Nurturing is Godlike

I was seaching the scriptures the other evening when I stumbled across a line which read, “…and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children…”

The line comes from 1 Timothy 5:10, amongst Paul’s instructions to Timothy on what to look for in potential matriachs of the church. Now, there’s a whole bunch of other stuff that you can look up for yourself, but what struck me here was the high esteme expressed by the apostle for child rearing. He affirmed bringing up children as a “good deed”, as a ministry.

How different is that from popular attitudes today! Women are said to “leave work” to bring up children. Women’s liberation has not, it seems, liberated us from the perception that traditionally masculine roles are more impressive than traditionally feminine roles. Bringing up children seems grossly undervalued, whether it’s men or women doing it. Yet I think we need to affirm bringing up children as Godlike. What?? How can I say that? Doesn’t that clash with God’s masculine image? Folks, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, God-likeness isn’t measured by the length of your penis.