I’ll Always be a Working Mom
It’s approximately 9 pm as I write this article; while I could certainly find a great deal of mindless pleasure in watching HGTV right about now, I have a funny thing called a deadline that I need to meet! It’s not that I am drawn to deadlines, or crave late nights staring at the computer screen, but there is something I truly do enjoy – work. I’m not talking about the kind that involves a dust bin and a broom, or a kitchen sink full of dishes, that’s work too, but not my favorite kind!
I don’t know when we began to draw lines in the sand about what is ‘real’ work and what isn’t, but it seems that conversations about work, especially women and work very quickly become conversations about worth, value, and the role work plays in how we feel about ourselves. The fact that most people think of ‘real’ work as being ‘out-of-the-home’ versus ‘staying-at-home’ is just one part of the conversation. I wrestle with this quite often, as many homeschooling moms perhaps do; but the truth is, I will always be a working mother.
It can be easy to join with the masses and rank the various forms of work as worthy, less worthy, or even unworthy. Is it it greater work to cook dinner for your family than to feed dinner to the homeless? Is it greater work to help your 4th grader write his latest essay than to write your own soon-to-be bestseller? Is it greater work to run a small business than to homeschool? The answer is deeply personal for each woman, but I’ll share mine with you. My answer is that all work is a gift from the Lord.
Just as it was in the beginning, when God gave Adam assignments, God intends for us to work. He gave it to us as a gift, and everything that produces good fruit in your life, from taking care of family, to homeschooling, to running a business, to volunteering, to writing for a blog is all a part of that gift. According to Colossians 3:23 – 24 we are told, ‘Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men,knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [greatest] reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you [actually] serve.’ (AMP Version) Seeing work as a gift from God changes our focus. We stop evaluating the quality of the gift according to our cultural values. Instead we begin to think about the heart of the Giver, and how beautiful it is that he has given each of us something purposeful to do, something with which to bless others and to reflect his glory and goodness.
Whatever the scope of your work, enjoy it as much as humanly possible. Treasure the gift, it is all worthwhile. It is all useful, and if you give it your best effort and respect, your work will bear fruit for God’s glory and the benefit of others.
Latasha Strachan As a writer, teacher, and speaker, Latasha is driven by her desire to see women connect, inspire, and empower each other in God’s Spirit of love and unity. Her prayer is that women will become passionate about living free and honest lives through God’s power, mercy and grace. She and her husband Ian live in sunny Nassau, Bahamas and have shared just over a decade riding the phenomenal roller-coaster called ‘marriage’. They are on a wild yet fulfilling journey as they parent and homeschool three exceptionally energetic boys! You can visit her blog: www.latashastrachan.com.
