Season of Creation: Discovering God’s Natural Design through Motherhood

By Mary Lim 

In his 2015 article, The Creator and the Co-Creators: Exploring the Intimate Connection between God and the World, Fr. James Kurzynski writes, “As we participate in the natural world we live in and as we participate in authentic expressions of love with one another (in all of its manifestations), we are drawn into participation in the very life of God, seeking to be fully alive in Christ.” The “authentic expressions of love” part, that’s the part that got me – those are the words that get close to what my experience as a new mother has felt like.

When I became a mother a year ago, I participated in so many new authentic expressions of love every day between my newborn son and my husband as we navigated our new family life. I felt alive in a way that I never knew before, and it is because we were participating more fully in the life of God, in our vocation, in God's plan for us.  

Don’t get me wrong, I felt more tired, more hungry, more bloated, and more unsure than I probably ever did before, too. Not to mention I also had a new tiny human in my arms who I was constantly either trying to support to sleep, or constantly checking his little sleeping body to make sure he was still breathing. But never had I experienced so much love for someone who I literally just laid my eyes on for the first time. I’ve never felt so known and so loved by someone who has only known me for a few hours. All of it has been an incredible participation in the life of God. 

My motherhood journey has been one of discovering the brilliance of God’s natural plan for families, and of discovering how perfectly families are called to participate in God’s very creation.  

God made us “co-creators” 

When God spoke Creation into existence, he said, “Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground” (Genesis 1:26). Then, God blessed man, saying to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28).

God made the rest of creation and gave it to man, and then he gave man dominion over creation, and then he called man to also join in the act of creation.  

Fr. James Kurzynski says, “Put another way, the Creator creates so that creation, in turn, can participate in the very life of God as co-creators.”  

Understanding God through my motherhood 

Becoming a mother has helped me to understand a bit better the magnitude of the responsibility of creation that we were given. Since he created us in his image, I try to use my own experiences of life to understand the person of God.  

As a co-creator – in a very tangible sense of the term (my body grew an infant human, with the grace of God) – I have “created” my little boy. I have also created sleep areas, play areas, activities, outings, meals, etc. for him to discover and thrive in. It brings me indescribable joy when I see that he delights in my “creation” that I have prepared and given to him. I allow him to explore, become familiar, and claim these “creations” as his own. I love it when I see that lightbulb moment happen for him, when he understands a part of what I created for him in a new way, and when he then participates in my creation, for example, when he dips his veggie straws in hummus and eats them. I am less than enthused when he chooses to instead throw his veggie straws on the floor to be cleaned up and wasted. 

In the exact same way, God has created this beautiful world, the universe, for us to discover and thrive in. I am sure that it brings him indescribable joy when he sees that we delight in his creation that he has given to us. He allows us to explore, become familiar with, and claim his very creation as our own. He loves to see when we understand his creation for us in new ways, and when we participate in his creation using this understanding, for example, when we use fire to cook our food. I get the feeling that when we use fire for intentionally destructive purposes to harm or destroy creation, God may not be too happy with us. 

When my son trashes his veggie straws, I do not love him less. I may worry about his appetite, and I hope that he eats well, is healthy, and will experience the fullness of a satisfied belly. I hope that he knows that I want him to eat well because I love him. 

In the exact same way, when we harm, misuse, and trash creation, God does not love us less. I think he might be concerned for our wellbeing, and I believe he grieves with and for those whom our choices directly affect. He wants us to be healthy and to experience the fullness of creation. He hopes we know that he wants us to take care of creation because he loves us. 

Our babies’ future 

Through my own experience of motherhood, I feel that I understand slightly more intimately the “why” behind God’s plan for creation. Since having my son, I have also come to know a greater urgency for the care of creation – in what state will my son be inheriting the creation with which I was entrusted to share with him? 

Pope Francis’ encyclical letter on care for our common home, Laudato Si' (LS), lays out for us just how much we have neglected and abused the creation that God entrusted to us.  

“We need only take a frank look at the facts to see that our common home is falling into serious disrepair... we can see signs that things are now reaching a breaking point, due to the rapid pace of change and degradation.” (LS 61) 

“...the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she ‘groans in travail.’” (LS 2) 

“What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” (LS 160) 

All I can do 

Everything that I do – and that I do not do – impacts my son and his future. He and I, and the environment and all of creation, are inseparably connected. It is amazing how thoroughly God detailed the natural plan for families to participate in creation and to participate in life with him. It is overwhelming, really. 

Parenthood is hard enough without obsessively reading labels on every food and cleaning product that I purchase. And sure, I feel a bit guilty about buying paper towels in bulk, but infants already make so much laundry, the disposable factor of paper towels is just so convenient. Every little choice that I make is an example to my son, though. How do I reasonably change enough to ensure that he grows up in a better world? 

For now, I must believe that it is enough to educate myself and my family, and to make changes where we can. Having conversations with friends and family in the presence of my son about the environment, resources, climate change, and how we can do better – I know that this will be important. Making conscious choices in areas where I am knowledgeable and discussing my reasons behind these choices regularly with my children as they grow up – this will set the groundwork for them. Having hope for a better, healthier, more connected, and loving future – this is imperative. Showing my son that I love God’s creation, and modeling a desire to care for it – this is the best that I can do. 

“[God] does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward.” (LS, 245) 


Learn more about the Season of Creation 

Read: ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME LAUDATO SI'