Mothering is for All of Us

Antiquity paints a robust image of mothering. If you consider the goddesses of old, mother earth, creation stories, artifacts of global cultures, and more, the pattern is undeniable. Giving birth—the creation of life—is so intrinsic to the feminine experience that for much of history it has been difficult to separate the two.

Bearing children is a remarkably female task. It is one of the very rare things that women’s bodies are designed to do that cannot be replicated by other bodies or in a lab. This biological distinction has driven cultural expectations for all time, some in more honoring ways than others. Every culture, in every era has expressed a set of norms for women that revolve around her capacity to bear. At some times this has been a beautiful gift—making space for women to do this important work while men care for other tasks—but in our sin-ridden world, this has all too often come with the curses of restriction. Restriction from other tasks or full personhood. The physical restraint and chattel movement of women as property. Rejection for any woman who does not fulfill cultural expectations for her era.

But what if instead of restriction, we saw growing life as an invitation, both physical and metaphorical? What if the brilliance of our design made space for every woman to participate, in all countries, in all times, in all circumstances? Women are designed to grow life, and so we shall.

It’s important to acknowledge that physical design does not always mean occasional capacity, nor does womanhood or femininity demand it. We are not more or less womanly based on the number of children our bodies physically produce. The twist of sin in our world means that some of our bodies cannot bear children, some of our circumstances do not allow it. And from this space, the metaphor blooms. Womanhood is clothed in the metaphor of mothering. It is not achieved or unlocked by the physical process.

I am most certainly thankful for the personal opportunity I have had to participate in birthing two, and soon to be three, children. They are some of the most meaningful of my life’s work. 

Still, many of the beauties of my own experience as a mother are replicated in lives of friends who have ample opportunity to house others, as my body houses a baby today, to nourish others, as my body will feed and sustain my infant, and to nurture others, as I will spend the remainder of my years doing for these growing babes. 

Mothering is not a gift for a select few women. It is not a requirement to achieve proper Christian social standing. It does not restrict the intellectual nor reject the unattached. Mothering is God’s design for all of us.

Continue the Growing Life Series

Part 2: Nourishing | Part 3: Housing | Part 4: Nurturing | Part 5: Delivering