"I am like a pencil in God's hand. That is all. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it. The pencil has only to be allowed to be used." Mother Teresa: Missionary of Compassion, Time, December 4, 1989.
Long have we been told that "The Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world", where does that saying come from even? For so long I have just heard it repeated and repeated. Perhaps because it is repeated so much, it becomes more common place and while it still means a lot, it is just another one of those cute sayings that is logged back in the files of our brain somewhere.
Even Oprah says that "To play mothering down as small is to crack the very foundation on which greatness stands." Back when I sold Mary Kay, the saying at our meetings was "If Oprah likes it: every woman in America likes it. "It still doesn't seem however, that women know that being a mother is a Divine calling. Perhaps it is because more women are in the workplace. They have been in charge of budgets, in board meetings, they have been a place where they receive some sort of praise and pat on the back for doing something good for the company.
When I was a Financial Manager, I loved what I did. If I might be so bold, I think I did my job well. (I know that sounds prideful!) I always wanted to be stay-at-home mom (SAHM) but part of me wondered if I could really do that after I had done so much in the workplace? Perhaps that is why the choice was made for me to leave that job. Back then I couldn't understand why I could be fired for a bogus reason. I was so mad that my name would be smeared so badly; after I had done so much to better that company, why would they tell so many lies about me? How could they treat me that way and still feel good about themselves? I suppose I still have baggage from that experience, but a little more clearly every day, Heavenly Father reveals a little bit of His plan to me. I can truly say that nothing I ever did at my old job would even compare with those big blue eyes of my baby smiling at me while she eats, or a glancing smile while we plant flowers. A hug or a slobbery kiss followed by a sparkle of happiness in those eyes, that just does something to my soul that makes me feel so whole. Nothing I ever did at that job could possibly make me feel as good as she makes me feel!
In "I am a Mother" Jane Clayson Johnson tells a story about going to a dinner in D.C. with her husband and about 75 mostly LDS couples of different professions got up after dinner to tell a little about themselves. The Men told of their careers but when it came time for the wives to stand, mostly all of them said to some effect, "I'm just a mom". As a society we hear that a lot, that motherhood is a day full of meaningless tasks. Mopping up spilled milk, changing diapers, cleaning up lunch, etc.
I think Jane says it best is summing up her first chapter. She ends by quoting Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (which she has typed up and on her nightstand): "'You are doing God's work. You are doing it wonderfully well. He is blessing you and He will bless you, even--no especially-- when your days and nights are most challenging. Like the woman who anonymously, meekly, perhaps even with hesitation and some embarassment, fought her way through the crowd just to touch the hem of the Master's garment, so Christ will say to the women who worry and wonder and weep over their responsibility as mothers, 'Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.' And it will make your children whole as well.
'That is a mother.
'We are mothers.
'The next time someone inquires what you do or asks you to describe yourself, would you say with confidence and with joy, 'I am a Mother'?"
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