Scripture reading: Proverbs 31:10–31
No Higher Calling
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. (II Timothy 1:5)
All my life I’ve watched it happen again and again. Katy and I meet someone new. The banter begins and eventually I’m asked what I do. “So you’re the Senior Pastor of a church in Albany, New York? That’s impressive. And Katy, what about you? What do you do?” It’s not just the words that are important here but the tone. Discovering that Katy is not gain- fully employed outside the home in some professional capacity, what comes next strikes deep, like an arrow with a poisoned tip. “So you’re just a homemaker . . . a mom . . .”
I happen to be married to a woman who is bright, educated, talented, beautiful, and capable of doing anything she sets her mind to do. (You may, of course, be wondering: “If Katy is so smart, why did she marry Stan?” I have to admit that this question continues to baffle me as well.)
But Katy has freely chosen to lay aside her personal ambitions for the sake of family and ministry. She’s not “just a mom” because she can’t find a job outside the home; she is “just a mom” because she believes it is among the highest and noblest vocations a human being can ever receive. Frankly, I want to give her a standing ovation!
Mother’s Day is a time to remember that no calling on earth equals that of being a mom. It is an occasion to recognize that no job on the planet is more demanding or requires more talent and brains. Says who? Says God, that’s who! Just think about the assignment he gave to Eve, to Sarah, to Hannah, and to Lois and Eunice. And don’t forget Mary. Joseph was the professional, working in the important carpentry industry outside the home. Mary was just a humble homemaker. Her only responsibility was to raise, train, and care for the Second Person of the Trinity! That’s all.
It may sound trite but it’s true: the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. While our culture may smile condescendingly at such old-fashioned notions, God sees things differently. The future of the world rests squarely in the hands of those who change diapers, blow noses, prepare lunches, do laundry, correct homework, read stories, run a taxi service, and say bedtime prayers.
Mom, if you are tired of all those cultural put-downs, the next time someone treats you condescendingly for being “just a housewife,” try responding as Tony Cam- polo’s wife did in the same situation. When a snobbish professional dared to ask Peggy what she did with her time, she responded:
I am socializing two homo sapiens in the dominant value of the Judeo Chris- tian tradition in order that they might be instruments in the transformation of the social order into the teleologically prescribed utopia inherent in the eschaton. And what is it that you do? (Tony Campolo, The Power Delusion).
Let’s give a cheer today for moms, the most influential people in the world!
An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.
—Rudyard Kipling
point to ponder • The hand that rocks the cradle really does rule the world.
prayer focus • Stay-at-home moms.