A mist went up from
the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God formed man
of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2: 6, 7)
Genesis 2 says that God formed man in the womb of the
earth. But the earth did not CREATE
man. God did.
From the mist watered dust of Pangaean Africa, the Lord
shaped a man, but it was only a shape until God breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life. Man was on the earth and
of the earth. His work was with the
earth.
But Man was not made by the earth or for the earth.
Man was made by God, in God’s image, to serve God’s purpose.
In the beginning man’s meaning, our destiny was found beyond
the womb that birthed us.
Some things never change.
For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You,
For I am fearfully and
wonderfully made…
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were
none of them. ( Psalm 139: 13-16)
Biological mothers
have the great privilege of participating in the Divine work of creation. A baby, a child, an original image of the
eternal God is fashioned inside of them.
Inside a mother, but
not BY a mother.
God said that, “Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before
you were born I sanctified you.”” (Jeremiah 1: 5)
Who formed you? Who knew you first?
Now take a deeeep
breath.
Mothers don’t make
babies. God does.
A mother to her
child is as vital as the earth, but a child’s identity, purpose, and destiny
can only truly be found beyond the womb that birthed him.
For a season of 17
years or so, mothers have stewardship of Divinely created life in the person of
their babies. For that season, Mom, you
are steward of God’s image.
Steward, not owner.
I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother’s womb You have been My God. (Psalm 22: 10)
Mama, your job is to
guide your children to God from their birth, to teach them to know the Lord
from their earliest movements in the womb until the moment they exit your home
for adulthood.
They’re yours, but
they don’t belong to you forever.
Bring them up so
that you can let them go. Love them so
well that they can leave you. Provide
for them such a home that they can build their own without you.
Don’t handicap your
children with co-dependency. Don’t tie
them in knots of guilt or poison their marriage prospects to keep them
near. With such strategies you may keep
them close to you, but you will take them far from their God-given purpose.
And that’s
hard. But not just for you.
Hannah, the mother
of the great prophet and king-maker Samuel,
agonized over her obligation to
set her son on the path to his destiny, a path that would separate them
for months on end.
Hanna said, “For
this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of
Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he
shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.” (1 Samuel 1: 27, 28)
Notice Hannah’s
language. She couldn’t bring herself to
say that she was GIVING Samuel back to God.
She called it a loan. She
struggled within herself, but she let Samuel go. Hannah didn’t just release her child. She delivered him ---- to God.
Through pregnancy
you labor to bring forth a baby who can survive outside your body. Through motherhood you labor to deliver an
adult who can survive outside your home.
The God-ordained mission
of motherhood is to bring your children
up in such love, instruction, and example that when the time comes for them to
pursue their destiny you deliver into the world an adult who understands that
he/she does not belong to Mama.
They belong to God.
I call to remembrance
the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother …and
your mother …, and I am persuaded is in you also. (2 Timothy 1: 5)
---Anderson T. Graves II is a
writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural
leadership development.
Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of
Hall Memorial CME Church in
Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking
Organization
(SAYNO)
and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for
Human Development (
NIHD).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
You can help support this ministry by clicking the
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Support by check or money order may be mailed to
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116
