a mother who has nurtured her family.  

Nurture does not require a stay-at-home mom or freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.  Families who are nurtured have their needs met and their desires acknowledged by someone who knows that love is an action verb.  A mother who truly loves her family desires what is best for them  and labors to provide the means to help them accomplish their goals and fulfill their potential.

It is fitting that motherhood be honored; however, in our rush to celebrate mothers, may we remember those who have not been nurtured, those who have been denied motherhood, and those who are mourning the death of their children or mothers.