Cherish Motherhood Today
Photo by Tatiana Syrikova
I once heard the saying, “Cherish them while you’re young,” and it has stuck with me ever since. How easy it is to get caught up in every day life and focus solely on its challenges and imperfections?
For this reason I made the resolution for myself to not let one day go by that I do not cherish the gift of motherhood—the blessing of being a mother, mommy, or mama.
To cherish means to appreciate, to be thankful.
Although surely accompanied by emotions of joy, excitement, and wonder, the act of cherishing is a decision, something you set your heart on. Just like loving motherhood is easier to do in the beginning, when the newness of it is still the preeminent feeling. The first time you see your little one, hold him on your chest, feel his little fingers hold on tightly to yours, things seem easy and natural; every challenge seems to be overcome easily through the simple emotion of appreciation that is reigning in your heart.
Then, after some time, challenges kick in. For some mothers, they might have already started during pregnancy. Physical fatigue combined with emotional rollercoasters made it hard to enjoy—cherish—that little one growing inside of you.
Others did not experience the labor they were hoping or planning for. The moment you encounter your little one—that moment you had been dreaming of from the moment you saw those two lines on the pregnancy test—was overshadowed by a whirlwind of emotions. Your heart seemed to be all over the place. Surely not the way you had expected it to be.
Appreciation over expectation.
Cherishing our children won’t always come naturally. Just like we don’t feel “in love” with our spouse the same way every day of our life. Challenges will happen—life will happen.
Cherishing is a decision. We wake up in the morning and decide to be thankful for our children. We decide to see their neediness as an opportunity to show them our love.
Cherishing means sacrifice.
We sacrifice our time, our priorities, our life. But isn’t this what motherhood is about anyway? I am not talking about letting children rule the family life, allowing them to take over, and giving them whatever they ask for. I mean that love, true love, thinks of others first. What better training ground than the mundane everyday life of motherhood?
Taking those fifteen minutes to read them a book when the dishes are presently waiting. Gladly accepting their offer to help bake a cake whilst aware of the additional work during clean-up afterward. Giving that extra hug when we feel like we just want to be left alone. Cherishing is a sacrifice. Sacrificial love.
In short…
I want to encourage us mothers today. Those sacrifices are not without reward. Selfless love is what Jesus called a “treasure in heaven,” and on top of that, we will also see rewards in life.
Because nothing compares to the love our children give us back as they cherish us. No words compare to when your child says to you, “I love you, mommy.”
