Motherhood

A few years ago I was sitting in a Sunday School class at church.  The class was talking about Mary, Christ's mother and women kept making comments along the lines of "I can't imagine being Christ's mother, I bet Mary felt so inadequate, etc".  I don't think the women making these comments were meaning to bash Mary at all, but the overall tone and feeling of the comments was that she was completely unprepared and couldn't possibly have known what to do.  However, the scriptures teach us that Mary was called and chosen to be Christ's mother.  She was "a precious and chosen vessel (Alma 7:10)."  We know that the Lord prepares us for our divine missions here on Earth.  The scriptures talk about different qualities and characteristics that Mary possessed that would have prepared her for her great calling as Christ's mother.

This week I've been thinking a lot about motherhood and how I have been prepared for it, just like Mary was prepared.  When we were younger my mom would try and wake us up each morning for scripture study.  My dad has always been a strong priesthood leader in our home, but for some reason he never got up to join us for scriptures.  Usually it was just me falling asleep on the couch, one or two other siblings and my mom.  At the time I felt like it was so pointless and I didn't know why she tried so hard to have scripture study when I wasn't listening and no one else bothered to come.  Now that I'm the mom and the wife I understand that it was important for her to set that example and to teach by example how important daily scripture study is.  Her example is one that I often think of now that I'm a wife and mother.

Sheri Dew gave a talk in 2001 called, Are We Not All Mothers? She says, "Never has there been a greater need for righteous mothers—mothers who bless their children with a sense of safety, security, and confidence about the future, mothers who teach their children where to find peace and truth and that the power of Jesus Christ is always stronger than the power of the adversary. Every time we build the faith or reinforce the nobility of a young woman or man, every time we love or lead anyone even one small step along the path, we are true to our endowment and calling as mothers and in the process we build the kingdom of God. No woman who understands the gospel would ever think that any other work is more important or would ever say, “I am just a mother,” for mothers heal the souls of men."