Motherhood 101

. . . and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. – Genesis 4: 1b-2

According to Genesis 4: 1a, Adam knew Eve his wife. However, it goes further to tell us in 4b what Eve did with this “knowledge” that her husband Adam gave her. Herein, we find a basic course on what is required to become a mother.

1. She conceived. Conception is the miraculous point at which the seed of a man and the egg of a woman connect and come alive. Scientists can describe it. Pediatricians can explain it. But, only God can do it. This is, indeed, where both life and motherhood begin.

2. She bore. Yes, conception is the beginning of motherhood, but a woman cannot really get any praise for that because even though she is a willing participant in the process, that is done by God. However, typically a woman does have a choice as to what happens next. Will she allow the embryo inside of her to grow to term or will she end it before she ever meets it. Will she abort it or will she bear it? Granted, we are treading on tender territory here, but suffice it to say, unless and until a woman is willing to take this next step of bearing the child (whether the child is born alive or not), she will not become a mother.

3. She said. Once her first born son was born, Eve called him Cain and she said: “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” There was no way for her to have known what kind of man Cain would grow up to be. None of us ever know what we are holding in our arms when we first hug our child. Nevertheless, she regarded her child as a gift. She saw him as a present to her from the Lord. Children surely try our nerves. But, when they do, remembering that they are gifts from God helps us to calm down – at least a little, for a minute, maybe, right?!?

4. She did it again. “Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel.” As far as this writer is concerned, this alone qualifies mothers of more than one child for immediate sainthood. The first child might have been a surprise, but to have another child on purpose, knowing all that happened the first time, is amazing. No man would ever do that! Yet, a mother does and many mothers live to and love to.

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