"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
i just read this article. a friend linked to it in facebook. i'm not really sure you need to read the article...it's pretty opinionated and the comments on it (over 6,000 of them!) are equally, um, strong. but, it's the never-ending argument about who has it "harder": stay at home moms...or moms that work outside of the home. he did do a great job recognizing his wife (who is a stay at home mom) and i'm sure she felt valued, which is awesome.
BUT. between reading this article, and being challenged by a book i was reading last night, i have an idea.
maybe, just maybe, there wouldn't be so many young women who dreaded the idea of "having" to stay home with their children if they had a different model to look at.
what if those of us that are able to stay at home, or have made the sacrificial choice to stay at home, walked through our days like we were BLESSED to be doing so? what if we gave thanks for being able to have that precious conversation with our 5 year old on the way home from grocery shopping for our family?? even if it was pouring rain and we all had to change clothes when we got home and it created a WHOLE load of laundry?? what if we were thankful that we had the money to buy the groceries and the warm house to come home to and the washing machine that worked?? what if we acted like we were doing the job that we felt was the MOST important thing we could be doing with our lives this day? we ARGUE that point (that being moms is SO SO important)...and then we walk around like we are miserable and being tortured by these children. that is our choice...if we are miserable, we are choosing that. if we are joyful, we are choosing that.
i'm not trying to sound all "pollyanna-ish". i'm as real as they come. that's why most people read this blog (besides the grandma's who come for the pictures of the kids ;-))...because i'm honest about the hard stuff of everyday life. i'm not going to say something just because it sounds nice. there are certainly HARD days in this job of mothering. i'm not always happy and laughing...or even always joyful. but i am always trying to seek Him and His purpose for each day...each season.
i'm being serious here.
our hearts are so easily swayed. we complain so quickly. we find fault and walk around like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders.
He is fully capable of carrying our burdens. He WANTS to (Matthew 11:28-30). let Him. He loves you so very, very much and He wants to carry your burden and He desires for you to see Him in your days! whether your day is full of diapers or tantrums or preteen angst or just cleaning the bathrooms.
i just wonder. i wonder what if we acted like we liked our "job"...maybe, just maybe, a generation of women (our DAUGHTERS... who are watching us complain our way through our "miserable" days!) would rise up and yearn to be moms to their children and enjoy every minute, instead of feeling like it was a huge sacrifice??
just a thought and a challenge...
{i have to add this before i get bombarded with emails and comments. i am not taking a "stand" on if you "should" or "shouldn't" work outside the home as a mom. i am not going there today. i'm talking to those of us that have chosen to stay home.}
**all pictures taken from rebekah's folder of pictures. it's been a riot to look through them and see our life through her eyes!
6 comments:
your words and your posts are so spot on and have talked to my heart so much recently. thank you for writing!!
I totally agree and feel the same way - which is why I posted the article. I think it's a great reminder for those of us who have sacrificial made this choice of WHY we made the choice inn the first place. Lately i have felt like I'm coming up short in so many areas, but to help keep perspective and remember why exactly I'm doing what I am doing makes all the difference in the world. T oo many SAHMs feel so isolated and alone and unimportant - which couldn't be further from the truth.
yes! yes! yes!
I am continually shocked by my SAHM friends/acquaintances/ladies at the gym who complain about staying home with their kiddos. I count it PURE JOY!!!! YES- it's hard and can be lonely and frustrating and all of those things! But it is a GIFT!
I grew up in a home where I didn't know that my mom loved being a mom, so I feared motherhood myself (and still do most days!), but I have been shocked with how the Lord has blessed me in my obedience to find the joy in raising Berkley. I have been gifted with opportunities to talk to other young professional women who may one day GET to make the choice that I did. I relish in those opportunities to show them God's faithfulness. Thank you for writing about this...as always your honesty is encouraging and challenging. Thanks for the great reminder to find the joy!
Good idea, Courtney! It really is a blessing to be able to stay home, and I sure want my children to know that.
Preach, girl.
Yes! I totally agree. We really do love our job. I guess it is just easy to complain. I sometimes think my kids think I am miserable, when really I know I am happy... Just want the house to be picked up:/
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