Mother's Blessing for the Latter-Day Saint

As a woman of faith in Jesus Christ and His restored Gospel it can be a challenge to walk the covenant path and find community that honors the sacred road you are walking. Often, such gatherings that include any sort of "rituals" or "ceremony" can be seen as "witchy" or at the very least "hippie-ish". Some education and understanding generally reveals the true intentions and origins of such actions- for good or evil.

I believe that a Mother's Blessing- founded on ritual and connection- can be customized with elements that are LDS in a meaningful and creative way that I have found to add profound depth to the experience of honoring a Mother-to-be.

Here's what I mean with common elements of a Mother's Blessing and examples of what I am using for a Mama who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS):

Prayer- easy one, don't have to change how I pray or who I pray to. I would just change some of the subject matter of my prayer for the occasion. There are many examples from other Christians on how to pray at a baby shower ie: "Father, as we gather to celebrate this new life with anticipation, we thank thee..." (pinterest.com has lots of ideas).

Songs- also easy. My favorite for this occasion is As Sister's in Zion. Other ideas include: Walk Tall, You're a Daughter of God and I am a Child of God. If you have someone to play the piano, awesome! Otherwise, just provide the words and if it's not a well-known song you may need to play an instrumental version for the group.

Scriptures- in other settings, this would be a time for sharing positive birth thoughts, poems or posts. There are lots of wonderful Bible verses. Examples: Ecclesiastes 3:1, Isaiah 40:29, 2 Timothy 1:7, Proverbs 3:5-6, Philippians 4:19, 1 Peter 5:6-7, Psalm 23

Come back to me in a little bit (subscribe to my email list for the soonest update!) and I'll share some verses from the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. Doctrine & Covenants 18:10 and Moses 1:19 so far. I'm really excited to study this more!

Blessings/Wishes- again, lots of Christian inspiration on Pinterest, but I also feel like this is a wonderful opportunity to talk about the Plan of Salvation and how much this new soul is looking forward to this next step in their eternal journey. This gathering can be an excellent opportunity to share some very inspired LDS art around birth, such images that I am picturing include the Savior's hands on one side of a veil passing a baby into a mother's arms.

Affirmations- scriptures, Christian inspiration, talk about trusting God in the process and the angels that attend us!

Use of Candles, Herbs, Flowers, Jewelry, etc- what could be more fitting than a flower crown to remind the Mama that she is a Divine being participating in the most sacred work and calling that God has for His Daughters?! Candles bring a warm light that helps us visualize letting our own light shine. Herbs are all over the scriptures and encouraged by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants (Word of Wisdom- D&C 89:10-11). Jewelry, for lifting up, ministering and loving one another. Not something to get overly distracted with, but a nice touch.

Rituals- Connection, what better way to build unity than to pass a string around and talk about our Maternal ancestry -which all leads back to Mother Eve?! And other rituals that involve sharing wishes or blessings, what better way to show a dear friend that you care for them and want the best for them than to say your prayer out loud, to their face?

We are not here to worship idols. We are sharing objects and intentional self-care that we are infusing with our prayers and demonstrating our sisterhood with small tokens that both the Mama and her guests get to take with them.

And I cannot leave out food! What would a gathering of sisters- especially in the church- be without food?! Haha, but this is also an intentional part of the gathering because we are honoring a specific sister and her sacred journey.

Ok, but what would this actually look like? Honestly, this is me putting together what I am going to do for a friend. I have never attended or had a Mother's Blessing so this is my ideas from what information and inspiration I have gathered so stay tuned for an update on how hosting my first Mother's Blessing goes! (have you subscribed yet??? ;)

My current outline:

Opening prayer

Thread circle Introductions

I am a Child of God v 1, 2 & 4

Scripture sharing

Blessings/ wishes

Bracelet for Mama

Walk Tall You’re a Daughter of God

Sharing positive birth experiences/insights

Salt bowl + herb blessings

Foot soak for Mama

As Sisters in Zion

Closing prayer

Food

Mingle 

And that's what I've got for now!

I am honored that I have this opportunity to answer the call and serve women in this way. Since discovering and taking a closer look into Mother's Blessings I feel a deep call and strong conviction that this can and should be done for every mother in every pregnancy- especially in a church where the family is ones highest priority aside from God and where big families are encouraged. We need that support and it has dimmed significantly and quite tragically in recent years. Let us not forget the value of worshiping together and lifting one another up through ministering.

The growing of a family is a crucial time for gathering, not isolating.

As a family grows the need for community does too. We tend to have it backwards with baby showers and all the excitement front-loaded on the first pregnancy and then dwindling as the next child is born and the next and the next...

Is it not said that "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God"(D&C18:10)?

I testify that the worth of all souls are great in the site of God for we are all His children. We all deserve to be celebrated for choosing to come to this earth. And the Mother's that bear us need incredible support in that sacred effort. It is not a road to be walked alone. I know that Motherhood is sacred and that Heavenly Father sees mother's and has designated this work to women- His Daughters. He has a plan for each mother and each of her births and each of her children. For "lo, children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward" (Psalm 127:3).

I know that "this is [God's] work and [His] glory- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39) and that as women we have a crucial role to play in that plan. I know that Jesus is with us in our child -bearing and -rearing. What a blessed time.

I know that God gave us sisters to remind us of the reality of angels who minister seen and unseen. I now that we are building His kingdom as we gather in sisterhood and uplift one another in our motherhood. I say these things in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

I wrote about what a Mother's Blessing is in detail in the following blog you can read here!

Thank you for being here! Please feel free to add any scriptures you enjoy or have found encouraging in your motherhood journey. And let me know, when are you planning an LDS Mother's Blessing? What woman in your life would you like to honor and minister to in this unique way?

Have a blessed day!