Motherhood: God’s Channel for Producing Good Fruit in Your Life
Last week I received an IG post from my daughter in Burundi, Africa, along with a picture which read: “This mama sat in the corner of our neonatal unit for seven weeks expressing milk and caring for her little one born at 30 weeks.” (I have seen the neonatal unit, and it is nothing like the comforts afforded at our American hospitals. It is stark and lacks coziness and warmth). The post continues, “Last week this mama was able to take her baby home, and we all rejoiced.” Precious RDS mama, I know you have your own story of caring for your littles and God sees you. You are not alone in your struggles and sacrificial love. Jesus said, “Not my will but yours be done,” as He went to the cross, showing us the depth of sacrificial love. I know there are times when you feel alone as you offer yourself in sacrifice to your call of motherhood. God sees and knows the cost.
A mother’s love is sacrificial in many ways. Malcolm Gladwell, best-selling author of books such as David and Goliath, Outliers, and The Tipping Point is part sociologist, part psychologist, and part investigative interrogator. I believe the reason his books are so compelling is this: he recognizes the normal, everyday life situations, analyzes them, and draws our attention to the grandiose ideas behind them as he offers explanation. When asked by Oprah Winfrey what was the most selfless thing he had ever seen, Gladwell responded, “Wow. Whenever I talk to anyone who is a young mother and I figure out how many hours they sleep, you know, is there anything more selfless than that.” And to that I would add…and that is just the sleepless part! While we are not looking for kudos from Gladwell (nor Winfrey), I do find his answer encouraging and supportive of mothers.
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Just as Jesus bore fruit through the suffering and sacrifice that God ordained for His life, so also in our lives, fruit will be born through the sacrifice of motherhood - the dying of the seed that God has ordained for your life and mine.
As Laura Booz (author of our book study) states, “When you and I look in the mirror I hope we do not expect to see a seed. I hope we expect to see God at work in the garden of our souls. Life as it were, before motherhood, is being given over to life as it is now: messy, yes, but bursting with good fruit.” As we unwrap the gift of daily sanctification, we can trust that Jesus redeems every hour of lost sleep, every missed opportunity, and every emotional struggle in order that the Holy Spirit may eradicate the self-life in us and conform us to the image of Christ.
How does this occur? As we abide in the Vine Who is Jesus, He will produce the fruit in us. Abiding means to remain dependent on the Spirit for living the Christian life by faith. As the Holy Spirit teaches and cares for us, He causes us to yield good fruit: love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities flow through us as we are completely reliant upon the Lord and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We do not conjure them up through self-effort.
For the next six weeks of our book study, we will be focusing on the nine fruit of the Spirit and how motherhood is the channel through which God produces this fruit in our lives. Come join us! It is not too late.