A Martyr For Your Own Children
Jun 9th, 2007 by michelle
With this recent threat of preeclampsia, I began to contemplate my own life and the possibility of my death.
This may sound weird, but it is a result of the fact that preeclampsia (and other hypertensize disorders) is the leading global cause of maternal and infant illness and death (approximately 76,000 deaths per year). When these conditions are left untreated, they can develop into ecclampsia, which can result in coma, brain damage, and then death. Combined with the memories from my first pregnancy and the possibilty of my own son’s death, I had begun to fear what would happen if I do end up with preeclampsia during this pregnancy.
As I now have pregnancy-induced hypertension, I am at a greater risk for these types of disorders. And my husband and I began to discuss what we are going to do in regards to having more children. Our son nearly died because he was premature and now our daughter may possibly face the same risks. On top of those risks, I am jeopardizing my health and my life to have these amazing children. So we started asking questions like, “is it worth it to risk my life, and possibly the child’s, to have more children?” “Is this honoring to God?” “Is it smart to risk my life and then die to leave behind my husband with small children?”
My husband brought up this topic with our priest, and he was told something that I considered quite shocking and like nothing I had heard before. Our priest said that he would bless any mother to be a martyr for her child. It had never occured to me that losing my life (due to pregnancy) could be considered martyrdom. If a martyr is a person who dies or endures suffering because of a belief, principle, or cause. Then any mother who suffers for her child can be considered a martyr. Those who are willing to sacrifice anything for their children are martyrs. And, especially, those who risk their lives and die for the sake of their children are martyrs.
The life of a parent is one of self-sacrifice. It is one of the most honorable and blessed daily sacrifices that a person can make. To give of yourself to become someone who is completely devoted to the life of another is exactly what God would want of us. As parents, we must be willing to be martyrs for our children. This isn’t a conscious decision for most people, but part of the inner-workings of parenting as each child is a beloved gift of God given to us.
Just as Christ willingly laid down is life for us; so we, too, must be willing to lay down our lives for those who we love, especially our children.
“To give of yourself to become someone who is completely devoted to the life of another is exactly what God would want of us” rings so true to me and something I want to better strive to live up to. Especially as I have begun to contemplate parenthood, though I’m not a parent, your post is such good theology about what it really means to be a parent and to sacrifice for others. Your health is in my prayers!
Very thought provoking. Thanks for posting this, I wouldn’t have thought about it that way.
*chewing on this*
Just wondering how you are doing…you haven’t posted in a while. Hope everything is going well with the pregnancy. I’m praying for you and the baby!