Marriage and Parenthood: Difficult But Desirable

If you know Ruth Fujino, you know a woman who is wise and discerning beyond her years. I got to spend 6 hours in the car with this beautiful sister of mine on Monday, and I am treasuring up the insights Ruth provided. On the way home, I shared with Ruth some of my latest struggles as a mom. She patiently listened while I rattled off all the ways I have messed up the past couple of weeks and how I have started to feel more overwhelmed by motherhood as the due date for baby #2 rapidly approaches.

When Ruth opened her mouth, healing words like a balm for my heart washed over me. I keep replaying a phrase she said that has helped me tremendously this week. After agreeing with me that every mom she knows has expressed to her at some point the wearying nature of parenthood, she told me that by being vulnerable, the moms in her life have shown her that motherhood is difficult, but she still sees it as desirable.

Difficult but desirable.

She went on to say how she knows the marriages around her are difficult, but the way the husbands and wives respond to one another in the midst of the difficulty don’t diminish the desirability of marriage.

Marriage and parenthood are beautiful gifts, but they require great amounts of sacrifice and are often difficult. As a wife and mom who deeply longs to point others to Jesus, the source of my salvation, hope, and joy, I was reminded by Ruth that this is accomplished as I vulnerably share my shortcomings and sin with the people in my life. Allowing others to see that I don’t have it all together doesn’t make my God look feeble; instead, it magnifies the greatness of the One who is strong in my weakness, the One who designed marriage and motherhood, the One who is working in me so that the people around me see that life as a wife and mom is difficult but it is desirable.

To all the women in my life who speak truth in love to me, thank you for helping me grow in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus. I am eternally grateful for all of you.