Motherhood is a journey many ladies may want to walk. Motherhood is itself birthed in pains, though the sight of the baby is pleasurable. It may be that, perhaps, you are pondering the motherhood path yourself with its pleasures and pains. Or you are a mother seeking encouragement and insights from another’s experience.
If this is you, please read on as Rhionah Ssemakula takes us through her journey and experience as a mother of two. She speaks of how motherhood’s high and noble calling has shaped her as a person and a Christian. Below is the mother’s memoir to encourage you.
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016, was an ordinary day by many standards. The sun rose gently from its chamber. Men arose to earn their bread. Children were hustled into cars or onto boda-bodas for a day of schooling as birds were chirping and the trees danced to the music of the wind.
And yet, at 8:04 P.M, in a dark room inside a labor ward in central Kampala, I became a mother.
A tiny, 2.4 kgs baby was put into an oversize pink polka dot sleepsuit by an overjoyed father and allowed to sleep in a new world. In his wisdom and grace, God had given me the privilege of becoming a mother through childbirth.
As I reflect on this journey, I notice how God uses motherhood to display his glory and fulfill his purposes in this world. This reality, however, does not come so naturally to us—at least not to me.
Motherhood Can Be Hard
As some of you know, motherhood can be a difficult journey. There are days when I wonder why I should gently and continually rear the little ones. Why should I urge them to self-control or answer myriad questions about the world? To what end should I teach them to ask for forgiveness, play mummy and baby for the umpteenth time, or read aloud over a mound of curly, kinky hair?
Other days I have battled the fear of the unknown. What if they die? Or who will my daughters marry? Will they make great friendships? How are my sins affecting their view of God and the world? Am I doing enough for each child?
In other moments, I have given in to self-pity, discouragement, laziness, and selfishness.
As a mother, it has been a slow realization that the profound realities of the good news of Jesus Christ should permeate every aspect of life. I slowly see how the gospel is the very foundation upon which motherhood stands, the place where it can thrive no matter the circumstances or seasons one finds themselves in.
The unchanging character of God, the finished work of Christ on our behalf at the cross, and the affirmation and help of the Holy Spirit are the sure footing upon which we can stand and face all that is before us, as mothers.
God Sets Mothers Apart Too
In Ephesians one, Paul says that before the foundations of the earth were laid, God had chosen the Ephesian believers to be his own, a people set apart for his purposes and glory. They were special. Even though they lived in the world doing ordinary things just like others, God set them apart. They belonged to him who had, at a high cost to himself, redeemed them, even adopting them as children in his kingdom.
As a believer, in 21st century Kampala in Uganda, this good news is mine too. With the believing Ephesians, I, as well, have been separated by and for God. I belong to him as I am, even as a mother. As his, I inherit all the eternal blessings as I respond by faith to his command to love him and my neighbor with all my heart.
As such, from my ‘extraordinary pursuits’ to ‘mundane tasks,’ I am a person set apart, called by God in love for his purposes. God has called me to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.
The God who set me apart as his child also made me a mother. Motherhood is a high calling, something which God has assigned me in Christ and by the guiding affirmation of the Holy Spirit. Truthfully, my children belong to the God who formed them in my womb. I am a steward over them.
The mother then may not do as she pleases—following her heart or the pattern of the world around her. Instead, she must be aware of God’s heart and mind for motherhood and seek in his power to walk in it.
Motherhood can be mundane, uncertain, complex, and sometimes unpopular. Yet, God has himself called us to this task. He also has equipped us with all that we need. All this truth comforts us and causes us to rejoice in Paul’s reminder to the Thessalonians sincerely. ‘He who calls you is faithful and will do it!’ (1 Thess. 5:24)
Motherhood is Pleasurable
Of course, motherhood retains its beauty and glory amid the hardships I mentioned. The one who made it and called us to it beautifies it, granting many pleasures along the way.
It is impossible to describe the flurry of emotions that mark motherhood. Who can tell of the privilege of carrying a soul—of bearing another human in one’s womb for months? Or the joy of noteworthy milestones that seemed a long way off for a while? Or the beauty of a child’s complete trust in their mother!
Our girls often amaze me with their confidence in me. To them, I have all the answers to life’s questions and all the comfort they need on a bad day. To them, I have the ability to satisfy their every physical need.
Do you see what an honor this is? No wonder that Jesus calls us to this childlike trust in him!
Also, as a mother, I have a front-row seat to the unfolding of our children’s unique character and personality. I am God’s co-worker as he molds them into what he so desires, even something that I may not have had in mind. For example, it dawned on me recently that our eldest is not the introvert we have always thought her to be. Instead, she seems a reluctant extrovert who likes to feel the turf before going all in.
Motherhood Concerns God’s Glory
God is at the center of our children’s development. By essence, motherhood is not primarily about the mother or child. And it rarely concerns their social status, financial or intellectual ability, education background, homemaking, and spiritual prowess, even though these may play an essential role in it.
Rather, motherhood is about a good and loving Father. It concerns a mighty and powerful God, a faithful and constant Companion who is committed to bringing himself glory and maximizing the joy of those whom he calls—even through motherhood.
Motherhood is a high and noble calling. It began in the mind of the God of infinite wisdom, steadfast love, and lasting power. Through motherhood, God displays his glory and purposes in this world—now and forever. It is God’s way of populating the earth and how he multiplies disciples, hence populating heaven.
Therefore, may God become famous through us as we seek to reflect him in our calling.
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