Mother has many meanings. Obviously for the most part I don't fit these meanings. But I do think that I fit numbers 6 and 14. And sometimes I wish that was good enough for me. And I wonder if it is supposed to be. The Bible has some verses that deal with fertility or the lack thereof. One of these I came across recently was Psalm 113:9 which says: This verse makes me think. Does this verse literally mean that God will make infertile women the mother of many children? Or is it more figurative? Is God going to give barren women the opportunity to mother children? For instance I baby-sit for my job. Now I am by no means their mother as defined by the first definition, but I do nurture and protect (or mother) them while they are at my house during the weekdays. I'm not saying I am like a mother to them, only that I am mothering them while they are in my care. Is this a fulfillment of Psalm 113:9? I am keeping my house, and mothering children, even if they are not mine. As they grow older and eventually don't need me anymore (because while you need a mother forever, you don't really need a baby-sitter once you get to a certain age) I will undoubtedly have more children that I baby-sit, or I will start doing foster care. So I will still be keeping house and mothering children. Should I learn to accept this as the fulfillment of my desire for children? mother 1 (ˈmʌðə) | |
— n | |
1. | a. a female who has given birth to offspring |
b. ( as modifier ): a mother bird | |
2. | ( often capital, esp as a term of address ) a person's own mother |
3. | a female substituting in the function of a mother |
4. | archaic chiefly ( often capital ) a term of address for an old woman |
5. | a. motherly qualities, such as maternal affection: it appealed to the mother in her |
b. ( as modifier ): mother love | |
c. ( in combination ): mothercraft | |
6. | a. a female or thing that creates, nurtures, protects, etc, something |
b. ( as modifier ): mother church ; mother earth | |
7. | a title given to certain members of female religious orders: mother superior |
8. | Christian Science God as the eternal Principle |
9. | ( modifier ) native or innate: mother wit |
10. | offensive , taboo , slang chiefly ( US ) short for motherf***** |
11. | be mother to pour the tea: I'll be mother |
12. | informal the mother of all … the greatest example of its kind: the mother of all parties |
— vb | |
13. | to give birth to or produce |
14. | to nurture, protect, etc as a mother \ |
Today we are hearing from Teglene. Her story is pretty long, but trust me, it is totally worth reading through! She also has a great blog, called The Breastfeeding Mother . I always knew I wanted to breastfeed my children. I couldn ’t imagine doing it any differently. I was lucky enough to give birth to two beautiful boys and I enjoyed breastfeeding them both. Not that it was easy or without struggle, but it was what I wanted to do and loved doing it. In fact, I liked it so much, and felt so passionate about breastfeeding that I became a La Leche League Leader, so that I could help other breastfeeding moms. I really took to the idea of “Mothering through breastfeeding”. It wasn ’t just a feeding method for me, but a relationship with my child. My husband and I always talked about adopting a child who needed a family. We thought, if we can’t have kids of our own then we will adopt. Even if we can have kids of our own, maybe we will still adopt. After the birth of our
Maybe your delay in having children is God's way of ensuring your influence in the life of those girls.
ReplyDeleteI adore the kids I watch, and I suppose if I in order to be around them I have to wait to have kids it is totally worth it!
DeleteHi Rachel ~ I can relate to what you wrote. When I was 18 I had a complete hysterectomy because of cancer. Although, I was told that I should be happy to be alive even if it meant I would never have children of my own, I was devastate! I had always dreamed of being a mom. Years (and years) later God blessed me with children through the gift of adoption. His timing was perfect. In the waiting I learned so much. I believe I am a better mom today because of it. I will be praying for you as you wait - remember, God's timing is perfect - even though we don't always understand it. I wrote a post that you might be able to relate to. I will include the link if you would like to read it. http://www.followingourleader.com/2012/11/05/is-god-enough/ I wish you God's riches blessings.
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