TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman05-01-2009"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with a promise - that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth" (Eph 6:1-3). One of the great tragedies of society today is the minimizing of the work performed daily by stay-at-home moms. Women who decide to stay home to raise their kids are a rare breed indeed. They must overcome the stigma of comparison to others who pursue careers outside the home. They fail to get the feelings of accomplishment that can come from a career. They are the unseen missionaries of our day. There will be a special reward for these selfless servants. Without the commitment of our stay-at-home moms we would not have some of our greatest leaders. "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother," said Abraham Lincoln. Though poor, Ida Stover was determined to go to college. She scraped together enough money to attend Lane College in Lecompton, Kan., where she met fellow student David Eisenhower. She was known as a firm but gentle disciplinarian and was deeply religious. It is said she once won a prize for memorizing 1,365 Bible verses. As a pacifist, she was not in favor of her son attending West Point but decided to let him go. She was the mother of Dwight David Eisenhower, one of the greatest U.S. presidents. Mary Litogot grew up on a farm, and met her future husband, William Ford, when he came to work on their farm. She was 12 and he was 26. They married nine years later. Mary was self-sufficient and a diligent worker. Henry later attributed his clean factories to her belief in cleanliness. She encouraged his interest in machines early on. He later said, "I have tried to live my life as my mother would have wished. I believe I have done, as far as I could, just what she hoped for me." She was the mother of Henry Ford.* Has God called you to be a stay-at-home mom? Know that your obedience and sacrifice will be recognized by the Lord.(A friend tagged me on the above on her facebook account- Thanks Jennifer G!
This is interesting. I can't say I felt that my desire to stay home was a religious one. I just felt (and still feel) that my children deserved to have all of me (minus the part my husband gets ). I wanted them to be my kids not someone elses. I want to be that mom who my kids can count on, who makes them snacks, cuddles them, reads to them, plays with them and teaches them the basics of being a good and responsible member of the human race. It is selfish really. They are my kids and I am not interested in sharing them.
My husband was in favor of my staying home with our first born but I would have no part of it. How would we make it on one paycheck? I opted to go to grad school and work part time. I then got a job that was nto rewarding or interesting. I wasted nearly 3 years of my daughters life. Months before my son was born my husband told me again that I should quit. So I did. And I love it. Most days. Some days I want more things. But those things are not worth what I have now- Cuddles, hugs, booboos, clean-ups, tears and kisses.
One of my favorite quotes is : "All children need a laptop. Not a computer, but a human laptop. Moms, Dads, Grannies and Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles – someone to hold them, read to them, teach them. Loved ones who will embrace them and pass on the experience, rituals and knowledge of a hundred previous generations. Loved ones who will pass to the next generation their expectations of them, their hopes, and their dreams. -- General Colin L. Powell
