In her 1981 book The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women, Elisabeth Badinter generalized "maternal duty" and the implications of motherhood as "tyranny." While Badintor's words may seem an extreme level of thinking, they in actuality testify to the rampant secularism evading the church today. Whether directly or indirectly, women who embrace motherhood as an entire calling are in varying forms demeaned for a lack of self-respect and attention. Women should prioritize self-fulfillment, it is generally contested; liberation is founded in a "child-free" society:
"A child is synonymous with sacrifice and frustrating, even repellent, obligations; it is perhaps a threat to the stability and happiness of one's relationships. They refer to themselves as "child-free" rather than childless because they are free of children and therefore of motherhood."
A return to truth, however, proves how very right God is. A closer look at Scripture and the scientific evidence correlating reveal that child-bearing is not oppression as the secularists would have us believe, after all; on the contrary, God calls it a means of redemption. Not that we are saved by works, but that in child-bearing and raising up for God a godly seed as He desires, we reiterate and multiply the vision needed in order to propagate the Gospel.
In a statistical study, Above Rubies' Nancy Campbell noted that for every child a woman bears, her risk for ovarian cancer decreases by 10%. Research further reveals the safeguarding nature of pregnancy and lactation; whereas women today experience four hundred menstrual cycles in their child-bearing years---a contributing factor to the rise of Endometriosis and other reproductive-related problems---women who experienced around only 100 cycles about a century ago lived virtually free of the diseases now feared. Why? Because the God-given gifts of pregnancy and lactation naturally allow rest for the body in ways that intervening methods (such as birth control) in reality prevent. In summation, the desire, rather than contempt for children, reveals a heart touched by God. The qualities of godly motherhood require and showcase the fruit wrought by the Spirit in a woman's heart. In addition, Mrs. Campbell noted the salvific nature behind motherhood: "We are all prone to self-pity and selfishness but children take our mind off ourselves as we minister to their needs. This is healthy. We are much better emotionally when we care for others."
"But women will be saved through childbearing-if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety (I Timothy 2:15)." Though the passage is frequently read, its meaning is unfortunately less frequently divulged. It is a possibility that Timothy's admonishment is inclusive of a holistically redemptive process. Such knowledge exists to reinforce the fact that God's Word is always true and right---every jot and tittle!
