Thursday, April 29, 2010

growth

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Recently I was asked to contribute an example of how I have experienced growth in the past year or two for a local Women's Conference for my church.  I thought I'd share my response here because it was a good opportunity for me to reflect.  I feel a little vulnerable putting it out there, but sometimes that can be a good thing.

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If I step back and view my life over the past couple years from a different perspective, the growth I see immediately is individual. Growth as a woman, a wife, a mother, a spiritual being.


I’ll start at the beginning. I had three children and spent much of my time feeling overwhelmed and that my life was in chaos, when I started feeling prompted that I had a child waiting for me. I ignored the promptings for a couple years! But finally I decided that I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I ignored so many promptings that were so obvious to me. In prayer, I told Heavenly Father that I was ready to follow through and grow my family on one condition: this would be the last one. (My pregnancies are difficult and I have had to go on bed rest each time, so I knew that a pregnancy would be hard on my entire family.) I remember when I saw my positive pregnancy test I fell to the floor dramatically and broke down in tears. When I saw my ultrasound and saw that there were two babies I couldn’t stop laughing. I felt like Heavenly Father had heard me and loved me and had a funny sense of humor and I had a calm feeling that I knew I would be okay. I had never thought I would be the mother of five children and it sure sounded like a lot! (It still does.)

While I lay in bed growing babies, I thought about how motherhood had really caught me by surprise. I had thought it would come naturally and it didn’t! I laid there and watched my three children and my love for them grew. My understanding of them as individuals grew. My appreciation for them in my life grew. I grew a new understanding of what made each of them tick. They would come into my bed and talk with me. They were God’s children, not mine, and I never had seen that more clearly. As I laid there I realized how much they had been teaching me since they came into my life. I felt the power of family, that we are sent here in each other’s keeping, and the relationships go both ways—parents teaching their children and children teaching their parents, both needing each other’s wisdom and understanding and love. I felt immensely blessed to be a mother. I felt so grateful that I had a husband who was my equal partner in every sense of the word, and as I laid in bed I watched him take on so much and still have love and comfort left to give me. People kept asking how I was managing such a huge trial, but all I could see laid out in front of me were blessings.

As I laid in bed, I learned about service. I watched as women served me in the ways that they felt comfortable. Some made meals, some took children, some did laundry, some prayed, some made schedules…different people felt comfortable serving in different ways. I felt like my understanding of what service is grew and I felt more confident that I was capable of serving in whatever capacity I could and that would be good enough.

When the babies came into our lives, any fears were replaced with joys. All worries were replaced with love and adoration for these new individuals. I no longer languished in the misgivings about motherhood, but I gladly accepted it wholeheartedly. That didn’t mean that it wasn’t hard, but although it was hard it was a privilege and a blessing. It was saving me. I had grown in my understanding that anything that is worthwhile is hard.

I feel constant guidance. I feel consistent love. I understand that this path is one of progression. All because I have embraced motherhood.

9 comments:

Katie said...

Thank you for sharing this post, I appreciated it.

Happy Spring!

Maegan Beishline said...

This is beautifully written and I feel much the same way! Motherhood became a joy rather than a series of duties once I really embraced the role. Now, it really is a pleasure to serve my children and our family!

Mandi Buchanan said...

Thank you for sharing your story. You are an inspiration to me.

Emma Jo said...

It's just beautiful. I love your thoughts and your willingness to share them. I am also loving all the artwork on the side. Can I just decorate my whole house with them? They are serene and strong. I love them.

Unknown said...

thanks girls. I appreciate you! I feel inspired by other mothers constantly and feel like I am watching them as hard and fast as I can so that I can be a better mom.

Dana said...

Found your blog by googling "felt flowers".....Anyway, I read this post about why you decided to have another child and the sacrifice that was on your family. I too have difficult pregnancies. The last on about killed me (they say). I have 4 and have to be done. I was sure when I got pregnant on #4 that it would be twins (like you) because I was sure we needed to have 5 kids. Well, it wasn't and we're not having 5. We have to stop at 4. I think I am still mourning that but figure Heavenly Father will put more children into our path if that is what is supposed to happen. Just wanted to say I found your post inspirational and appreciate you sharing.

Anonymous said...

Thanks!!! I am so grateful that you took the time to write this and I am glad that I took the time to read it. It was exactly what I needed to hear!

Mikael@starter home to dream home said...

YOu say this so beautifully. I am going through my own change right now with motherhood. My twins brought me hardships and I felt that no other mother understood the REAL challenges of motherhood. Why was the Lord out to get me? I am now realizing all mothers have their hard times and every day isn't perfect. It will never be perfect. But it is a learning and growing experience that will never end.
Thanks for sharing!

OnCallMom said...

Beautiful post--I'm so glad you shared it! Very inspirational.