Putting an End to "Just a Mom"

This is a guest post by: Michelle Myers

I've lost count of how many times I've heard a woman refer to herself as "just a mom."

Those words grieve me. It hurts my heart that as a culture, we rarely recognize motherhood (and fatherhood as well), for their importance. Not only does it create an often unspoken struggle of how to prioritize what is not deemed as important, but it completely the dilutes the significance of God's intentional, purposeful and personal assignments He gives in the home.

Just think about it. I am replaceable in just about every role in my life. You are too. Any time I've left a job, they've never had to shut down the company because I left. They just replaced me. The two times God has called my husband and I to serve at a new church, the previous church's doors never closed. Someone else simply stepped in and filled the role.

But roles like wife and mom are not temporary assignments. They are lifetime assignments. God has given no one else the task of being James' wife. I am the only one He chose to be mother to our three children. These are my exclusive assignments God has entrusted only to me.

Doesn't that sound significant to you? Because it is significant! There is nothing "just a mom" about the spiritual mission of motherhood!

I'm encouraged every time I remember Titus 2:4, that older women are to "train the young women to love their husbands and children." To need training implies that much of what we will need to do at home will not come naturally. We need to be encouraged. We need to be reminded. And yes, we'll even need to be taught or trained by the older women in our lives.

The significance of motherhood is a reflection of God's goodness and grace, but the effort to view motherhood this way is up to us. And certainly, the actual work of motherhood is our responsibility too.

Because motherhood is work. It may not come with a paycheck, consistent hours, vacation time or sick days, but none of these descriptions are what define "work" from a gospel perspective anyway. In our book, She Works His Way: A Practical Guide for Doing What Matters Most in a Get-Things-Done World, we redefine work as "anything a believer does that is submitted to God."

By that definition, it's not the task that determines spiritual significance, but our reason for being there. Gospel intentionality is required for the work done inside our homes and the work done outside of our homes - not one or the other.

Somer wrote a manifesto for herself that she was gracious enough to include in the book, and I pray that her words encourage every mom this blog finds:

My family is my ministry.
My home is my "platform."
These kids are my "followers."
They're the "likes" I care about.
They're my "warm market" that
I'm willing to go above and beyond for.
They're my long-term investment strategy
and the best word of mouth I can ever get.
- Somer Phoebus

Somer Phoebus + Michelle Myers' prayer in writing She Works His Way: A Practical Guide for Doing What Matters Most in a Get-Things-Done World is for God to set women free from the bondage of trying to be everything everything the world expects them to be while also aiming to be the woman He created them to be - and that they will just aim to be His. They both share the lessons they learned that challenged culture's good things so they could find the greatest thing: God Himself. And it can be your story too. You can read Chapter 1 free here, and order the book here.