GRACE REMINDER
Let's pray and encourage women who fall into one of the following categories:
--Full-time homemakers currently facing opposition or criticism because of the decision to remain at home
--Women like Kim and Cindy, who must provide for their family in addition to their responsibilities in the home
--Those who have been challenged by the chapter and are reconsidering their current employment.
4 comments:
Good idea!
I also just want to comment here (and maybe this is just me having an ungodly point of view, but...) I don't think it's always wrong when women work outside the home - even when they don't "have" to. I have known women who were excellent caretakers of their homes (better than I!) and still held down full-time or part-time jobs. I have one friend who works outside the home because her husband is adament that she does. Another friend in particular is coming to mind, who was actually viciously persecuted by Christian women in her church for the fact that she worked outside the home...and yet, this woman had one of the most peaceful and welcoming (and clean and organized!) homes I've been in. She had a son in an all-day preschool, but he was thriving and loved it. (She was one of those "hyper" people who was always busy, always going and doing, but definitely still had time for hospitality and cooking good meals for her family, etc.) I just wonder if maybe there are other alternatives to the way we see a modern "homemaker". The Proverbs 31 woman employed servants, she bought and sold things, she appears to have traveled, at least somewhat, for business...and I'm betting she had someone else caring for her small children at times, so she could accomplish all the things that she did.
I could be looking at this all wrong, but it has always bothered me. There is certainly a fine line here, and I'm not saying that working outside the home (especially full-time) is probably a good idea for most married Christian women, based on the biblical admonitions to be a "worker at home"...but there are those for whom the Lord seems to bless it.
I know where you're coming from. I tried working part-time last winter, but it just didn't work for our family. I wasn't staying on top of things at home, and Mattaya wasn't thriving in the daycare setting we had chosen. So we let it go. Matt and I agree that while we have little ones at home, I should be there raising them. Once they're all in school, we'll be open to the idea...but really for our family, everything flows so much better when I'm home. Things are cleaner. We're READY to entertain and to go off do do things we've committed to do. Everyone's calmer. We eat good meals. I'm able to care for Matt more completely. So we really like having me at home. Even though I'm a multi-tasker, I really feel I can't do EVERYTHING well. Even before Mattaya was born, I felt I could either be a good SLP OR a good wife--I was always being pulled between the two. Now I feel free to serve my husband/family as well as others God lays on my heart. But I guess I'm still of the opinion that the fact that I can't do it all doesn't mean that NO ONE can do it all. But you're right--it's a fine line, and we need to constantly be testing our hearts and discerning what God's will is and whether the job is serving the family in a godly sense or not.
I think what Scripture teaches is that a women's PRIORITY needs to be her husband, her children and her home. There are women who have been able to keep their husbands, children and homes as a priority, and have worked part time. I think the real question is can a women truly and fully serve her husband AND train and shepherd her children AND care for the home in a way that brings glory to God if her loyalities are divided between home and work? I think there are children who do thrive in daycare - but is that best? Or would it be best for that child to be home with his mom and his mom set up intentional play dates and such so that her child could have the social interaction but still the parental shepherding and training? One must remember that the curse that God gave Eve was that she would desire her husband, as well as pain in childbearing. The curse God gave Adam was work. Could it be that when women try to work, they are indeed carrying a double curse?
I think it is wrong when women in the church are persecuted for working outside the home. This approach will never succeed in winning women to see godly living. I think what does need to happen, however, is that a godly, older woman needs to come along side the younger woman and train her in what being a godly woman looks like. Through that training, allow the younger woman to wrestle with is she really fulfilling her duties and responsibilities within the home and family, or is something being neglected because she has chosen to spread herself too thin?
I agree. And I don't try to work, because I can't even PRETEND that it works for us! And I would have a really hard time letting someone else raise my kids. Thanks for sharing. :)
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