Holding on to
yesterday’s role out
of a need for security
will rob us of the rich
tomorrows that God
wants to give us in our
role as mothers.
in a quandary. All mothers are endowed
with a multiplicity of giftings to use at
their discretion, but we can be lured into
believing, however pridefully, that we are
the exceptionally gifted and shouldn’t
squander our illustrious talents on
boring household industry. The world
would scream, “What a waste not to em-
ploy those gifts for personal gain!”
But we must choose, time and again,
to echo Paul’s declaration from 1 Cor-
inthians 15:31: “I die daily.” I die to my
worldly ambitions, my former inde-
pendence, my need for accolades from
my peers, and anything else that keeps
me from becoming a sold-out mom.
Colossians 3: 3 reminds us, as Christian
mothers, of this truth: “For you died,
and your life is now hidden with Christ
in God” (NIV).
You died. What defined who you were
in former days? Perhaps you were a
bookkeeper, accountant, designer, lawyer, engineer, or teacher. Each of these
professions has value. However, titles
can subtly become an identity and an illegitimate source of self-esteem. Seasons
come and seasons go for us, and they
demand our flexibility and discernment.
Holding on to yesterday’s role out of a
need for security will rob us of the rich
tomorrows that God wants to give us in
our role as mothers.
Our identity must be anchored in Jesus Christ. When this is true, we easily
transition from season to season in God,
whether single, married, childless, or
childbearing.
The lure to pursue a career outside the
home is strong, appealing, and seem-
ingly liberating. I recently sat on an air-
plane headed to San Francisco amidst
a lively group of apparently success-
ful office chums. The discussions were
flying—pardon the pun—and filled with
www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
healthy office banter. All the buzz about
position and status, stocks and CEOs was
a bit dizzying. The intoxicating smell of
success filled the cabin. How seductive is
the sweet nectar of worldly achievement
in such a moment.
I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were
great and noble.—Helen Keller
Denise Mira, author of No Ordinary
Child: Unlocking the Leader Within
Your Child, has been married to Gregory
for thirty-one years. They are the parents
of five sons. Denise has traveled extensively, both nationally and internationally,
inspiring change as she shares the message God has given her for families. She
would love to have you visit her blog at
www.denisemira.com/blog.php, and she
can be reached at contact@denisemira
.com. Find her on Facebook and follow
her on Twitter!