“Freeze your eggs, free your career.” That was the eye catching title on the front page of a recent Bloomberg Businessweek magazine. The subtitle read, “A new fertility procedure gives women more choices in the quest to have it all.” My interest was sparked.
I opened the magazine to scan over this intriguing cover story. “Later, Baby” was the title on the inside. “Egg freezing technology is helping women kiss the mommy track goodbye.” As I flipped through the next three pages, I read several stories of women who had decided to take the egg freezing route and their reasons for doing so.
“I just wanted to take the pressure off,” Suzanne, age 37, said. “Men don’t have a biological clock, and I felt like this leveled the playing field a bit.” Bridget, age 39, stated, “Freezing my eggs brought me time and the possibility to have a child in the future. It’s not a sure thing, but a gamble I am willing to take.”
An increasingly appealing option
Instead of being bound by their (God-designed) biological clock, women can delay having children until their 40s without the worry of having to produce healthy eggs. The basic idea is that you freeze your strong eggs when you’re in your 20s, and then use them when you’re in your 40s. The article went on to state, “If a 25-year-old banks her eggs and, at 35, is up for a [career] promotion, she can go for it wholeheartedly without worrying about missing out on having a baby.”
Women, young and old, are loving this new freezing technology because it frees them up from having to “settle down” too early. They can pursue their career, delay marriage, be independent, and still have a chance to be a mom—on their own timeframe. As I continued reading the article, the overarching message I heard was this: Children are a burden, a career is more valuable than being a mom, and being independent from the “family” is where women find true empowerment.
“Like many people who’ve frozen their eggs,” the article said, “Emily uses the word ‘empowered’ to describe the experience.”
The abnormality of marriage and motherhood
Now, a young woman is encouraged to be independent from her family, pursue the career path, and use her sexual “freedom” as she chooses. As a whole, the focus has shifted from a woman being family-oriented to now being totally self-oriented. Our culture has taken the approach that children are more like accessories than anything else. Have them or don’t have them. If they fit into your life, great. If not, no biggie. If you want to save them for later, that’s an option too.
As Christians, we have to ask ourselves if this thinking aligns with God's word. We must view everything, including this new egg freezing technology, through a Biblical worldview. I’m not opposed to new technology and medical advancement, but I am opposed to a worldview and mindset that is contrary to God’s design. There’s a reason God designed women with a biological clock. There’s a reason women are more fertile when they’re young. There’s a reason God created women to be different than men. God designed women with bodies that are (typically) able to get pregnant for a solid 30 years. On average, the younger a woman is, the more fertile she will be. What does that tell us? Maybe, just maybe, the norm is for women to get married at a younger age and have children when they're the healthiest and most energetic.
Embracing God’s design
If you take a birds-eye view of our culture, what do you see? Self-absorbed men and women who are celebrating the fact that egg freezing is available and women can now kiss the mommy track goodbye. Women can break free from their enslaving biological clock. Their careers and independence can finally take the front row.
But God’s Word teaches something much different. First of all, the Bible makes it very clear that children are not a burden but are a blessing. They’re a gift from God. We should never view children as a take-it-or-leave-it accessory. Children should be viewed as a precious investment and, for Christians, a soldier-in-training for the Kingdom of God.
If we take a bird's-eye view of Scripture, what we'll find is this; a loving Creator who designed and highly values marriages, motherhood, and children.
The Bible says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD” (Prov. 18:22). Marriage is viewed as an awesome thing in God’s eyes. In fact, young marriages are celebrated, “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Prov. 5:18). Not only does the Bible celebrate young marriages, it celebrates having children at younger age, "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them" (Ps. 127:3,4).
God's heart is clearly portrayed throughout Scripture. Instead of adopting our culture's worldview and attitude, we must realign our beliefs with the Bible. Is this new egg freezing technology a huge medical advancement? Yes. Is it something that encourages women to pursue God's design for them? I would say not. True happiness and fulfillment isn't found in self-serving agendas, but through a life that is focused on serving others and honoring God.
This was originally published here.
