I was feeling a little under the weather the other day, so my sweet husband decided to take my boys out for breakfast to give me a break. When the hostess asked how many to seat and my husband replied “just the three of us,” she bent in close and whispered, “Did momma leave?”
Later, the waitress approached and asked how many menus were needed. When it became obvious that no one else would be joining them, she repeated the hostess’ question: “Did momma leave?”
Before they had finished their pancakes, a stranger approached to dote on my boys. I guess she also assumed that my husband was a single parent because before she left she asked, “When did their mom leave?”
Unbelievably, my husband also heard the waitress telling customers at a table nearby “Momma didn’t leave. She’s just home sick.”
Weird, huh? A better word would be tragic.
On a recent prayer phone call for the upcoming True Woman Conferences, Karen Loritts shared her burden for women who profess to be Christians yet are walking away from their marriages and families. It turns out that increasingly, women are choosing to leave their responsibilities as wives and mothers in pursuit of “greener pastures.”
The concerned people who approached my husband assuming his wife had left weren’t being paranoid, and they weren’t asking, “did momma leave” out of the blue. They had obviously seen this before.
Women are drowning in a sea of lies hurled at them from all sides. As a result, even practicing Christians are making devastating choice to abandon the roles God holds in such high esteem. Ultimately, husbands, wives, children, communities, and the entire culture will suffer.
That feels big, doesn’t it? Increasing numbers of women choosing to leave their families is a weighty problem. A movement designed to point them back towards God’s Truth is an equally significant solution.
But what can you do in the face of something so big? Beyond praying for and attending the True Woman Conference, are there any steps you can take to turn the tide?
I believe the answer is yes!
That’s why I am declaring today “Encourage a Mom Day.”
Here’s how it works. I want you to find a mom whose plate is extra full. Seek out a woman who you sense may be fantasizing about a life without her family, or who simply seems unfulfilled in her roles as wife and mother. Do something big to encourage her to hang in there and live out the roles that God has given her.
Maybe you can take the kids so she and her husband can have some quiet time to reconnect. Maybe you can come alongside her and help her do the parts of motherhood that feel so mundane (like laundry and dishes). Or you could drop by with some hot tea and supplies to make a scrapbook, and then help her create an album that reminds her of all the blessings that marriage and motherhood bring. I bet you can come up with some even better ideas!
This isn’t just a good idea you should agree with in theory. I want you to actually give teeth to the message of True Woman by reaching out to a woman near you with God’s Truth about His design.
Then, hop back on the blog and tells us about it. Ready. Set. Encourage!
Join the Discussion