Chronicles of a Working Mom -- Part 7, What does the Word Say?

I mentioned before that one of things that spurred this series was reading Proverbs 31:10-31 (please read before proceeding).  She's quite the lady, isn't she?  She's up before dawn, making sure that the needs of her family are met (vs. 15, 21).  She's around the village, buying property, planting vineyards, and selling clothes she made herself (vs. 16, 24).  Her husband and children see all her good and praise her for it (vs. 28&29).  Sounds great, doesn't it?

At some point or another, I bet every Christian woman has read these verses (and/or heard a sermon on them) and wondered how she measured up.  The Proverbs 31 woman is our ideal, our model for how to be a woman and a mother.

just thought I'd lighten the mood a bit :)

When I read it the other day, I realized, "Wait, she was a working mother?"  I am no Biblical scholar, but she's making linen garments and selling them.  That sounds like a working mother to me!




The whole stay-at-home vs. working debate is rampant in my church.  We follow the "be fruitful and multiply" command (Genesis 1:28) seriously!  Google "Bible and stay at home mom" or google "Bible and working mom" and you'll get thousands of hits.  In preparation for this blog, I wanted to do some research.  I fully believe that the Bible is truth and that it is there to teach us about God and how to live for Him (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  So I wanted to see what was out there about God's take on momitude.

Ultimately, God has different plans for each one of us.  I believe He calls some of us to be stay-at-home moms and He calls others of us to be working moms.

I don't believe one is more admirable than the other, just different.  However, not everyone feels this way.  Here's what the naysayers have to say about working moms:

Excerpts from "The High Calling of Wife and Mother in Biblical Perspective," by Dorothy Patterson (2005)
To be fair to her, you can read the article in its entirety here.

"Many women have devoted themselves to ambitious busyness everywhere but in the home."

"A salaried job and titled position can inhibit a woman's natural nesting instinct and maternity by inverting her priorities so that failures almost inevitably come in the rearing of her own children."

"Some women want to limit parenthood to the labor room, settling for a "maternity sabbatical" in which they birth a baby during a few weeks' leave before rushing back to their lofty pursuits."

Dear Ms. Patterson, I cannot speak for all working mothers.  We have different motivations, different life pursuits, and different careers.  Just like I cannot lump all of us together, I don't think you should either.

I read several articles when researching this blog.  Most took a more open-minded approach.  I really liked this article by Kimberly Chastain.  I'd recommend reading the whole thing.
A few excerpts:

"The Bible's message is timeless and covers all cultures.  So, I think it would be wrong to tell a mom with children starving in a third world country that she should not work outside the home and find food for her child.  You may think that argument is ridiculous, but if no mom should work outside the home then that should apply to all moms."

"I encourage you to pray about your decision and ask for clear direction and peace about your decision.  Once you have made your decision do not spend time worrying and fretting about your decision."

"Our priorities always have to be clear.  God is first, family second, and then work is much farther down the priority list.  No one [men or women] should put their career ahead of God."

"The ground is level at the cross and there is not a separate section for working moms and stay at home moms.  God loves us all the same.  Please hear that last point, God loves us all the same."

What does Scripture say?

Titus 2:3-5 
"[Women] are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."

1 Timothy 5:15
"So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander."

Acts 18:2-3
"And [Paul] found a Jew named Aquila... with his wife Priscilla... And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade."  

Other working women (not all of them were also mothers) in the Bible:
Rachel (shepherdess), Deborah (a judge and military commander), Ruth (grain-gatherer), Lydia (a seller of fabric), and Rahab (though I'm not encouraging her profession!)

Deuteronomy 6:6-7
"And these words I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." (these verses are actually up in my house thanks to my friend Liz and her business on Etsy)


I think God wants all parents to focus on raising their children up to know Him, love Him, and put their faith in Him.  As long as the parents are doing that, I don't think it matters whether they also have a 9-5 job.  Like Ms. Chastain said, pray about it, make a decision, and then stick to that decision.  Every Christian household is going to function differently.  Either way, people are going to have misconceptions about what you do!

Want someone else's take on being a Christian Working Mom?  Read this.



Next Up: How does Jason fit in to all of this?