Our Divine Role as Women

One year ago, my life was forever changed. After a good nine months of getting bigger and bigger, being completely hormonal, and peeing every five minutes, I gave birth to our 7 lb 15 oz baby boy. Holding him for the first time was surreal. One second I had a baby in my tummy and the next second his was in my arms, ready for the world. It's hard to describe something so perfectly crazy. I looked over at my husband and noticed he had tears in his eyes. He, too, was amazed by this experience. Together we brought a child into this world -- a thought can strengthen a couple to it's core. The fact of the matter is,

No one can truly comprehend the emotions we feel as women, as mothers. 

 To be a mother is something that we all want and something that we all need. In whatever way possible we will strive to bring a child into this world, give him a home, and love him unconditionally. Have you ever wondered why? Why do we feel this need to be a mother?

We were born to be mothers. Our gender has so much to do with our spirits. Men and women each have divine roles that are in us. The proclamation states, "Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." 

Let's break that up. Our gender is a characteristic that we have always had. The minute our spirits existed, our gender has been carried with us. With that certain gender characteristic, we received our identity and purpose. As women, it is our purpose to be mothers.

Way too often in this world being a mother is looked down upon. It's almost as if people today think that once women have children their lives will never be as fun, fulfilling, and rewarding as they could've been without children. I've got news for them, they're certainly wrong.

Never have I felt more fulfilled than when my son first got on his two feet and took his first steps. When my son first smiled at me and my husband, there was joy beyond comprehension. Those moments when my son reaches his arms up to me, knowing that I will comfort him, I feel those rewards coming on. Yes, motherhood brings blessings in different ways, but those blessings are some of the greatest blessings you will ever receive.

One of my favorite quotes about motherhood, "The child is literally flesh of her flesh, and the natural affection that exists between a creator and his creation exists in its strongest earthly form between a mother and child." (A Parent's Guide) Whether or not we give birth to our children, adopt, them, or anything of the sort, we are mothers. The love that our Heavenly Father has for us exists in it's "strongest earthly form" between a mother and her child.

Mothers have the capability to feel for a moment as our Heavenly Father feels about us. His love and devotion for us is somewhat incomprehensible until we look at a mother's love. Looking at a mother's love for her children is the closest that we will get to understanding how much our Father in Heaven loves us.

Being a mother is a special gift. It's part of being a woman. No one else can feel love as a mother can with her children and that's something that we've all come to accept. I encourage mothers out there to keep going. It's our divine role to love and nurture these sweet spirits, don't let the world bring you down. May your joy, fulfillment, and rewards be stronger than ever in this world of stress and turmoil. You're a mother, a powerful one at that.

Source: A Parent's Guide -- Chapter 1