Prep for motherhood

Last summer, during my first trimester, when Peanut was still a secret and I was too icky-sick to be on my laptop for long, I had a few insights into how pregnancy was preparing me for motherhood, and I am finally writing them down.

The first one was Sacrifice. All of a sudden I am appreciating my Mom even more than I did, and according to my Mother-in-law that will only continue as I journey through my own motherhood experience. One day when I was feeling overcome by nausea, I witnessed a girl back-talking to her mom in a typically ungrateful teenage voice, and thought, "How dare you?? Do you realize how much that woman has done for you just in carrying you in her body for nine months?!" But the depth of sacrifice determines the heights of joy later when it brings forth good fruit. "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth" (3 John 4) was a cross-stitch hanging on my Grandma's wall.

The second was Worry. Amazing how worry starts with conception, or the awareness of conception anyway. As soon as we know we're pregnant, there is something new to worry about, something we women think we have control over. If you forget to take your prenatal vitamin, you worry that the baby will be born with only one arm. If it takes more than 30 seconds for the doctor to find a heartbeat, you mentally prepare yourself for bad news. If I don't want to be the worrywart mom who can't sleep at night, I need to start now taking thoughts captive, surrendering my expectations to God, and coming to terms with even the worst my imagination can conjure up. "He knows what we need; He knows what we can handle; He will do what is best for our family."

The third came to me as I was walking out of the grocery store on a fine day in June and is my favorite. The better I take care of myself, the better I am taking care of the baby. It is so obvious now while she is in the womb, since she eats what I eat, breathes what I breathe, feels what I feel on an emotional and spiritual level. But I don't think God means that awareness to stop after birth. Moms need to take care of themselves, and to the degree we do, we are taking care of our families as well. "She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, and rugs of tapestry. Her clothing is of linen, pure and fine, and of purple [such as that of which the clothing of the priests and the hallowed cloths of the temple were made]" (Proverbs 31:22).

I pray these lessons can flower throughout my motherhood, and that you, my friend, will help me stick to 'em!