The High Priority of Earning an Income
Have you noticed how today’s stay-at-home mothers love to try and convince their husbands that their jobs at home are so much harder than having to go to work all day like their husbands do? I read this silly spoof about a husband staying home for a day but realized that it’s never a woman having to go to her husband’s job for an entire day in any of these spoofs. No, the spoof is always about a husband who becomes a woman for a day and finds out how difficult it is to keep a home and raise a family.
A woman made this comment under this article on Facebook where it was shared: “I tell you what! God willing, I’d rather work for a earning, till I no longer can work; be independent, than be a stay at home mother, being house cleaner, window cleaner, curtain cleaner, taxi driver all afternoon, and the list can grow and grow.”
In our culture, earning an income has value and raising children and being home full time does not. I have stay-at-home mothers write and tell me that they don’t feel productive because they aren’t bringing in money. These thoughts aren’t from the Lord. He calls mothers to be keepers at home since this is a full-time job, especially when the children are little. These small children grow up very quickly and if a mother has disciplined and trained her children properly, her life gets a whole lot easier.
I am a full-time wife now. My children are long gone and I have the blessing of being able to mentor many women, watch my grandchildren, and help when needed. Ken still works his tail off to provide. No, you’re wrong culture! A man’s job is never ending and most women’s job does end; at least the hard part of disciplining and training and caring for young children. Being home full time is a blessing and a joy!
“You and I know that love is the world’s most powerful motivator. So love your home – love being there and love managing it, watching over it, keeping it, and, yes, cleaning up the mess. Love will enable you and empower you to tackle it, master it, and excel at it. Turn to the Lord to fire up your passion in your heart to manage your home His way…in a loving, serving, sacrificial capacity.” (Elizabeth George)
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Psalm 127:1, 2
10 thoughts on “The High Priority of Earning an Income”
Amen Lori! I only wish I would have found you years ago when I was home full time raising my two girls. I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do, but I let myself feel “less than” because I wasn’t earning an income. Thank you, thank you for giving full time moms, wives, homemakers the validity they deserve!
I am new here . I was blessed to have a husband who made a good enough income so I did not have to work and was able to stay home with my children. I jumped in with two feet years ago that it was my life calling and that God wanted women home. But as I met people who were not as fortunate to be able to stay home. They did have to work. It raised a million questions in me. Now my daughters work. One is married already, and works as does her husband. With two incomes , they can barely make ends meet. They don’t live extravagant, just barely get by. So many factors play into life. Life does not always allow for this theology to become a reality. We all value a stay at home mum. It would be my daughters goal to stay home as we are keenly aware of its value. What do you say when staying home is not the option?
The facebook comment just didn’t make sense.
“I tell you what! God willing, I’d rather work for a earning, till I no longer can work; be independent, than be a stay at home mother, being house cleaner, window cleaner, curtain cleaner, taxi driver all afternoon, and the list can grow and grow.”
Even if you leave the house 8-10 hours a day and put the kids in daycare, the house still needs to be cleaned, the windows still need to be washed, the curtains still need to be cleaned, and errands still have to run. The difference is, now you get to do all of those things IN ADDITION to being a full-time worker outside the home! You don’t get to relax at night and enjoy your husband and children. You’re taking care of all the household duties that didn’t get done during the day while you were working.
It is easier for a woman to juggle all the busyness of a full time homeschool mom (which is a never ending job that you never can clock out of for rest and recovery) if she also has time to do some things that she is passionate about doing or learning. We have one out of 5 left before graduating and we learned a long time ago that my wife was happier and felt more productive if she also had some time to “clock out” like I do on my job. And I gave it to her, since she doesn’t need to be working 24/7 while I sit on the couch in the evenings and forget about my job. In our case, my wife learned several new hobbies, took further learning online for something she was passionate about and eventually turned into a part time job, had an evening to herself every week, and a free morning to serve at the local food pantry, and took a part time job on our payroll managing the books for our company, since she loves numbers so much. She flourished so much as both a person, wife and mother after that and we have kept to it ever since. Friday nights were also firm date nights, even if we just stayed home for them. The youngest graduates next year. My wife is taking many of the skills she learned over the years and is increasing her photography business, in addition to offering pro bono services to low income families. We all do better when we put our god given talents to use, and stay at home wives and moms are no exception. My youngest sister has been an author, blogger and stay at home mom for 20 years. Her husband honors her gifts by making sure she has time each weak to devote to her craft and joy.
I would encourage young moms to pick up a hobby or two even during the hectic years of changing endless diapers and pouring over homeschool books. It does us all good to have something we love to do and are good at for some mental stimulation and rest and relaxation. And it doesn’t have to pay. Do it for yourself because it brings joy.
You’re welcome, Laurie. I wish an older woman told me this, too, when I had young children at home so I could have learned to be content and joyful knowing that it was exactly where God wanted me to be. Our society puts such heavy burdens upon young mothers and women today that they were never meant to carry. It’s very say.
Welcome, Melissa. Children need their mothers. Read “Home By Choice” if you want to know how imperative it is for children to be able to bond with their mothers for emotional stability and security. With God all things are possible so I encourage women who need extra income to seek the Lord in wisdom to try to find a way for them to be able to make money from home so they can be home full time with their children.
No, it wasn’t a wise comment, Lauren, and for some reason, they fail to realize this and simply makes their lives more difficult unless they hire all of that work out which means they have to work harder to make more money to pay these people.
Yes, if mothers have time after taking good care of their husbands, children, and homes, then it’s fine for them to pursue something they enjoy as long as it doesn’t take them from the God-ordained ministry to their family. Once the children are older, as yours are, it becomes a lot easier.
We made some time even when the kids were little. I fed them, played with them, bathed them and put them to bed one evening a week and every other Saturday was day with Dad day so my wife would have a day off.
Thank-you for this. When my children are grown up and all moved out then I, too, want to still be a full-time wife. I see lots of young mothers like me looking around wondering where are all the older women who are supposed to be helping us and guiding us? They are all working full time, that’s where. Women struggle to find someone who can help them out when they really need it, such as when in labour and when they have a newborn. It used to be that women formed communities to help each other out but now young mothers are stuck doing it all by themselves.
One day when my daughters have families of their own I plan to be there for them, to help them with their babies and postpartum stages, unencumbered by a job outside the home. I would like to be able to mentor and help other women as well, to be everyone’s grandma when they really need a helping hand. God willing.