Embracing the Diversity of Motherhood

Last Updated on June 26, 2018

Just like every person on this Earth, every mother is different.  God created each mother to be a unique individual, with special gifts and assets that only she can offer her children and those around her.  Some mothers are stay-at-home mothers while others work outside the home. Many mothers are married to the father of their children, while some are single, some suffer silently from the pain that comes through divorce. Some mothers choose to homeschool, others see the public school system as a mission field.  Some bottle-feed, others breastfeed.  An entire generation of mothers have become grandmothers and can share their wisdom with the younger generation of mothers ‘in the trenches.’

As mothers, we need to embrace and encourage each other, not in spite of our differences but because of them.  We are training up an entire generation of children, which is obviously a huge undertaking and God-ordained mission.   The enemy is using the ongoing battle (and, at times, the full-blown war) between mothers and the very personal choices we make to weaken our effectiveness.  And, quite frankly, I’m sick of it.

We need to stop attacking and start loving and encouraging one another!  Just because the decisions we’ve made look different from those of someone else does not give us the right to judge that person’s heart or her motives.

Instead, we need to recognize that God has given each of us a purpose, as a mother and as a woman.  And, believe it or not, we can learn something from the varied situations of every mother, whether we can personally identify or not.  We can also serve each other in a variety of unique ways.  Stay-at-home mothers can learn how to wear different hats and balance the juggling act of motherhood from working mothers.  The younger generation should be seeking the counsel of the older generation, instead of thinking that we know it all or are supposed to have it all together.  Married women should be encouraging single and divorced mothers by offering to babysit or deliver a meal now and then. Working mothers can look to stay-at-home moms with advice on the nitty-gritty details of care taking day in and day out.  We all have something to offer… and offer it we must.

In his letter to the Roman Church, who also had some major problems with unity as a body of Christ, the Apostle Paul tells us that we need to honor one another above ourselves and that we should be united with one another in genuine love and affection for each other (12: 10). Regardless of our differences as mothers, we need to pray that we all do what He asks towards the goal of raising children who love the Lord.

Imagine the enormous effect we could have on one another as mothers (as well as the next generation of children) if we stop judging and condemning one another and start loving, embracing, encouraging and praying for one another!

What can you do today to embrace and love another mom well? Let’s share our ideas in the comments… and then let’s each choose one thing to do this weekend for another mom we know.