Serving God Through Motherhood

In preparation for our church’s upcoming Christmas series, “Luke’s Playlist,” I read Luke 1:46-55, Mary’s Song of Praise. Many know this as The Magnificat. As I dove into these holy words, I was struck by the way Mary identified herself as a servant of the Lord. This young woman was willing to serve God in whatever capacity needed. And in Mary’s case, she was called to serve her Heavenly Father by being a mom; by loving, nurturing, and caring for the Word made flesh. She served God through pregnancy and delivery- which is typically what our minds fixate on, especially at this time of year. But we can surmise that she also served through cuddles, rocking, feeding, teaching, bathing, kissing scraped knees, and laughing with and playing with her little boy. All of this got me thinking…

Though God gave Mary the unique opportunity to mother Jesus specifically, God has given us women the same opportunity to serve Him through motherhood. We too, serve God by loving and caring for the children He has given us and by raising them to know the truth of the gospel. We serve Him by being moms! Serving in any capacity takes humility of course, and being a mom is no exception. Ask any mom and she will tell you about the countless diapers changed, about how she’s been spit up on, coughed on, snotted on, and all the rest. Maybe she’s even held a cup full of puke in the car while driving around Louisville (or maybe that was just me?!). But as any mom can attest, all of the gross and lowly parts of motherhood are more than worth it. Why? Because it is a holy duty to bring life into the world, to train up children in the Lord. 

The Enemy has worked very hard to convince women in our world, especially in our American culture, that being a mom is second rate to a career and that staying home is somehow demeaning and oppressive to women. And yet, we see the high value God places on mothers. The Proverbs 31 woman, busy with taking care of her family and home, enjoys the most beautiful result: Her husband and children arise and call her blessed. And of course, Jesus didn’t just materialize out of thin air but entered the world through a womb. He then grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men- and Mary was a part of that.  All of this gives credence to a famous C.S. Lewis quote in which he said, “Children are not a distraction from the most important work, they are the most important work.” 

So moms, be encouraged that your work as a mom is valued greatly by God and that in bringing up children, you are serving Him in a mighty way! 

But let me leave you with this thought as well: He has called all women to give life- and not just physical life, but spiritual life. Every woman, regardless of having physical offspring or not, is called to bring forth life. I love how the book Girl Defined talks about this! Consider these quotes: 

“Producing life (boy physical and spiritual) is at the core of womanhood…It doesn’t matter if you are single, married with children, married without children, or past child-bearing age, the truth about your life-producing design can be fulfilled in every season.” 

“God gives us different gifts and callings. The gift of marriage is not given to every woman, nor is the gift of bearing children. It is not a given that every woman will marry, or that married women will be able to bear children. What IS a given is that all women are called to be spiritually fruitful. The Lord wants all women- including single and childless women and women past child-bearing age- to have a “household” and be the “joyful mother of children.” 

“When we, as women, choose to produce life (spiritual or physical), we imitate our Savior Jesus Christ. He chose to give up his life, so we as sinners could have eternal life. In the same way, when we give our time, service, and mentorship, we produce life as well.”  (From Girl Defined by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird, 2016, pages 88-89.)

So, ladies of every age reading these words, we can all rejoice together that God has given us this most holy ability and calling- to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind and to serve Him as we produce life, throughout our entire life.