A Word to Yo Motha

I want to venture into scary territory today....I'm feeling brave. We just got done talking about boldness at bible study. And wouldn't you know, after studying boldness and praying for boldness...the Lord makes you bold! 

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The mom world can be a tricky world to talk about. Especially the stay-at-home mom vs. the working mom topic.  But it is on my heart. Because we need to build bridges, not grand canyons, in between us moms. After spending time with an array of moms, I've come to the realization that we're all so different and diverse and yet so similar. (1) We have different schedules, routines and days, different vocations, passions, abilities. But the one thing we have in common that UNITES us is: calling. (2) In spite of that, we tend to look across the table and think the following of someone different than us:

Stay at home mom, how do you do what you do? 

How on Earth do you stay home with those little children all day?

How do you not loose it with no adult interaction and constant NEED?

THAT's what you do day in and day out?

Why?

Doesn't it drive you crazy? Do you ever loose it?

What do you find your identity in if you have no career of your own?

Working mom, how do you do what you do?

How on earth do you work all day and come home and be present and play with your kid(s)?

You do THAT every day, day in and day out?

Why?

Do you ever tire of the busyness?

How do you balance a job/career and kids?

That answer to both "why"s is this:

Stay-at-home mom, you were called to THIS.

Working mom, you were called to THIS.

1 Corinthians 12:18-20

"But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts but one body."

After that verse, 1 Corinthians 12:28-31 goes on to describe how God has appointed some people to be apostles, others prophets, others teachers, others workers of miracles, others with gifts of healing, others with gifts of admin, others with gifts of speaking in different tongues. I think we could add to that list 'some to be stay-at-home moms and some to be working moms.' One of these is not right and the other wrong.  One is not a higher calling than another.

Jesus has called each of us to something specific and He gives us exactly the grace we need to do that very thing. He doesn't give me the grace to do what you do, or visa versa. That's where we can get tripped up looking at someone else's life, perplexed how they make it work thinking we never could. You have been called to do what you do and I have been called to do what I do. We need to CELEBRATE our different callings and remember that even in these difference, we're united in Jesus for the same mission.

Therefore, how dare we look down on moms who don't have a "career", who spend their days putting kids down for naps and tracing letters and numbers in preschool books, playing play-doh, etc. Like they don't have a brain anymore because they're not in the working world. And how dare we look down on moms who have a career or job outside of the home, who work hard all day to put food on the table and pay the bills and THEN come home to engage with the kids and give every last drop of energy they have to their families, get up and do it all over again.  

Instead, let's look across with a "you go girl, you walk in that calling!" message in our eyes, empowering each other in new ways. I'll admire and be in awe of you because you're doing what you're called to do well! You do the same for me and we might just look like the Body of Christ that Jesus writes about in the Bible. I have a feeling this might be really beautiful.