If you had been hired for your job as a mom and homemaker, at your annual review would your boss give you a raise or fire you?
We value our roles as mothers and homemakers, but we also make excuses for what isn’t running smoothly. Usually, we know what we should do, but we choose not to do it. “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8 ).
Bedtime + Wake up Time
Let’s get specific. If you had a boss, and he asked you to study a book that was vitally applicable to your job for the first 1/2 hour of your work time each day, would you stay up late, come in to work 1/2 hour late, and tell him you didn’t think that assignment was important enough to arrive at work on time? Do we make an excuse like that to our Savior when we don’t go to bed at a time that allows us to get up and be in His Word? “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).
If you had a job with an annual salary of $200,000 and you were required to be at work at 6:00 a.m. each day, could you do it? Would you make sure you went to bed early enough to have the sleep you require to be alert for beginning work at 6:00 a.m.? I think so.
Are we double minded? Do we value money more than our relationship with Jesus and investing in our children? Do we think we can accomplish what God has called us to do without Him?
Home Management
“I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” (1 Timothy 5:14). If one uses valuable, home-management time for Facebook, TV, movies, or reading novels, are you being a responsible, diligent worker? What does a manager in the workforce think if he comes by an employee’s desk to find him engaged in those activities?
If employees choose to curb time wasters, how much more for us as moms who are servants of the most High God. Don’t we express love for Him and gratitude to Him by faithfully doing what He has called us to do? Discover and eliminate whatever sidetracks you from guiding your home.
Child Interactions
Finally, what about your interactions with your children? If you had a high-level managerial role in a Fortune 500 company, would you express anger at your employees, be impatient with them, or cry over their behavior?
Here again, it seems we are more motivated by a paycheck to do what we know is right than we are by accountability to God and love for our family. I discovered this when I was a homeschooling mom and told the Lord I couldn’t put off my anger toward my children.
One day the telephone rang when I was angry with my children, but I answered with a calm, sweet voice. That was an effective lesson! “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth” (Colossians 3:8).
Our Accountability
As stay-at-home moms, we don’t have a physical boss to be accountable to, but we have One to Whom we should care even more if we please. I think we can become lazy and allow our flesh and excuses to rule rather than yielding to Jesus. The “I Can” mom doesn’t live with excuses. She jumps on the path to overcoming whatever excuses stand between her and doing. The “I Can’t” mom listens to and believes her excuses. “I Can” or “I Can’t?”
Trusting in Jesus,
Teri
