Woman. Wife. Stay-at-home-mom. Working woman. Homeschooler.
What name tag are you wearing today? Likely more than one. Maybe even all of them. I once rode in an elevator with Gloria Steinhem. I wish I had the courage to ask her the "why" behind her grand feminist movement. She helped persuade a generation of women into wanting it all. I fear we would have ridden that tower a hundred times and still not gotten to the core.
What is the "why" behind the want?
Have you ever had a burning desire? Something that you knew would complete you. Where do those desires come from? For Christians walking in the will of God, they come from the Holy spirit. We're told: Delight yourself also in the Lord; and he shall give you the desires of your heart.
But what about when you're not walking in God's will? Suddenly we're craving more, faster and getting fuller. But on what? Where are the desires rooted? Greed? Competition? Jealousy?
Christian women who desire to work often feel guilty. It's partly self-imposed. And partly cultural. In order to be a help-meet for our husbands, and to train our children, there's a misnomer that we need to stay home. And for some women, that is the case. But what if God is put us in the missions field of our workplace? What if our desire to work comes from what God has planned for us there?
What is the "why" behind the want?
If you're in God's will; if you're in the Word, in prayer and obedient to your husband, there is no guilt or shame in work. Sometimes it will be hard. Many times that's the case in obedience. If you know this is your calling, there is no reason to feel anything but joy. You might check your motives often. And that's ok. May knowing you're walking the path God has chosen for you bring you peace to your home, and your heart.
Terese Main is a morning co-host at Family Life, a network of nearly
70 Christian radio stations across New York and Pennsylvania
(www.fln.org). She also provides imaging voicework for stations in
Florida, California, Minnesota, Virginia and Wisconsin
(www.themainvoice.com).
