I just read an article posted on Blogher in which 3/4 of the women interviewed stated that they would rather file for divorce than be a houeswife.

This triggers a range of emotions for me- as I am a very typical example of a stay-at-home-housewife.

I guess first, I am offended, and a little bit angry, that my chosen ‘role’ is so despised by the people of my own sex. And that I am so looked down upon with disdain and disapproval that people would rather give up their marriages than stoop to my low.

But even more so, I am grieved and distraught about the bigger picture: No one wants to raise their kids. 

Men and Women alike would rather pick up a second job, divorce, and live a life of single-parenting, than give up the life of a career person and stay at home to raise children and keep house.

The dads think it is the mom’s job. The moms don’t want to stay home. Both find it demeaning and demoralizing.

Yikes.

Why have children at all?

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that all women are called to stay at home all day with their children. Lots of families require two incomes to make it, and I get that. Trust me, I’ve considered going to work myself at times. And I think there are God-honoring women, who love their children, going to work outside of the home. But what I’m talking about here is the attitude. The hatred that people have for the role of ‘homemaker.

Contrary to popular belief: It is a high calling, and one that the Lord has to bring you to. Truly.  God has to equip you to deal with the day in and day out grating and wearing down and never-off-duty-ness of it. He has to grant you patience and endurance and strength to deal with the never-ending obstacles and  trials that you face.

So if you think that we are weak, or frail, or unsubstantial, then you better think again.

We are soldiers. We are strong, and stalwart. We work hard at what we do, and we do it with our heads held high. It takes a strong, secure women to submit to her husband in love.

It takes a wise woman- a woman who understands the beauty and the dignity in becoming a servant to her household.

It takes a patient woman- a woman who has learned how to endure, and persevere.

It takes a selfless woman. We are not doormats. But God has rooted us in His word and in His promises, and so we don’t cling to the flimsy hope of success and worldly, fleeting fame. But we see that we are doing something lasting- something honorable, something good. We are doing something that glorifies Him!

Every load of laundry is a testimony of our love for our families and our love for the Lord.

Every sink full of dishes speaks volumes about our mental fortitude and endurance.

When you think of a marathon runner, do you think of him as weak? He runs along at a slow, steady pace for hours on end. His feet hit the same pavement over and over and over again. But it takes strength for him to continue on. It takes preparation, and devotion, and commitment. He’s not weak, he is well- equipped. And not just anyone could pick up and run 26 miles.

And our children… are worth it.

It makes me sick that theyhave been reduced to such an all-time low. Parents would rather work twice as hard at paying the bills, than they would at raising up children.

And you know what? I get it. I really do. It is hard. They are frustrating, and demanding, and time-consuming. Some days they don’t seem to appreciate it. And at times it seems impossible to measure any progress.

But we are all they have!

We brought them into this world, and we have an obligation to teach them and to train them and to disciple them into adulthood. I can think of animals who take better of their children!

I can think of animals that better prepare their young to face the world on their own. They know, instinctively, that if they don’t…no one else will. And their children’s only chance of survival, is that they learn the necessary skills for it FROM THEM.  They don’t just send them off to animal-school and hope that they learn the things that they need to there.

Who else will raise our children(well) if we don’t?

And you know what, hats off to those moms who do go to work and then come home to immediately devote themselves to their kids. They deserve some attention and respect.

I pray that God will reveal Himself to all women in such a way that  our lives would be shaken. I pray that he would stir up love in our hearts to give selflessly to others, to endure in the face of a hard, but wonderful calling as mothers, and to never-ever be so arrogant as to think that we are above loving our little people.

Praise God for the gift of motherhood, and may He pour out His blessings upon us as we faithfully, and joyfully press on.