Aprons and Tears

I made the mistake of telling my mom that the curse of women in the Garden of Eden "In pain you shall bring forth children." (Gen 3:16a) means not only that women will have pain during the birth of a child, but that we'll continue to suffer emotional pain for them until they're grown and out of the house.

"We suffer for our kids even when they're grown!" she admonished. I felt silly, but as a mom whose oldest is only 7, how could I know any better?

I told this story to my friend Diane, who told me a saying that her mom (who died this past year) told her, "When kids are young, we wipe their tears with our aprons, and when they are old we wipe OUR tears with our aprons."

The curses God placed on men relate to work and providing for their families. The curses God placed on women are painful relationships. And, in reality, God didn't curse us. We cursed ourselves through our sin. The curses are the result of the sin and broken relationships in our lives. They're not the punishment of a vengeful God.

Genesis 3:16b says, "Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." I've heard and read Christians say that this was God's will for women. If it was God's will, why is it part of the curse? God's will is for women and men to help each other. He didn't create women to be beasts of burden squashed under men's thumbs. That's a result of broken relationships and broken people.