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Howdy, folks. Here’s a friendly reminder to NOT FORGET your mothers and other special gals in your life on Mother’s Day. Sunday, May 10th.
This year as Mother’s Day approaches, I find myself celebrating my role as stay-at-home mom and manager of our household. I was surprised to discover how well this life fits me, and much I enjoy it. I love the deep connection I have with other moms, what my friend Mary calls "the sisterhood". (Makes us sound a little cult-ish, doesn’t it?) I’m always so fascinated by other mom’s opinions, experiences, and approaches to caring for their children. I’m particularly indebted to the mothers from my church, who have supported me with their care and advice from Day One. G.S.P.C. girls are the best!
Lately I’ve been reflecting on Christian culture’s ministry to women. I have to say, it’s a mixed bag. On one hand, we are told that we simply need to pray certain prayers to bring success and prosperity into our lives. On the other hand, we are told that being well-off is evil, especially while there are so many folks suffering in the world. We are torn between a worldly quest for "our best life now" and an ascetic "bare bones" shaking-off of The World. Recently I was thumbing through a Christian Book Distributor catalog with scores of devotional books for women. I have a really hard time deriving anything of substance from inspirational books in general. I don’t know what it is, but they just don’t ring true for me. So I’ve thought about some examples from scripture of women fulfilling their callings as "Keepers of the Hearth."
I've always been troubled by the story of Mary and Martha. Even as a youngster, I felt deep sympathy for Martha. I cannot understand Christ's response to the hardworking young woman who tried so hard to serve him while her sister shirked her chores. OF COURSE sitting around chatting with Jesus is better than standing over a hot stove to make a meal. But why does Christ seem to dismiss the necessity of basic household chores, such as meal preparation? His attitude toward Martha seems dismissive, almost cold. He seems to imply that the earthly, physical life doesn't matter. I'm sure this can't be true. If both sisters had abandoned the kitchen to sit at Christ’s feet, there would have been nothing to eat that day. The Lord would have found himself hungry and possibly aggravated at the girls' lack of hospitality. After all, Christ admonished his friend for failing to provide water to wash his hot, dirty, much-traveled feet.
I was discussing this scene with a dear friend a few years ago. Not yet a believer, this was one of many passages that filled him with doubt. He said he wondered why Christ didn't see Martha struggling and offer to help. To him, Christ's response seemed at best ungentlemanly. It just seems like such a "triple whammy" to dear Martha...left out of an intimate spiritual conversation, slaving in the kitchen alone, then being chided for it by an omnipotent deity. She must have been so humiliated. I think if I had been Martha, I would have said, "This conversation can continue in the kitchen. Over some veggie-chopping and bread-kneading. Hop to it, folks."
Christ loved Martha, as the Bible states when her brother Lazarus suffers an untimely death. And, as he was the Alpha and Omega, I know that what he said was spiritually accurate, and probably less hateful than it seems.
Another example of a woman at work in her home is the Proverbs 31 Woman. Clay and I were discussing her one day. Clay noted that most women he knew loathed this text. I agreed…I think women felt inadequate, embarrassed, and guilty compared to this shining example of womanhood. They feel the text sets an impossible standard, and one that men expect to be fulfilled. But when I delved into this passage, I was surprised to find myself inspired. The woman portrayed in this text is just who I want to be. She is anything but an ascetic. On the contrary, the majority of her time and work is spent seeing to the physical needs of her household. She goes beyond meeting their basic needs and clothes them beautifully, feeds them royally, and provides for them abundantly. She even works outside of the home, buying and tending fields and selling her handmade garments. She is talented, wise, kind, generous and strong. She works hard to make a good life for herself and her family, and it is clear that she loves what she does. Does she set an impossible standard? Probably. I don’t know any woman who possesses all of her attributes. But I know many who posses most of them.
Happy Mother's/Women's Day to all!
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