I just knew that becoming a mom was going to be an adventure. I saw it on the face of my own mom as she squealed with delight when I first confessed we were expecting. I noticed it in the horror stories nearly every cashier at Walmart insisted on sharing. And I could see it in the eyes of my girlfriends who, after recently becoming moms themselves, beamed with pride the moment I asked about their newborn babies.
It wasn’t until I became a mom myself, though, that I discovered the reality that motherhood truly is a fantastic adventure, complete with every element we’ve come to expect from a good old-fashioned story. For one, there is incredible suspense; each new day brings unchartered territory both for my four-month-old son, Joey, and for me. As his big eyes first began to open and explore his world, I began to see complex beauty in simple things. When he gave me his first big smile, I gave up on the notion that saying ‘no’ to him is going to be easy. And when he first reached up and grabbed for my face with his chubby little fingers, I finally reached a new understanding of what unconditional love really is.
As with any adventure, the suspense of new discovery isn’t without unforeseen risks and dangers. Mothers of baby boys come to understand, for example, the risk that accompanies diaper changes: No outfit, hairstyle, wall or carpet is safe. And experience has shown that even the seemingly harmless can prove to be a daily hazard after we wound up in the ER when a strand of my long blonde hair had gotten tightly wound around Joey’s middle toe!
Of course no great adventure is complete without loyal companionship and a thrilling romance along the way, and my journey as a mother is no exception. I could never have anticipated the overflow of calls, meals, messages, visits, hugs, gifts, and support I received from friends as I first adjusted to life as a mom, and those relationships have only gotten richer with time.
And the romance? Although it wasn’t too hot and heavy in the bedroom for the first few weeks following Joey’s birth, my husband and I approached a new level of intimacy the moment we laid eyes on the new baby boy that we created together. But that’s not the only love story. I also fall more in love everyday with my little Joey as I watch him grow and change, explore and discover. And the greatest Romance of all—the one between me and Jesus—has transformed completely now that I’ve caught a glimpse of the intense love He has for me as His beloved daughter.
Probably the best part of any adventure—and certainly the best part of my journey as a mother—is the treasure I’m seeking that will one day be found and will draw the story to its “happily ever after” ending. Such a treasure isn’t defined by the career Joey pursues, the woman he decides to marry, or the amount of wealth he accrues in his lifetime. Instead, it is found in the choices he makes every day to surrender his will to God’s and to love others as he himself has been loved by Christ.
Even if I never make it to see my Joey discover such an astonishing treasure during our adventure together—and even when the journey gets unbearably tough along the way—I am convinced it is exactly the adventure God has prepared for me. And I wouldn’t miss it for anything.
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