The women’s right movement was huge in the 1850’s and they got what they wanted. Women can vote, hold any job position that are physically and/or mentally capable of and are recognized as valuable as men by our government. But did we lose more than we gained? Consider with me our Christian Women’s Rights.
Our Christian Women’s Rights
- As daughters of Eve we can claim the right to be loved by and to love one man. The right to fight for our marriages instead of just giving up and walking away.
- We can claim the right to stay at home and care for our homes.
- We can claim the right to have children (biological or adopted), and to raise them up in a Godly manner.
- We can claim the right to be respected and honored in our roles of wife and mother.
- We can claim the right to know what’s in our food by making our meals from scratch.
But with the dawn of the women’s rights movement, things began to change. Women started working outside of the home. This led to the children needing outside care, which led to being in school earlier and for longer. Convenience became the next big thing. Store bought bread, microwave meals, dinners ate on the go or in front of the TV, and a general falling apart of the family.
With their independence and the ability to be recognized as good as men in the workforce, things began to change in the home structure. Women started to take the lead, and men who were not strong leaders to began with backed down and let that happen. This isn’t biblical.
The man is to be the head, the leader, the one who builds the house; the woman is to maintain and make the house a home. But, when the man gave up his role as leader, he did not take up the woman’s role of maintaining. Instead he sat completely back and today we have weak men who fail to step up to bat as husbands and fathers. We have women who work full time outside of the home and then come home to all of her other wifely duties that must be done. This isn’t right at all, we women are strong, but we are not that strong.
When the man is not in charge, it’s easy for the woman to say “forget it, I deserve better than this, I’m leaving” and sometimes the man even says that. No more do they fight for their marriage, they fight for their idea of what their deserve. But leaving doesn’t work. Leaving leaves holes, it leaves messes, it hurts others. Better to stay and fight for what you have, than go chasing after what you think you deserve.
We’ve given our children over to the state to raise, while we go off to work, then we wonder why our children are not following after Christ the way we want. Why would they? The state is now raising them, and the state doesn’t follow the Lord; instead, it opposes him. While we are off chasing the American dream, we are losing our children, and failing the God’s trust and ultimately failing our children.
Moms who have more than 2 kids will likely relate to this one. Are they all yours? You know what causes that, right? How can you handle that many kids? Large families are a rarity and many women get criticism from their own families when they choose to have more than 2 kids. Oh and for the record: 3 kids is Not a “large family”. Somehow we’ve lost the right to have our quiver full of blessings from the Lord. If you have more than 2 kids you are likely to be considered odd.
How about this question: “So what do you do?” When you respond that you are a stay at home mom, there is instant judgement. Thoughts of lazy and useless, and not contributing to society can be clearly seen in the eyes of your questioner. Moms, never forget, you are best contributing to society by staying home and raising your kids in a Godly manner.
Sure, the women’s rights movement did benefit us in some ways, but we have truly lost our Christian women’s rights. We need women who are claiming their rights and staying home to bless the family. We need women who are willing to give up what they think they deserve and instead give their all to their families. Women who’s children will rise up and call her blessed and who’s husband praises her (proverbs 31:28). These women are the ones who will bring hope to future generations.
Just to make myself clear here: In no way am I trying to judge those who do not stay at home with their children. In fact, I owe my nanny job to a wonderful mom who works; and this will make it possible to keep my own child with me during a time when I also have to work. My purpose here is to remind Christian women of their true, God given rights. I want to call you to think about where you are and where your family is. My prayer is, that with God’s help we can be true to our callings as wives and mothers and can raise up children who will lead the world back to Christ.
LuAnn Braley says
February 22, 2014 at 10:33 pmI remember looking into daycare for our two sons (back when it was just the two of them) so both my husband and myself could work. One of our salaries would have gone to pay for the daycare, so there would have been no ‘extra’ income from both of us working.
Kendra says
February 22, 2014 at 10:41 pmThat basically would have been our issue if I would have kept my old job, I had to work, but my job didn’t pay enough to really cover child care. I love where I am now. A great family with good kids and I can bring my little one with me. I’m kind of excited that our child will have ready made siblings 🙂
mousey says
February 22, 2014 at 11:14 pmDo you really think we will have time to raise up children to teach others about Christ. We don’t really know when he is coming back for his church, but it looks like it could be soon!
Like the man that was picking apples and another asked him what he would be doing if he knew Christ was coming tomorrow. The man picking apples said he guessed he would just keep on picking apples.
So just keep on picking apples and/or being a nanny.
Rachel Valentine says
February 23, 2014 at 1:12 amI just recently got our third foster child. So at the moment I feel that 3 kids is a large family. At least when the 3 kids are 10 months, 2 years and 3 years LOL
Kendra says
February 23, 2014 at 10:40 pm*chuckle 🙂 When they are close together, or come at the same times as in adoptions or foster care, it probably does seem like an awful lot!
Melissa says
February 23, 2014 at 9:41 amPoor women have always worked, that didn’t change in the 1970’s, what changed was that some women had better opportunities in the work place. The number one predictor of poverty in old age, worldwide, is motherhood. If a woman can and wants to stay home, there’s no reason she shouldn’t, but not everyone has that luxury of choice. I worked after my oldest child was born because I made more money. That job sustained me when my husband died when I was still in my mid twenties. I have remarried and continued to work and build my family. There were times when I felt like I was working for daycare, but I knew my benefits were better and cheaper than my husbands and I am contributing to us having a decent retirement. I have four children and no one are my office thinks it’s weird, families that size are not uncommon, even when moms work. I don’t think god cares if I earn a paycheck, I think there are bigger issues to occupy his attention. And I think this kind of discussion divides women pointlessly, and keeps us from focusing on truly important issues, like helping women who don’t have the choice of staying home, investing in every child’s future, and making sure there is something left of the planet for them to inherit. Also, women got the vote in 1920, after African American males, and Native American males. Out half of the population was the last group to be granted that right.
Kendra says
February 23, 2014 at 10:39 pmLike I said, I’m not down on women/moms who work, because I am one. The woman’s thing was needed, but I’m sad at how homemakers and larger families are the “strange ones” and people tend to see the woman who are following God’s original plan for them as strange….
Definitely, we as women need to support each other and respect each others decisions for how we take care of our families. God Bless
Rebekah says
March 1, 2014 at 3:07 amThought provoking. I really like having the best of both worlds with working from home as my income. I remember my mom being like a super hero who had both the career and somehow managed to be the perfect example of a biblical wife and Mom who did ALL of the cooking (from scratch), the cleaning, and the carting around of us kids back and forth (not to mention being our girl scout and boy scout troop leaders)!! There is no way I can do it like she did, although I have always admired her greatly for it. She must have had a heck of a lot of energy! However, she taught me important values of being a good homemaker and also being an empowered woman who made her own income. Now that I am a home owner, I am finding how time consuming keeping a beautiful home is. I enjoy cooking from scratch, decorating and cleaning and gardening ..and all of the other “home arts”. For me personally, I also enjoy making my own income as it’s empowering to have my own money as I am not one who likes asking a man for permission to buy things lol. It’s also nice to be able to help Matt out with the house things (financially) as well. I think it all really depends on each woman as an individual (as far as what she is passionate about in life and what makes her most happy) and what works best for each couple. It’s nice when staying home can be an option for a woman who likes the home arts though.
Kendra says
March 1, 2014 at 4:58 pmI totally appreciate our working women, and the ability to help bring home some of the “dough” I think where my biggest struggle and complaint comes in, is how stay at home wives and mothers are looked upon as “less than worthy” or as lazy or any of the other labels they give them. It’s truly not right at all.
Rebekah says
March 7, 2014 at 5:55 amTotally Agree! It’s a whole lot of work taking care of a household and not lazy at all!
Lenah says
March 7, 2014 at 11:18 amHi, I Love your article and I truly understand everything you are saying! I am a Stay At Home Mom, and I am proud to be. I am also mentally disabled because of my PTSD and my Major Depression that I am working on. Since I get the chance to stay at home with my 3 year old daughter and my 4 year old brother who is in preschool this year for socializing, I am healing and doing my god given duty to be a mother and homemaker, raising my children in a Christian manner the best I can, and I am quite capable of taking care of the children, even though the house is clean it is a lot to keep it sparkling and homemade because of my mental disability and low energy. I struggle every day with those two things, but I am on the mind because I am where I need to be (for me), at home taking care of my children and learning and teaching Christian ways to my family and my self. I come from a family who 1 side is comfortable with money and Christians and the other who is mildly poor and stuggle to make and keep there home and there land, and I have seen what you are speaking of,, my grandmother stayed home with my mom until she was in kindergarden and my uncle who was born first, she had him and went back to work because they were poor then, and even though he was taken care of by her mother he thought of his grandma as mom till this day, because she was the one with him the most, so my grandma decided to be home with my mom until she was in kindergarden, because you have to send your kids to kindergarden and late the state raise them in school:( I don’t know what the deal was with my fathers side, I think his mom stayed home with him some and worked some and the dad worked and was a soso dad because he didn’t know how to be a good one, but is mom was good for all I know. anyways my mom had me and my brother, she stayed home with us and loved being a home maker and stay at home mom, but my she had to hide things she bought some times and one time he wouldn’t give her money for cigarettes(disgusting I know, she quit now though) and she got a job and worked hard was tired when she came home and it felt like we lost our mom because she worked nights. then she got days but then we were older and had friends and sports and we had are mom back who came with us to all games practices and such but she was still tired, because she had to work at her job and come home and clean the house and cook, while my dad worked 3/4 of the year and the rest of the time just lounged around….and know im coming out of a similar situation with my husband, as of right now I am living with my mother and her youngest son because my husband is trying to save money to get our land set up to build us a house, and he has a steady job that he keeps getting raises on and loves but before that, I was the main bread winner, I was the one who forked out the cash, and he hardly cleaned the house or did out side work (but that is just what he saw his dad do) know that he has been around my mom and grandparents and the rest of my Christian family he has stepped up to the plate and is doing his best for me and our son and our other children soon to be. I THINK IT IS GREAT THAT WOMEN CAN WORK OR THEY CAN STAY HOME IF THEY PLEASE, I FEEL BAD FOR THE WOMEN WHO CANT AND WANT TO BECUASE OF THE INCOME, BOYS AND GIRLS NEED TO BE RAISED IN A GODLY MANNER TO KNOW HOW TO BE AND UPSTANDING MEN AND WOMEN, WHO DONT TAKE THE EASY ROAD OUT. I AM NOT BEING OFFENSIVE TO EITHER STAH MOMS OR WORKING MOMS MORE POWER TO YOU BOTH, AND I HOPE WE ALL CAN BIND TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE! AMEN