Saturday, May 16, 2009

The Mother That I Can Only Hope To Be

It's 4:22 a.m. Yep, that's twenty-two minutes past four in the morning. Not long ago I only theoretically knew this time of day existed. I was never up this early to prove it. Yet as I sit here typing, my wife is one room away, feeding our new daughter. That simple act is the spark that triggered this blog. Let me start by saying that I'm a Christian. My wife is also a Christian. While I'm aware that term has many negative connotations surrounding it these days, to us being a Christian means living a life of service, loving people, and accepting God's grace when we fail at the first two. The interesting thing that I've found to be true is that my wife, now as a new mother, embodies Christ far better than I could ever hope to.

Let me provide a quick explanation.

My wife, being a new mother, has now inherited certain duties, whether she wants them or not. She is called to take care of our little girl no matter how she's feeling, what time of day it is, or what else is going on in her life. Our daughter's needs come first, period. The sacrifice that this requires is astounding to me. It's a job she excels at, much more than I do. In comparison to a mother, being a father is relatively easy. On any given night you might hear me say, "Honey, do you need me to get you a glass of water while you're feeding the baby? Okay, here you go. I'm going back to bed now." My problem is sleep, or the lack of it to be more specific. Sleep is one of our most fundamental needs. Without it, we aren't going to be productive for very long. In the middle of the night, when my wife and I have to get up to take care of our baby, I'm about as coherent as a zombie in a George Romero flick. My wife does a bit better. The truly inspiring thing is that she does it every night, without wavering. She pops out of bed and unhesitatingly meets our daughter's needs. She will be up with our little girl for an hour, sometimes longer, in the middle of the night. I'm only up a small portion of that time in a pitiful attempt to show my support.

This type of sacrifice and love for another human being is the true essence of being a follower of Christ. Moms everywhere embody it better than most men I've met. While this isn't meant to be a which-gender-is-better illustration or anything, my point is that when it comes to truly living a Christ-like example, mothers epitomize it.

I use the example of a mother caring for her child as an example because it truly exemplifies the type of selfless life Jesus calls us to. In the past, I've tried to live out my faith in a number of ways — mission trips, homeless ministries, soup kitchens, service at the church — but these things were all on my timetable. I chose when I would serve (and at which activity). While at times I was out of my comfort zone, I wasn't in the desert for forty days by any stretch. Mothers, though, have to constantly surrender themselves with a newborn. I see this most when my wife sits in her rocking chair at three in the morning, nursing our daughter. I can hardly stay awake, but she fights through to meet our daughter's needs. I am truly inspired by that.

To all the mothers out there who continually put their childrens' needs first, you're due much praise. As honored as I feel to be the father of a precious little girl, my wife is the one who deserves the glory. She serves not only as a model mother, but also a shining example of what a Christian should be.