Fairy-tale Motherhood

A quick look at our culture shows that idealised images of motherhood are inaccurate, and Scripture reveals the same. Ruth was left childless and widowed at a young age. Rachel, Hannah, and Sarah were infertile. Eve and Mary lost sons under terrible circumstances. Two mothers of two kings, both named Ahaziah, encouraged their sons to be wicked and unjust. The Prodigal Son acted with terrible disrespect toward each of his parents. Scripture tells stories like those in our churches: women in diverse life circumstances, sometimes thriving, sometimes coping, and sometimes going under.
The fairy tale of marriage and motherhood is just that - a fairy tale. Our culture is one of motherhood deferred due to later childbearing, motherhood disrupted by divorce, motherhood lost by infant/child death and miscarriage, and motherhood unachieved due to infertility and undesired singleness. Of course, our culture also includes wonderful families with strong marriages and happy children. The point is that there is not a one-size-fits-all journey of womanhood, and we hurt women in our churches by venerating one path over all others.
So let's be gentle with each other this Mother's Day. Let's celebrate with the women who have happy families. Let's remember the women, men, girls, and boys who are hurt by their mothers. Let's remember the mothers who have lost their children. Let's remember the women who long to be wives and mothers, but aren't. Let's come together and worship Jesus alone, not idealized images of our mothers or ourselves.

Jenell Williams Paris, "When Mother's Day Is Hard," (May 2004)