Am I wasting my time? Wasn’t I made for bigger things? Perhaps any mother has at some moment had such a question presented to her mind, especially in a society that doesn’t view washing dishes, combing hair, changing diapers, scrubbing laundry, or bringing up children as notable achievements. Mother work is time-consuming, emotionally demanding, sometimes even exhausting; and human tendency is to let a little weariness eclipse the high honor and rich rewards of being a mother. In a world of shifting values, where life is increasingly geared toward pleasure and convenience, and where the role of parenting is not esteemed as it used to be, it is crucial that we do not undervalue the sacred responsibility of motherhood. Women who willfully choose not to be mothers in the home are surely not aware of how much they are missing. And—alas!—most are dangerously unaware of what deeper issues are at stake in a society that is trying to take mothers out of the picture.
God made women to be mothers. His plan for humanity was a home structure in which mothers hold the sacred place of bearing and nurturing children. To suit them for this special responsibility, He put into women the natural ability to bring forth children and the natural desire to care for children. Even those who do not see themselves as child-lovers have probably played with dolls as little girls. Why? Because somewhere deep within, there was an emotional need that expressed itself by caring for another creature. Every woman, whether in a circumstance to be blessed with biological children or not, finds her heart reaching out to make a difference for some fellow human, and realizes a sense of fulfillment in that nurturing attachment. There can be no more satisfying role for a woman to fill than the role of housewife and mother.
Motherhood is a noble calling. No work on earth requires more skill or more devotion than the molding of the human soul, and mothers have the crucial opportunity to shape these souls early in their most uncorrupted, most impressionable state. A child’s first teacher is his mother. She shapes his concept of God and of what is acceptable to God. To a large degree, she sets him up for success or destruction and puts him on a course for eternity in either heaven or hell. Every word and action of a mother etches an impression in the child’s heart and mind, forming his convictions, his reactions, his loyalties, and his values. Nor is a mother’s influence limited to her own home, but it goes on through her children to touch other lives and generations.
Motherhood is both enjoyable and fulfilling. No business career could compare with the delight of hearing children’s laughter or of sharing in their discoveries and ideas. What is more enjoyable than watching a child grow—marveling at each new step in the development of mind, body, and spirit? What is more satisfying than seeing him respond to proper nurture and become a confident, God-fearing individual with strong convictions and a wholesome influence among his fellow men?
Society has put pressure on today’s women to trade the joys of motherhood for a career. While many women still have children, their time and energy is so divided between the home and the job that they cannot fully enjoy their children in the way God meant for them to do. When a woman tries to raise children and have a career at the same time, two things happen. First, she misses the best part of her children’s lives. It is no wonder that she can’t enjoy them because she simply doesn’t have time. She is never with them when they are at their best—she is always gone on the job. Second, it taxes her nerves so that she cannot function in her best capacity when she is at home with the children. Tension rises, the children respond in stress, and the peace of the home deteriorates. The mother views the children as the problem, when really the career is the problem. If such a mother would quit her job, she would more than likely find herself a happier woman and her children better behaved and more emotionally secure.
Women who avoid having children because they do not want to lose their identity do not realize that they are losing their God-given identity by not having children. Children really do change a woman—but it is only change for the better! If a woman loses independence when she has children, she finds truer independence in the ability to deny herself. If children “dumb her down” in some ways, they certainly make her smarter in others. Who knows how to manage three things at once and how to have eyes and ears everywhere? A mother! Who can look inside the mind and heart of a child and know what is going on there without being told? A mother! Nor is there anything degrading about having a mother figure. The losses of motherhood are better viewed as gains. Motherhood does come with sacrifice, but is well worth every sacrifice involved! Actually, success in any field is usually gained in proportion to the difficulties overcome, and nothing worthwhile can be accomplished without sacrifice. If women can sacrifice for their careers, why not for their children?
There is an element in society that is working to break down natural affection. People are being so pushed to achieve material wealth, admiration, and social status that they have forgotten how to value one another. Where have we gotten the idea that success in the business world is a bigger achievement than molding a child? Who says that intellectual attainments are more honorable than comforting and caring for the weak? Is self-worth not to be found in making others happy? The enemy knows that humanity stands or falls together, and that inasmuch as he can isolate humans from one another or corrupt their relationships, he has dealt a heavy blow to them as individuals. Thus he idealizes independence. He teaches self-image and self-focus. He breaks down the closest of human bonds and tries to make people think that their problem is each other. Where will this pattern end? If he succeeds in breaking down the mother-child bond, what bond is left? If people cease to value “inconvenient” children, how long will it take before they cease to value “inconvenient” adults?
If society can get mothers out of the picture, humanity will destroy itself. Somebody has to be a mother, and who the mothers are will decide who the next generation of people will be. With good reason has it been said that the breakdown and enslavement of the mind of a race begins with its mothers. When a mother’s mind is corrupted, her child’s mind becomes corrupted. When a mother is confused, the child grows up confused. Take mothers out of the home, and the children become vulnerable, free prey for the taking. Desensitize mothers to the danger, and the door is thrown wide open for the thief to steal, kill, and destroy. Our children are being targeted at an earlier age and with more deadly force than we perhaps comprehend. As mothers, we are one of their most strategic lines of defense. Let us take courage, let us be on the job, and let us fight the enemy’s agenda—for the sake of our own children, and for the sake of the world!
God is on the side of holy mothers. When the load gets heavy, He will give strength and wisdom as we look to Him.
