"Passionate Housewives," pt 11

The Invasion of the Baby Snatchers, pt. 3

In her book, “The Feminine Mystique,” feminist heroine Betty Friedan collected hundreds of letters from women who all seemed to be plagued with a similar “strange, dissatisfied voice stirring within.”  One woman contacted Ms. Friedan, hoping for answers to her despair.  She writes:

“But who cares about a 'helpless' lonely housewife’s life being wasted away by the kitchen sink. About all the millions of potentialities whittling away in quiet desperation…”

What Friedan couldn’t tell this woman was that the starvation of the soul she experienced would not be satisfied by the cold bondage of the feminist gospel. The “wasted” life she bemoaned cam from living a futile life of sin and hopelessness…

Those “millions of potentialities” she lamented were her gifts – gifts that were not meant to be hidden under the kitchen sink any more than they were to be restricted to a boardroom.  Our Creator has given us women a glorious station where we are to employ and invest the talents He has given us.  When we recognize and fully embrace our calling, we are finally free to truly enjoy it; we’re able to experience contentment in the uniqueness of our role and achieve overwhelming victory in our homes and lives!

"Passionate Housewives," pt 10

The Invasion of the Baby Snatchers, pt. 2

…Even those of us moms who have chosen to go against the grain can still be lulled by feminism’s lies.  We can be lured by the insidious notion that being separated from our home and little ones is a good thing.  We too can become convinced that it’s better for everyone if Mom pursues her own interests.  I know; it’s happened to me.

When my children were small, I remember considering the use of a mothers’ day out program at a nearby, local church.  I wasn’t sure it was the best idea, since I was truly grateful to be home with my children; but our family had just moved, I had a newborn baby, and I was tired of chasing a toddler in the midst of opening boxes and running a home. So the thought of a “break” a few times a week sounded good.

I also reasoned that it might give me opportunities to “minister” to others – opportunities seemingly lost in the day-in and day-out of mashing bananas and potty training. I considered the various “women’s ministries” that were available at the church we were attending and wondered which ones matched the time slot of my newly-discovered hours of freedom. I reasoned that it would be good for my son to interact with other toddlers, learn new Bible songs, and obtain a little preschool-style education that I didn’t always have time to provide.

So one day, I did it. I took my two-year-old bundle of bona fide boy-power to a Christian mother’s day out program.  It would be “good for him,” I reasoned.  And “good for me too,” I thought, as I eagerly considered the free time I’d have.  As I signed the paperwork, one of the workers looked at my sleeping, eight-week-old angel of a girl and asked, “Will she be staying too?”

“No!” I answered protectively.  Almost immediately a charge of guilt shot through my soul.  Why was I willing to give up the “difficult” one, but not my angelic sleeping newborn?  As I drove away, I reminded myself that it was only for a few hours.  I tried to pretend I didn’t hear his cries in my head.  Yet after several “play times” at mothers’ day out, it didn’t get any better.  He seemed to know as soon as we drove into the parking lot that mommy was going to leave him here – at this place.

One day, as I left the building, I brushed my fingertips on the paper animals on the wall that were entering Noah’s Ark and tried to convince myself that leaving him here was a good thing.  “It’s a Christian environment,” I told myself. However, as I drove away, the thought hit me, “What in the world am I doing?  This is what I’ve wanted all along – to be able to stay home with my babies!  If I’m not forced to send him to daycare, then why would I want to leave him crying in a ‘mother’s day out’ program?  What’s the difference?”

Deep down, I knew that I hadn’t left him in the care of others for my feigned reason of socialization or so that he could enjoy a Christian environment; he received every bit of that at home and more.  The reason I had made my choice was plainly and honestly spelled out in the name of the program, “Mothers’ Day Out.”  It was so that I could have a day out – a day off – time for myself without the “burden” of caring for my busy toddler.

Almost in tears, I turned the van around, hurriedly parked, and ran back into the church.  When I got there, I observed a little girl in a playpen who desperately needed a nose-wiping – though nobody seemed to notice.  I heard another toddler about my son’s age, screaming in a rage over being “locked” in his high chair – he had been “mean” to the other toddlers.  One of the teachers told me he was sentenced to the high chair often.

I gathered my little one and headed to the van, never to return.  I thanked God for the option that so many women don’t have – of being with my children – not being forced to leave my precious little ones while I worked at a job to support them.

I realized right then and there that feminism’s empty charm had tugged on my heart – that even as a Christian woman, I was vulnerable.  While I had a “choice” of whether to tend to my home or to seek outside pursuits away from my family, I recognized that I was prone to wander whenever I let God’s grand vision for womanhood slip from my mind.

If I Could afford Help, I Could Enjoy My Children More

Okay...I'll admit it....I'm a Dr. Laura fan!  And while I understand that she is not a follower of Jesus Christ, she does have some great things to say.  I don't agree with every little thing she says, because again, she isn't a believer.  But instead of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater," I filter everything she says through the Word of God...and in the end, I find little nuggets of practical encouragement from her.

Anyway, I get emails from her website now and then.  This morning, I got an email update about a recent video she posted on her YouTube channel.  This was the description:

"Suppose you're a stay-at-home mom in a nice middle class neighborhood. While you're running after your kids, you notice that your neighbors have more time for the gym and shopping and still seem to enjoy their kids because they have some additional help. Slowly, you begin to resent your situation, and envy theirs, coming to the conclusion that 'if you only had help,' you could enjoy your children more."

It seemed to tie in with our readings in "Passionate Housewives," so I watched the video...and enjoyed it.  I thought I's share it with you all...(it's just under 4 1/2 minutes):

http://www.youtube.com/drlaura 

"Passionate Housewives," pt 9

The Invasion of the Baby Snatchers

French author and feminist Simone de Beauvoir warned her fellow feminists that if they were to be successful in their agenda, they must destroy “maternity and maternity instincts” in women.  She went on to say:

“No woman should be authorized to stay at home and raise her children.  Society should be totally different.  Women should not have that choice, precisely because if there is such a choice too many women will make that one.”

Authorized?  So rather than be chained to our stoves, as we’re accused of being, we’ll be chained to our typewriters – or worse yet, we’ll be chained to someone else’s typewriter?

American critic and memoirist Vivian Gornick had similar plans for women:

“Being a housewife is an illegitimate profession… The choice to serve and be protected and plan towards being a family-maker is a choice that shouldn’t be.  The heart of radical feminism is to change that.”

So the proponents of “choice” once again want to give us no choice but theirs!

"Passionate Housewives," pt 8

Embracing Your Sacred Calling

Today, in even Christian circles, a homemaker’s vocation is viewed as optional, replaceable, and more like a hobby to fulfill her own needs than as a vital asset to the family…

Professional Mommies and Disposable Homemakers

[Speaking about women who give up their outside careers to be home, and run to the “experts” for advice on how to be “professional” stay-at-home moms]:

The well-intentioned professional mother dotes over her children, seeking to be the ever-attentive and educationally focused super-mom.  Unfortunately, many times, without a scriptural model, the “professional mom” creates a child-centered home – a fantasy household that is best described as the ultimate playground…

Finally…the exhausted “professional” stay-at-home mom burns out and goes back to work where at least she was appreciated and life was “easier.”

But never fear! If motherhood proves too taxing, for a competitive price, you can hire expert launderers, specialized teachers, trained cooks, certified daycare workers, and professional organizers for your household.  Who needs Mom?  We live in the age of the professional!

Young women are no longer trained by Mom to run the household because it would rob a girl of the “best years of her life.”

Being trained for homemaking is truly a think of the past; a girl who learns these skills is considered old-fashioned and dull.

[Stacy McDonald goes on to describe how offended she was that the hospital would not let her newborn go home with her until she had gone through the hospital’s mandatory “diaper-changing course,” where she had to watch a 19 year-old candy striper bathe and diaper Stacy’s infant before she was considered “fit.”  And this was Stacy’s SEVENTH child!  Sadly, she realized the reason for this procedure was because so many women today don’t know how to provide basic care for their babies.  So many can’t boil an egg, much less care for an infant and run the house.]

[In answer to the question, “how hard is it to push a vacuum and wipe a nose now and then?”]:

This is where we need fresh vision, because our work at home does so much more.  Rather than burden the wife and mother at home with a myriad of educational “musts” for her toddler or create a ridiculous picture of a daycare-flavored home life for her to emulate, why not give her a vision for what is real, what is industrious, and, most of all, what is important to the kingdom of God?

"Passionate Housewives," pt 7

Dying to Live

…The enemy of our souls knows that if he can’t convince us that God’s ways are wrong, he can at least try to convince us that we’ve misunderstood what God has said. If we would only give up our “unnecessary” convictions, we could have more of the good life, he tells us.

The truth is that biblical motherhood doesn’t mean we’re promised postcard-perfect days where we lounge together with our little ones on the porch swing in white starched dresses sipping lemonade and singing in harmony.  Homegrown children take a lot of hard work – and sometimes “it ain’t pretty.”  Other times, it’s breathtaking…

…To recognize our purpose in motherhood, we must see the godly generations beyond our own children (Genesis 24:60, Deuteronomy 4:9, 7:9).  This means denying ourselves (Matthew 16:25) and being consumed with God and His love for us.  It means starting each morning on our face in repentance and thanksgiving, pleading for His grace and for the strength to glorify Him in our children – and consequently, He will equip us to truly love them and prepare us to serve them through Christ our Lord.  It means impacting future generations by our faithfulness now.

We must die to self on a minute-by-minute basis.  “Die to self?” you may ask.  “What can that mean?”  Jesus said anyone who desired to come after Him must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:25-26)…

…Do you feel like you’ve been “losing your life” lately?  Perhaps you’ve made the mistake of trying to save it.

We fail to accept the need to deny our flesh and die to self when we’re too busy “obeying our thirst.” Instead of crucifying the passions and desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:24), too often we go with the flow and listen  to the smooth marketers who ell us we desperately need what we don’t have – and, furthermore, convince us we need more of what we already have.

…If you feel desperate, are you willing to die – to self?  If your answer is yes, then hang on!  Because you are finally ready to truly live!

"Passionate Housewives," pt 6

Beware of Deception

False preachers, speakers, teachers, and bloggers are ready to tickle our ears under the guise of “freeing” and “encouraging” us.  Unfortunately, the only thing we find ourselves encouraged to do from such commentators is sin all the more, and the only thing we are truly free of is the truth.  While we’re busy navel gazing, other sins are left fermenting in a pool of self-justification.  We’re left spiritually barren – stagnant – and our lives and our families are rendered ineffective…

“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

If you have been listening to heathen teachers, (television talk show hosts, secular authors, New Age gurus), then you can be certain that somewhere along the way you have been fed error…

“And He spoke a parable to them: ‘Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?’”  (Luke 6:39)

How can you find out what God’s will truly is?  Turn back to Scripture for wisdom and truth.  Rather than being indoctrinated by the Pied Pipers of “me-ology,” allow His holy Word to renew your mind.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  (Romans 12:2)

Remember that as a Christian you are compelled to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.”  (2 Timothy 2:15-16)