Ladies, you’ve been duped

It makes me sad to hear so many ladies rejecting their God-given roles as women in favour of pursuing a man’s role. Or perhaps better phrased, many homemakers are looked down upon and look down on themselves, for being what they are.

Not a ‘real job’

Women who are stay-at-home mums are often judged, referred to as women who “don’t work” (like raising a bunch of tiny humans isn’t work). They are made to feel less than or somehow less smart or less important because their role is in the home, rather than the marketplace or public sphere.

Let’s think about this for a moment. Stay-at-home mums:

Work 24/7 – no breaks – not even to pee in peace
Have their “boss” (AKA the child) wake them up screaming in the middle of the night because they have a bad dream or thrown up
Cop the brunt of all the kids’ bad moods and tempers
Get looked down on and told they have no ambition or that they’re making women look bad, by staying at home doing nothing every day
Do it all for free (instead of slave labour we call it a labour of love)

The glory of a homemaker

Yes, motherhood is hard. (No, I’m not a mother yet.) Yes, mums are warriors – any kind of mum. But I think God wants us to understand that he meant for the role of a homemaker to be one, not of shame and quiet desperation, but of victory – a glorious thing, worthy of honour.

The hands-on 24/7 disciple trainer

What is not glorious about raising children up to be strong, moral, passionate people? What is pathetic or shameful about teaching young people to follow in the footsteps of Christ and experience him in a real and intimate way? They are our future leaders, policy makers, cops, teachers, nurses and judges, by the way.

What is so wrong with – instead of being something to everybody, being everything to somebody? As a child I made the ignorant statement of saying that my mum didn’t work because she didn’t have a 9-5 job. I look back on that naïve statement with regret as I consider the absolute privilege it was to grow up with such a dedicated mother.

And I believe that her service to God in raising us truly makes his heart proud. Well done, good and faithful servant.

The humility of the hidden servant

As most Christians would acknowledge, God is pretty interested in our character. It takes humility to walk in the shadows, to be the one not on the stage or in the limelight, to be the one who walks the quiet and often unappreciated road – the hidden servant behind closed doors.

God sees you. He will glorify you when the time comes and bless you beyond measure – even in large and small ways now. We all have roads to walk, and I certainly take my hat off to working mums too, but if you’re called to the home – revel in it and don’t let the Enemy lie and tell you that ministering to three, two or even one little person, is insignificant.

The lie of insignificance is rife, particularly among women. We’ve taken the hidden tasks to mean little, measly, embarrassing. And we’ve let it become the verdict on us. Don’t believe the lie for a second.

“Suppose the ear says, ‘I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.’ … If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? … God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be … The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honour. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with special care … God has put together all the parts of the body. And he has given more honour to the parts that didn’t have any” (1 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 16-24).

You were created with a glorious purpose in mind – whether that’s working, staying at home, serving God as a single woman, or anything else you feel called to.

No task commissioned by the King of Kings is insignificant. You have been hand-crafted for this purpose. You are not unseen and you are not alone.

Lil van Wyngaard is a Melbourne-based publishing company in a marketing and sales role. She also blogs on the side and has her first book in the drafting stages (planning to submit for publication later this year). Lil is an extrovert and loves entertaining at her home with her husband, Jacques, and can often be found reading or at the gym. She is a content creator/marketer, educated at Deakin University and also has a passion for all types of dance. Lil worships at New Gen City Church and is involved in youth and young adult ministry with her husband. You can find more of Lil’s articles at: https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/Lil-Van-Wyngaard.html