Scripture
clearly defines a covenant relationship between one man and one woman as the
biblical norm for marriage. Scripture also teaches us that this covenant
between man and woman is to be lived out as worship before the living God. Furthermore, this relationship known as marriage is a
reflection of God's covenant keeping love with his people and the building
block of human life and human flourishing in the world. In other words, God's
design for family is for one man to be covenantally joined to one woman for
life, in which relationship children are produced and nurtured to life and
ultimately faith in the living God.
Unfortunately, this view of human sexuality is not only increasingly considered archaic but hostile, hateful, and intolerant. What I want to turn our attention to in this post isn't so much a discussion on what marriage is or isn't, but towards protecting the incredibly beautiful design of God in motherhood. Since motherhood is on a continuum with marriage I thought it necessary to clarify the context in which motherhood finds its heartbeat. Still, if we can reduce our focus to this particular relationship between woman and child that she has born we can see from Scripture and science that it is indeed a beautiful thing. This is true for women who are single moms and women who adopt children and nurture them.
First of all, the reason Scripture gives for why motherhood is so incredible is because God intends women to be, more generally speaking, nurturing, gentle, and affectionate. Consider 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
See also John 16:21
When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
Paul Tripp talks about moms as "God's tool to the forming of a human soul." Tripp goes on suggest that an infant child is utterly dependent and moms, In their nurturing capacity, play a key role in forming identity, morality, and spirituality into the child. One of the things I find really amazing about what Paul Tripp suggested is that God intends to put his hands on your child and he uses parents to as his representatives. Moms shoulder the lions share of the initial touches with a child, and for good reason. Moms, in their nurturing capacity, are the representative of God to their child: "your the tone of his voice, the look on his face, the touch of his hand."
An Account From Science
A book recently published by Manhattan author Erica Komisar is titled "Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood In The First Three Years Matters." Obviously, the title doesn't make the premise of this book very enigmatic, it says a lot right off the bat. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article titled The Politicization of Motherhood by James Taranto “The
premise of Ms. Komisar’s book—backed by research in psychology, neuroscience
and epigenetics—is that mothers
are biologically necessary for babies...not only for the obvious reasons of pregnancy and birth.”
Komisar
goes on to say that “babies are
much more neurologically fragile than we’ve ever understood." Komisar quotes the research work of Nim Tottenham of Columbia University, a prominent neuroscientist, "babies are born without a central nervous system and mothers are the
central nervous system to babies, especially for the first nine months after
birth.”
The way Komisar puts this into words is better than I can do and makes the science of this seem truly amazing: “Every
time a mother comforts a baby in distress, she’s actually regulating that
baby’s emotions from the outside in. After three years, the baby internalizes
that ability to regulate their emotions, but not until then.”
In other words, when a mother comforts a baby early in the baby's life the central nervous system of that child is actually being developed.
The "Love" Hormone From Mothers and Fathers
Komisar goes on to explain that there is a connection between a mother's connectivity to her child and the release of oxytocin, which is considered the love hormone. “The
more oxytocin the mother produces, the more she produces it in the baby by
communicating via eye contact, touch and gentle talk. The baby’s brain in turn
develops oxytocin receptors, which allow for self-regulation at a later age.”
Fathers play an important factor as well and help the release of a different nurturing hormone called vasopressin. James Taranto summarizes this:
“Whereas
a mother of a crying baby will ‘lean into the pain and say, ‘‘Oh, honey!’’ a
father is more apt to tell the child: ‘C’mon, you’re OK. Brush yourself off;
let’s go back to play.’ Children,” we are told in the article, especially boys,
“need that paternal nurturing to learn to control their aggression and become
self-sufficient. But during the first stages of childhood, motherly love is
more vital.”
Who Exactly Is Erica Komisar?
Another layer of complexity and intrigue to this entire work is the fact that Erica Komisar who lives in Manhattan would easily be categorized as politically left, not conservative. Interestingly, her work here in this book has caused her to be shunned by those in her own camp and accepted by conservatives, even Christians radio stations. Perhaps this is why the article in the Wall Street Journal is titled The Politicization of Motherhood. After all, doesn't the left pride themselves so much on science as opposed to faith? Komisar provided science but it proves to be too inconvenient to square with the pillars of left wing politics.
Make no mistake, I am not trying to push a political agenda here. I only point out this political shunning from the left as a proof of validation to the claims that Komisar is making. And, if science is objectively true at this point, it supports, not negates the beautiful picture that Scripture has been painting for thousands of years.
As a proclaimer of truth and a defender of God's beautiful design I want want to serve women and family by protecting them from the onslaught of worldview (Colossians 2:8) that is aggressively taking issue with one of the most important jobs you might find yourself called to: motherhood. Perhaps the reason the liberal left distances themselves from Komisar's book is because it is difficult to legitimize abortion as virtuous in light of her findings. Komisar's findings does not make swallowing the force fed homosexuality agenda any easier. Selling the message that women are liberated by career and shackled by home looses plausibility. The premise of feminism, egalitarianism and even transgenderism starts to crumble when we see how unique femininity is to a woman and a woman is to motherhood and motherhood is to life.
If you are a mother or an aspiring mother remember that God has designed you very uniquely to stand in his place and to use your femininity to nurture a child. Not too many things could be more glorifying to God, rewarding to you, or formative for another human soul. I encourage you to fully delight in your role as a mother. It is indeed a beautiful thing worth celebrating and protecting with every resource available to us.
Interested in More?
Find Al Mohler's Daily Briefing on this article here:
http://www.albertmohler.com/2017/11/02/briefing-11-02-17/
Find The Wall Street Journal article here:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-politicization-of-motherhood-1509144044
Comments
Post a Comment