Mother's Day Devotional | Day 1: Dignity and Value
A Great and Godly Gift
Women and Mothers
Dignity and Value, Day 1
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;male and female he created them.” - (Genesis 1:27)
Pastor James, Jesus’ kid brother, tells us in James 1 that all good gifts come from our good Father in Heaven. Women--specifically, moms--are one of the greatest gifts to humankind that God gives. If these daily Bible studies are called “devotionals,” then I want us to devote ourselves to learning and being encouraged by a theology of women and mothering this week.
In Genesis 1, God creates Eve, Adam’s wife, and like everything else in the beginning, God calls her “very good.” God gives her to Adam as a companion, but not like any animal or other creature. She’s to be a partner, a co-laborer. An equal. He wants Adam to be happy with her (and he is!). He gives Eve a husband in Adam because he wants her to be happy (and she is!). Part of God’s purpose in creating man and woman is to show his own glory, within himself.
Adam and Eve are different, with different roles to play in their relationship and in the world. Nevertheless, God creates them as co-equals--in value, dignity, beauty, and power. This is meant to reflect something about God, something we call “ontological equality.” Within the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Spirit are all equally holy, powerful, beautiful, valuable, and eternal. One isn’t “better” than the rest. God creates Adam and Eve to reflect that perfect nature and relationship.
As man and woman have different roles and gifts, as co-equals they’re meant to compliment each other. God wants to show us something else about himself in Adam and Eve, something we call “economic subordination.” The Father, Son, and Spirit are co-equals, as we just pointed out, but they engage in a dance of authority and submission and unique labor. The Father ordains and directs with authority, the Son is sent by the Father and accomplishes his will, the Spirit “gets behind” all this and pushes with power and life. As co-equals, there’s still authority and submission in the Trinitarian god-head. No one in the Trinity is upset or distrusting of how this works because they love and trust one another--God, within his three persons, is one. That’s how God, in his original and ongoing design for humanity, meant it for us.
Women--and mom’s--from this brief theology lesson, I want you to know and be happy about a few things:
God made you to reflect his glory--which means, to the world and the men and children around you, God wants you to be seen in a certain measure of glory!
God made you to be a co-equal and partner to men--not as a pet or employee of fathers, husband’s, and brothers...but a valued, trusted equal; you’re not meant to be received as a person less important than men, but just as significant and worthy as men.
God means for men and women to work together like he works within himself--as equals, co-laboring with unique callings; distinct and different, but not divided; whether in authority or submission, happy to be unified...which is to say, whatever God’s calling in your life is, dear women, your work is essential and valuable. God, himself, has ordained and called you to serious and seriously joyful things!