Sunday

Two Brave Women - A Mother's Day Post

I saw two brave women today. 

One was walking her dog, and the other was driving a garbage truck. 

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Yesterday, four men shot another man in my neighborhood. As I looked longingly out the window at the sunshine and felt the cool air of the morning, I wondered if it was safe to take my daily walk. The latest news reports were inconclusive, and it sounded like at least some of the suspects were still at large. That’s when I saw my neighbor, walking her dog up the road like she does every day. Her presence was a comfort to me. It said, “This is my neighborhood, and criminals and thugs aren’t going to keep me from enjoying it.” In light of the recent crime, she was brave, and I admired her.


I saw the next brave woman in a most unexpected place—behind the wheel of a garbage truck. As I hauled the recycling bin out one morning, I saw the noisy rattletrap coming down the hill. Because I appreciate my trash men, I always make an effort to smile and wave at them. Pausing as the truck approached, I stopped in surprise as I caught a glimpse of a bright smile, curly hair, and gold hoop earrings on the very attractive lady behind the wheel. 

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 She was definitely a female in a man’s world, and I chuckled as the man riding the tailgate shouted and waved his arms to direct her to her next turn. Her presence reminded me of the many women who braved social pressure, family disapproval, and economic barriers to prove that women were intelligent enough to serve in male-dominated professions.

Today the brave women aren’t the ones going to work. They’re the ones staying home. 

They’re saying no to the latest electronics, newest cars, or biggest house so they can be ones raising their children. They want to be the ones who hold them when they cry, discipline them when they sin, and instruct them in the ways of the Lord. 

Many of these stay at home moms endure the ridicule of colleagues who scold them for wasting their intelligence by staying home. They resist the pressure of family members who comment that finances wouldn’t be so tight if they’d just go back to work. And on bad days, they refuse to listen to the discontent in their own hearts that remind them they could be doing something more high profile and glamorous. 

All moms are brave, and many don’t have the option to stay home and raise their children. The purpose of this post isn’t to condemn them. It takes great courage to juggle a job and all the responsibilities that come with committed parenting, especially single parenting.

My intent today is to give a shout out to all the mothers who are serving their families in relative obscurity, day in and day out, with
little recognition. Be encouraged. Oswald Chambers, in My Utmost for His Highest, says this: “It is one thing to go through a crisis grandly, but another thing to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, no one paying the remotest attention to us. 

“It takes God’s Spirit in us to make us so absolutely humanly his that we are utterly unnoticeable. The test of the human life,” Chambers says, “is not success, but faithfulness in human life as it actually is.” 

You’re investing your best time and talent in children with impressionable hearts, eager minds, and eternal souls. They will one day take their places in the world, and you will have given them the tools with which to glorify God through their lives. Be encouraged with God’s words today and press on, claiming the promise of Galatians 6:9 that you will reap a harvest if you don’t give up. 

 “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10). 

Happy Mother’s Day.





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7 comments:

  1. I love that Chambers' quote! What a sweet and encouraging post you've written.

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  2. Chambers often gives me a wise word to chew on all day long. He's one of my favorite devotional writers. He'd make a good blogger -- he's succinct and to the point. Oh, to have his wisdom! Thanks for stopping by, Marty :)

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  3. Hebrews 6:10....AMEN! So good!

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  4. What a great post! If she were my trash collector I'd hand her a small token of my faith in her...a cut flower from my garden or some ear plugs (and say something like "to help you survive in a man's world") LOL

    Love this post!

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  5. When I was in my early 20's my brother wanted me to learn to drive a semi truck. He said that I could probably get a job right away because I was a woman and would help them meet their hiring quota, lol! However, I did NOT want to drive a semi, lol!

    Loved that quote you used and also the Bible verse from Galations. It's been a favorite over the years as I remind myself and others not to grow weary or lose heart in what we were doing!

    Thanks so much for linking up to the "Making Your Home Sing Monday" linky party today! :)

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  6. Thank you for the words of affirmation over staying at home. Even if I don't always hear the words of others that think I've wasted my college education to be here with my kids, I can see it in their eyes often.

    Thank you

    Marissa
    http://forfunreadinglist.blogspot.com

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  7. Thanks so much for this! I really needed to hear it at the moment! I'm a stay at home mum but have had a changing career and education all my life, so to be "stuck indoors" with no deadlines, feedback or appraisals I feel like I'm floundering and am tempted to go back to work...but your post is encouraging! Thanks so much! X

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