Blessed Among Women

Though commercially celebrated in the month of May in most cultures, motherhood is a blessing that must be acknowledged every day. I didn’t have a Mother’s Day outing, I didn’t get flowers, chocolates, fancy appliances, gift certificates to my favorite store, or shiny jewelry. It was another typical Sunday: we went to church, read, played The Richest Christian board game and drank Elisha’s tasty hot chocolate.

A mom’s best blessing doesn’t come in the form of a gift, it comes in the form of love, respect, and appreciation.

I feel very blessed because my children honor my role, but mainly because I have learned to honor it myself, even – and especially – because of the hardships. I think about Luke 1:42 and the announcement to Mary:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

Have you felt less than blessed?  Choosing to be a godly, caring, nurturing mother sure isn’t an easy task, whether our children are the fruit of our womb or not, and no matter their ages and stages in life.

Mary’s journey, in the New Testament, illustrates how being blessed does not mean we are exempt of opposition, judgment, and adversity.

5 Ways You Are Named “Blessed Among Women”

1- Choosing Confidence Instead of Shame  ~   I remember when I was a single mom and people would just assume I was never married and would ask “where the fathers were.” I can only imagine how Mary must have felt “being with child” while unwed, especially when she is said not to be the first “virgin” to claim she was expecting The Messiah. Not everyone was visited by an angel to get the memo…gladly, Joseph did.

2- Doing All You Can, With NO Support   ~  I know what it feels like to give birth in a foreign land, away from your family, with no one there to help you out. Elisha and Elyssa are 12 months and 7 days apart, so Elisha was actually there for Elyssa’s birth because we didn’t have anyone to watch her… but I had a doctor and nurses, and it was cozy in there (though you can imagine I didn’t find out until labor pains ended). Mary brought a baby into the world under the poorest circumstances…yet it was her bundle of joy!

3- Protecting Your Child, No Matter What It Takes ~ In a troubled society, to say the least, we protect our children’s bodies, minds and hearts to keep them safe. I remember when we moved to our first apartment by ourselves; we couldn’t have and couldn’t afford an alarm. Paranoid, I propped a chair against the door and placed every noisy kitchen utensil I could find on it, to make sure I knew if someone tried to come in. Yet Mary had to leave her land because her son was going to literally be killed. Again, I cannot imagine it.

4- Defending What You Know To Be True, No Matter How Much You Are Questioned  ~ I have raised my children in very particular ways: they don’t eat candy, they don’t watch TV, and we homeschool…just to name a few details. Opinions go from the condescending “hmmm … good for you, I guess” to the rolling of the eyes implying you’re an extremist and a tyrant. It is my firm belief that results never lie… but in parenting, it takes quite a while to see them manifested. After several years, some of the naysayers actually compliment my girls in their manners, behavior, and intelligence, but Mary actually waited 30 long years before some people started to believe her Son was The Christ. Most never believed her.

5- Making The Best Out Of Unexpected Situations ~ With time, prayer, and after many sleepless nights and tears, I have been able to recognize the blessing in what I perceived to be tragedies. Mary was able to do that right away, even knowing she would be mocked, her child would be threatened, and he would be ultimately rejected and brutally crucified. Her words were: “for, behold, from now on all generations shall call me blessed.“

I am sure you too can relate to Mary in many ways: you wear many hats, you juggle many roles, you honor your calling, and it all seems to go unnoticed. And like Mary, you are blessed among women… and will be through generations because your teachings will affect your children and all your posterity.

During the Savior’s last breaths on Earth, amidst pain and torture, He showed concern for his grieving mother. I am sure for Mary, while in the darkest moment a mother can imagine, through the love of a caring son, was assured it was all worth it.

You are blessed among all women, in spite of, because of, and beyond the dark moments. Stay blessed!

[ela]