Eve's Mandate to Mother

The first woman on the Earth was given a name signifying that she was the "mother of all living" Genesis 3:20. What does that teach us?   Was it a hint of her past premortal contribution or of her divine destiny to bring life to the Earth?   Was that title teaching that all living things would come forth, at least in part, from her creative contribution and sanctified sacrifice? Did it mean that all that continued to have life would be a result of her nurturing way? When Adam called his his wife "the mother of all living," was he recognizing that without her life-giving influence he would die, not to mention all of civilization?

I sincerely don't know the answer to my musings. But, I sense that  there was something grand and sweeping in that declaration that Eve was "the mother of all living."  

Not only was Eve's name prophetic of the life she would lead, the consequences given to her in the Garden were indicative that motherhood would be her sacred responsibility and role. The scriptures teach that By her great sacrifice would she bring forth children.  

"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children."  (Genesis 3:16)

 I suspect part of that  there are some sorrows that last longer than labor, and that no epidural can ease. Those sorrows can come even after a child has left the home and all that is left for the mother to do is to hope and pray; to love and to sorrow. These sorrows, inherent to motherhood, are part of the refining role God gave to us in Eden. Perhaps the joys and sorrows of motherhood can be felt by all women who embrace who God intended them to become, regardless of their situation in life. 

I have a friend who was promised in a blessing that she would be a mother in Israel. Yet, it appears she will not bare children in this life. This has led her to wonder that there might be a more expansive meaning than she originally thought. Maybe it was not so much a prophesy  of her reproductive capability as it was a description of the life she would lead. 

She loved and believed in the goodness of her husband, almost to a fault. While all others around her gave up on him, with what can be described only as a mother's love, she continued to hope and believe that he was better than the mistakes he had made. 

Her experiences in her marriage drove her to fight those influences that had so harmed her and help her fellow travelers that had been similarly wounded in life's journey.  

Teaching was her profession.  As one of her students, I can say that she not only encouraged me intellectually, she nurtured my confidence in myself as well.

I knew her when her life was busy teaching and  writing a dissertation.  But, she still found time to be a Nursery Leader and to love those children in her no nonsense sort of way. After she served in that calling that is so typically shunned, she became the young women's president. I was not able to see her serve in that calling, but I heard her speak of those young women with such understanding, such love, and such desire to protect them that I am sure that those girls were similarly blessed by her service. 

When it became evident that she would not have the blessing of being able to spend her life devoted to raising her own children, she sought to live next to her parents so that she could spend her life caring for them. What more apt description of this woman can there be other than a mother to all living? 

Sherri Dew taught, "Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve “the mother of all living” 3 —and they did so before she ever bore a child. Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born. Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality, 4righteous women were endowed premortally with the privilege of motherhood. 5 Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us."

“Motherhood is more than bearing children. … It is the essence of who we are as women.”

 When my sister Emily looks at pictures of herself as a missionary  in France and reflects on the great love she had for those she taught and the great sacrifice she was willing to pay to help them, she says that she sees the face of a mother.

Margaret Thatcher was a leader of a nation, incredibly iron willed and she has been described as a mother to that nation.  

Ann Sullivan, teacher of Helen Keller, shared her feelings about her profession in words that sound like that of a mother,  “For years I have know the teacher’s one supreme reward, that of seeing the child she has taught grow into a living force in the world.”

She also said, “I know that the education of this child will be the distinguishing event of my life, if I have the brains and perseverance to accomplish it.”

(Helen’s Eyes: A Photobiography of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s Teacher by Marfie Ferguson Delano).

I have a friend that devoted her life to both being a part-time Doctor and a mother.  Her perspective on life was lived seamlesly with one purpose- to love and nurture, to heal and facilitate progress, as a mother.  She did this for her children and her patients.

Nancy Grace Roman is a noted astrophysicist and was one of the first female executives at NASA. The pinnacle of her career was her work in the creation of the Hubble Telescope. She earned the title "Mother of the Hubble" for her creative contribution to that scientific feat.

Florence Nightingale is known as the mother of nursing.

These are examples of strong, vibrant women who contributed much to society.  If we tried to search for one word to describe their attributes, their aim, and their accomplishments-- the word could be MOTHER.

A most beloved leader from my youth went through some very trying experiences in the years when her nest was emptying out.  Her husband lost his faith and somewhere in that process, lost his admiration for who she was and what she had given her life to.  Undergoing such a seismic blow to her family structure and reality, she sought professional counseling.  I was so disappointed to hear some of the counsel the therapist gave to help my cherished leader.  She would say things to her like, "There you go again. You have to be everyone’s mother."  The therapist would demean the choices that my friend made to care for her sisters, parents, and others around her.  She criticized the way she was always looking towards everyone else’s needs.  This therapist used the word “mother” and the desire to be a mother to others in a derogatory way.  It was a bad thing to be.  To use such a holy word, then to make it into a negative swear word, I think that is blasphemy. 

I was not only sad that this therapist desecrated the word mother, I was sad because she criticized the great gift that woman gave to me. The truth is that I became who I am today much because of what this woman did for me. She was one of my leaders in my youth. The Gospel was the center of her life and permeated everything that she did. She was my early morning seminary teacher Monday through Friday. She formed a youth chorus that taught to to worship through singing. We met every Sunday evening to practice. Because she was my best friend's mother, I spent nearly every weekend at her house. When I contemplate the amount of food I ate at her home, I am ashamed. Many of the dishes I make for my own family are foods that I ate in her home. She was always conscious of my needs and frequently bought me a new outfit. Of all that she gave me, I think most of all I am grateful that she loved me and saw the good in me. I felt that love constantly. What other word could be used to explain what she gave me, who she was to me, other than mother?

When I am my truest self, I am the mother of all living.  I am a mother to children in primary, to my parents,  to my fellow sisters in Relief Society, preparing meals for someone that has just had a baby or another who lost a family member.

Sherri Dew taught the expansive meaning of what it means to be a mother in these words, “Loving and leading—these words summarize not only the all-consuming work of the Father and the Son, but the essence of our labor, for our work is to help the Lord with His work.”

Being a mother is not just the highest, noblest calling. It is the highest gift we can receive--the gift of Eternal Life.

In the Broadway musical Les Miserables, the character Jean Valjean reflects on his identity asking, "Who am I?" After his considerations he determines that he must never forget his roots and thunders the answer that he was once the prisoner known as 24601. When I consider my past, who I really am, and who I am destined to become, I want to thunder my own answer: I am a mother!