71: Good Trade Mom!

A “Baby Blues” cartoon pictured a mom sitting on the floor with a baby playing at her feet. She was thinking, “I’ve witnessed every burp, smile, hiccup and whimper this baby has ever made at the expense of my personal interests, career and social life. She then picked up the baby and said, “Good trade!”
[See cartoon on the website.]

Mothering can be very precious. This week our two-and-a-half-year-old, Jireh, kept trying to stick dolls up Kathleen’s shirt. When she tried to stop him he’d say, “Jazy play with dollies!” I guess he wanted his unborn sister Jaza to have something to do in there. Can you get any cuter than that? Motherhood is full of sweet moments.

Yet the tradeoff isn’t really between career advancement and precious moments. There’s so much more than that.

What does it mean in the following verse that older women are supposed to train younger women to love their children?

Titus 2:4-5 Then [the older women] can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. (NIV)

One practical application of training women to love is training them to embrace the work that comes with raising children. Love is not just a warm fuzzy feeling; it involves sacrifice.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (NIV)

1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another. (TNIV)

Motherhood involves countless sacrifice, not just of self-advancement, but of day-to-day desires. It is endless cooking, cleaning, washing, picking up, correcting, encouraging, explaining, comforting, and I could easily go on. Choosing that life is sacrifice; and choosing that life is love.

While the occasional precious moments may provide a momentary pick-me-up, the greatest encouragement should be that God is pleased with you, and with every choice you make to love your child at your own expense.

Have you traded sleep, peace, body shape, and interests to be a good mom? Good trade!