The Art of Motherhood
Photo by Andrea Bertozzini on Unsplash
I am currently sitting on the couch watching my almost one-year-old daughter sway my purse from side to side with her hand on a drawer, a place where it doesn’t belong.
I’m watching her crawl from one place to another and ease her way up to stand and take steps to walk. It’s been almost a year, a year of walking through the art of motherhood. Some days the art of it felt like the work was complete, a beautiful masterpiece. Other days the art of it felt like chaos. First year being a mom has come with a lot of different changes and reflective moments. It has come with a lot of questions about my self-worth, identity, and value as a woman.
I wondered quite often before birth how this would all play out. How I’d go from working alongside a community of people at a workplace to transitioning to a space where it’s just me and another little human day by day, living the stay-at-home parent life by choice.
Truthfully, the art of motherhood will continue to evolve in beautiful and messy pieces, words, and reflective moments that will sometimes be indescribable. There will be so many more moments of uncertainty and doubt through the work of motherhood.
But, as I sit here now watching my little girl nearly stuff her brush in her mouth, I’m reminded of Eve. The story of Eve in the Garden is one of my favorite stories because it is about the first woman on Earth, despite her mistakes, she was formed in the image of God. Is that not art?
The woman became a helpmate to her husband as her eyes were able to witness all the things created on Earth. From the very beginning, God knew not only would Eve become a wife, but she would also be a mother and though she endured some painful days out of the sinful places of her heart, there was still destiny for her. There was still work to be finished through her, like birthing her children.
The art of motherhood is hard work and although I don’t see how all the pieces are going to unfold, and the art of it doesn’t always seem to be coming together, I’m reminded of Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Through the joyous and chaotic days of motherhood, we can be sure that God’s handy work of art was all meaningful from the time He knew we'd live out this day-to-day journey as a mom.
"He has made EVERYTHING beautiful in its time....." Ecclesiastes 3:11
