This excerpt comes from Doug’s Blog, and I just wanted to share a bit of it here.
The Cost of Motherhood
Once a lady went to visit her friend. During the visit the children of the friend entered the room and began to play with each other. As the lady and her friend visited, the lady turned to her friend and said eagerly and yet with evidently no thought of the meaning of her words: “Oh, I’d give my life to have such children.” The mother replied with a subdued earnestness whose quiet told of the depth of experience out of which her words came: “That’s exactly what it costs.”
There is a cost of motherhood. And the price is no small sum. And if you are not willing to pay this price, no amount of encouragement about the joys of motherhood will satisfy. But the price of motherhood is not fundamentally different from the price of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. In fact, Christian mothers see their duty as mothers flowing from their calling to Jesus Christ. And what is this cost?
Christian motherhood means dedicating your entire life in service of others. It means standing beside your husband, following him, and investing in the lives of children whom you hope will both survive you and surpass you. It means forgoing present satisfaction for eternal rewards. It means investing in the lives of others who may never fully appreciate your sacrifice or comprehend the depth of your love. And it means doing all these things, not because you will receive the praise of man — for you will not — but because God made you to be a woman and a mother, and there is great contentment in that biblical calling.
In other words, Motherhood requires vision. It requires living by faith and not by sight.
These are some of the reasons why Motherhood is both the most biblically noble and the most socially unappreciated role to which a young woman can aspire. There are many people who ask the question: Does my life matter? But a mother that fears the Lord need never ask such a question. Upon her faithful obedience hinges the future of the church and the hope of the nation.
In 1950, the great Scottish American preacher Peter Marshall stood before the United States Senate and he explained it this way:
The modern challenge to motherhood is the eternal challenge — that of being a godly woman. The very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now. We hear about every other kind of women — beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career woman, talented women, divorced women, but so seldom do we hear of a godly woman — or of a godly man either, for that matter.
I believe women come nearer fulfilling their God-given function in the home than anywhere else. It is a much nobler thing to be a good wife than to be Miss America. It is a greater achievement to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel filled with filth. It is a far, far better thing in the realm of morals to be old-fashioned than to be ultramodern. The world has enough women who know how to hold their cocktails, who have lost all their illusions and their faith. The world has enough women who know how to be smart.
It needs women who are willing to be simple. The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave. The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure. We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right than socially correct.
I love this post. We too love Vision Forum. Doug and Beall came and were the speakers at our homeschool conference last year and his message on mothering and just having children as a heritage to the Lord was inspiring.
By: Trixi on May 12, 2010
at 7:42 am
Thank you! I needed to read this today 🙂
By: Beth on May 12, 2010
at 2:02 pm
Thank you for sharing!! I was encouraged…
By: Tanya - Lilyofthevalley on May 12, 2010
at 9:47 pm
I’ve been catching up on your blog – so much encouragement! Thank you for sharing your life and thoughts with us.
By: sarah in the woods on May 25, 2010
at 8:00 pm
Been missing your blog! Hope you write again soon!!
By: Cath on June 14, 2010
at 7:17 am
Wow! Powerful words that all of us moms need to hear!
Thanks so much for sharing your vision (God’s vision) of motherhood!
Gina
By: Gina on June 21, 2010
at 8:15 am
I’ve missed hearing from you. You are probably busy! I understand. 🙂
By: Tanya - Lilyofthevalley on June 27, 2010
at 10:05 pm
Miss seeing you blog!!
Hope everything is well and that you will be back soon!!!
Dana
By: Dana on August 4, 2010
at 8:02 am
Just was checking in to see if you had posted anything new. I’m sure summer is very busy. We are busy here too. 🙂
Look forward to when you can share here again, even if it is just a little at a time. You have been a blessing to me. 😀
By: Tanya - Lilyofthevalley on August 11, 2010
at 3:09 pm
Just wanted to stop in and say that I hope everything is ok with you and the family. I really miss your great posts. Hope to see you back soon. 🙂
By: oceans5 on August 12, 2010
at 1:48 pm
Just checking in!!
Hope your just busy with farm and family!!
Miss your encouraging blog posts!!!
Dana
By: Dana on September 15, 2010
at 4:56 pm
Hello!! Hpe we hear from you soon! Miss your posts and I wonder how your summer went?? 🙂
By: Tanya - Lilyofthevalley on October 19, 2010
at 9:15 pm
Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving!!! 😀
By: Tanya - Lilyofthevalley on November 24, 2010
at 10:06 pm
Miss your posts! Hope all is well with you and your family!
By: Elizabeth on February 8, 2011
at 4:59 pm
Miss hearing from you, I hope all is well. Blessings!!
By: Tanya - Lilyofthevalley on May 2, 2011
at 10:50 am