Pressure

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Good morning, mama. I'm just dropping in to say, "You be you."

A friend reposted this on facebook this week:

Boy, did she get a lot of reaction from it! Some were positive, but some people were also offended. I guess I liked it so much because it validated the choices I have made in my life by recognizing that there is nothing wrong with being "just" a wife and mother. After reading it over carefully, I realized that the people who were getting offended over it where thinking that the post was saying that getting married, having children, and being a stay at home mom were the only way to live. That's not how I see what it was saying. I feel like "Life is about family, not work." is a good summery of what this lady is trying to say. Who is really going to argue about that? Especially since "family" is really a term that has no bounds. It can mean any type of community you have around you. Those who are called to specific career are called to serve a "family" of sorts. Let's not ignore that.

I have been both a working mother and a stay at home mother. I understand the challenges and blessings of both. You are not less of a mother if you work, you are not more of a mother if you stay home. The key to it is doing what God has put on your heart. 

For me, working away from my children felt contrary to the pull of my heart. Every time I left them for work, it was painful. It wasn't God's will for me. I knew it, but I felt like I had to work. My mom had always worked, I grew up watching sitcoms and movies that always had working moms in them, and I felt the pressure to do what was opposite of what my heart and soul were telling me.

Staying home with my children has been a dream come true. It has been almost four years and I still am so, so thankful to be here. 

If you are called to work, work mama! I know you will do amazing things.

If you are called stay home, stay home mama! I know you will do amazing things.

Don't let anyone tell you what you should do. Don't give into the pressures of any of the society around you. Pay attention to what God is telling your heart. He is the one who is writing your story, He is the one who created you to be uniquely you, and He is always looking out for your best interest.

Much love, mama!

Lee