A friend once asked me whether I would still want children if I had it to do over again. For me, the joys certainly outweigh the problems. There may be ups and downs in being a mother, and it is hard work. But when thought is spiritually based, motherhood can be unburdened and deeply satisfying.
"Christian Science explains the nature of God as both Father and Mother," Message to The Mother Church for 1901, p. 10; Mrs. Eddy writes. Here, in God, is the source of the wisdom, stamina, forgiveness, and love that motherhood requires. We're not the originators of these qualities, or of tenderness, gentleness, and understanding—God is. But they are ours to express, because God is our Father-Mother. As God's offspring we are complete and have unlimited capabilities.
Seeming inadequacies, leading to frustrations and condemnations, are eliminated when we see ourselves as His representation. If exasperation or anguish crowds in, we can dismiss it with the authority of man's God-given dominion. We and those we call our children are really spiritual, not material beings.
