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One of the best, honest pieces I’ve read lately on motherhood…WELL worth the read…be sure to share.
“Christian mothers carry their children in hostile territory. When you are in public with them, you are standing with, and defending, the objects of cultural dislike. You are publicly testifying that you value what God values, and that you refuse to value what the world values. You stand with the defenseless and in front of the needy. You represent everything that our culture hates, because you represent laying down your life for another—and laying down your life for another represents the gospel.” -Rachel Jankovich
22 comments
Yes!!
Wow, the best article I’ve read in a long time. Thank you for sharing it! I especially love her response “Yes…full of good things.”
Excellent!
Hi Kelly,
I’m so glad I stopped by today. That was a wonderful article. We all need to reminded to sacrifice ourselves. As Paul said we need to pour ourself out like a drink offering & give our Father the glory.
I hope you are doing well.
Jennifer, if you are around anymore – HI!! 🙂
Blessings,
I’m sorry I wasn’t around when this was posted. Hi!! Hope you’re doing well, it’s been ages.
I loved this article and her other article on ‘Motherhood as a Mission field’. I just had to write down her observations ‘That everyone wants to save the world but no one wants to help mom with the dishes’ and ‘when you are a mother at home with children ‘the church is not clamouring for monthly ministry updates.’ How true! I’m picturing myself in church bringing my report from the ‘home front’ and wondering what kind of response it would bring.
LOL I remember our pastor from an old church saying: We understand that moms who are home with young children can’t do discipleship and ministry.
Um, are you kidding me? What do you think I’m doing all day? It’s one thing to preach the gospel to someone I’m never going to see again, but it’s quite another to preach the gospel day after day to someone whose sins I’m intimately aware of. (Just to clarify: Biblically, we’re required to do both.)
Ginger,
The story you shared about the pastor is why I am so passionate and persistent in writing about motherhood and the blessing of children. People say to me, “Why don’t you just let everyone believe how they wish…why do you have to talk about YOUR conviction? Why don’t you let the Holy Spirit work in this area?”
It’s not about my convictions, and the Holy Spirit often works through the prompting of words. This pastor, though I assume He is a man of God, was not expressing the heart of God (“And Jesus REBUKED them, saying, ‘Suffer not the little children…”) To think that we are called to disciple others but not our own? To think God cares about the souls of others but not the souls of our children–the gifts He has given us and entrusted us with? That other ministries are important but not the ministry of bringing up children for the Kingdom? It’s unthinkable and it is our responsibility to set such thinking aright–thinking that is not “my own opinion” but is clearly dictated by God’s Word. It’s one of the most misunderstood areas, in my opinion, among Christians. THAT’S why I talk about it so much 😉 Thank you!
When Paul Washer came to our church a couple years ago, he talked about he problem of laypersons prioritizing the church above their own families. We think: God first, church second, family third, then the world.
He adamantly corrected that view. God should be first, then family, then church, then the world.
I’ve obviously seen this firsthand. When men put the church above their own families (discipling their wives and children); their families suffer. Wives leave; children rebel; and they are left thinking: Well at least I had integrity as a pastor.
No you didn’t. 🙁
I read this a few days ago on another site and felt so empowered and encouraged! It is a lot easier to respond Christ like to people’s negative comments in public when you think of it from this perspective.
What a Wonderful Article!! It was an encouragement to me.My unmarried 27 yr.old daughter works at a Christian Preschool.Just last week she was talking to me about some of the moms that bring their kids in there..not in a judgemental way but in a truthful way and she see’s the “lie of having it all”..and her heart goes out to them..She is very compassionate but discerning. She had a boss that she really admired who just recently moved..She was a wonderful Christian Woman who seemed to be able to balance it all..I asked her what she thought of my life..I’m still home with 2 younger children being schooled and she told me when she’s married..thats the life she wants..I was thankful to the Lord for that!! We need to be an encouragement to the mama’s who are overwhelmed..Thats why I loved this article!
Loved this! Thank you for adding to my day :-).
This is an EXCELLENT article. I hope it encourages moms to be confident of their calling and diligent in response… hoping to hear a lot more, “Yes, my hands are full of blessings!” 🙂
Loved this article, I think I will have to share it!!!
Last weekend we were having dinner with some friends from our old church. At 38 weeks pregnant they asked me “Would you ever have a baby in August again?” I didn’t have a chance to even say anything, but all I kept thinking was, of course but it doesn’t really matter since we don’t control it anyways! Plus, since my pregnancies haven’t been too complicated, it’s such a short amount of time to have to “suffer” in the summer heat knowing that I will get to bring another LIFE into this world! So many people, even Christians, just don’t get it! I have people telling me they hope we have a girl, since we already have a boy. Part of me thinks they say this because then we can stop after we have 1 of each and won’t have to worry about having more in order to get both! I just laugh…
You know, I have four children and they were all born in July and August, 2 in each month. I live in southern MS. And yes, I’d do it again too.
Kelly, thank you for sharing! That really touched my heart and was so encouraging. We have 5 children, ages 9 down to 1, and are expecting again in Feb. When I have them all with me, (which is always!) it never fails that I hear “Wow, you have your hands full!” My response is always “Yes they are a joy and it’s my favorite kind of full!” My children actually started counting how many people would make that comment to us in one shopping trip. I just explained to them that the world sometimes looks at children as a burden, but Mommy, Daddy and God look at children as a blessing and a gift. It helped them to not feel bad when “well intending” people gave us their input on our family.
LOVE IT!!!!
I really needed this today.
My husband was just telling me this morning how discouraged he is by other peoples attitudes towards having children. We have three children (one is an infant) and if he shares any struggle then the advice (from Christians!!!) is that he should stop having them, get a vasectomy, plus the rude comments about “what causes that” ect. It’s hard out there for fathers too!
I hear so much from mothers of large families about public criticism, but I have never had those experiences. Not ever. In my experience, people love to see a group of well-behaved, clean and pressed children. Just my 2 cents.
When I get comments on my brood( so far) of four boys, they usually say,”Boy are your hands full!” and I try to reply (sweetly), “Yes they are. Full of love!”
Good news/bad news:
“Hey honey, what do you say we head to a beach resort for our February vacation?”
“Good. I’ve booked the Hilton Virgina Beach Oceanfront.”