Living the Mom Life Day 1: While I Carried You
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-14, ESV)
There are few sounds more precious to hear than a fast-paced heartbeat coming from inside your belly. The awe and excitement you feel in that moment is unlike any other and is just the beginning of an incredible journey ahead. Our bodies are such marvelous things, and nothing drives that point home more than carrying an unborn child.
Many in the world today do not consider an unborn child to be an actual human being, therefore giving the mother freedom to terminate the pregnancy without consequence. The Bible clearly states that this is wrong. The psalmist David wrote, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16). God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” (Jeremiah 1:5). God views each of us as a human being before we are even created. Our hearts begin to beat in our mother’s uterus around three weeks after conception; we are a living being. Sadly, many doctors today view abortion as the solution for an unwanted or complicated pregnancy, and they will try to convince the mother that it is the logical path to choose. My 20-week ultrasound for my fourth pregnancy revealed serious complications and many unknowns for my baby. What was completely shocking to me was that I had several doctors who actually got annoyed with me for refusing to abort her. I thought doctors took an oath to preserve life! How sad to realize that they can look at an ultrasound screen showing a perfectly beating heart and a tiny, waving hand and not think of it as a life. I thank God that I knew the truth—that the little girl inside of me was most definitely a life worth fighting for. If you are given an adverse diagnosis in your pregnancy, I encourage you to seek out a pro-life OBGYN. Before that experience with my youngest daughter, I naively assumed all doctors were pro-life. I wish I would have sought one out as soon as we discovered that there were complications, because it was absolutely heartbreaking to hear doctors dismiss our unborn child’s life as worthless. That tiny person being perfectly created inside your belly is handcrafted by God, and worthy of all the love, protection and care you can give.
Imagine how Mary must have felt after the angel visited her with the news that she would be bringing God’s own Son into the world. I’m willing to bet she didn’t sleep much that night. Mary was an ordinary woman who was given an extraordinary task. She was not of royal blood nor was she a distinguished speaker or anything else that made her stand out; she was simply a young woman with a heart for God. Just as God chose Mary to be the mother of His Son, He has also chosen you to be the mother of your children. Each child is a gift from God, entrusted specifically to your care. You are given the important job of caring for, nurturing and raising those children as only you can. Mary completely trusted in God’s plan for her—a plan that had been set in place long before Mary was even born. God has a plan for you as well, and He only asks that you trust in Him to see it through.
Thanks to crazy hormones, your pregnancy will be a time filled with many emotions. You will feel elated, anxious, excited, nervous, happy and sad—possibly all in one day. Give yourself grace and know that your body is doing amazing things. God is creating life inside you! May you realize you are just as extraordinary as Mary in this role God has chosen you for. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Luke 1:46-49).
❤️