5/8/13

Eleven years ago, Brenda Heist dropped off her young kids at school—drove off and never returned.  The family thought she was dead.  Surely something dreadful had happened to her.  What else could explain the sudden disappearance of a woman whom her daughter, then 8, described as a ‘great’ mom.  But last week, after more than a decade, Heist turned up in Florida, revealing to police that she had not been kidnapped.  She had, she said, been stressed… 

Most mothers are familiar with the feeling—for some it’s more fleeting than for others—total exhaustion, frustration, a sense of being overwhelmed by duty and the responsibility of raising children.  Some actually run away and some only indulge in a momentary fantasy of running away.  It is a fact that the number of those who are running away is increasing.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of single fathers is up from 600,000 in 1982 to over 2 million in 2011.  There are even support groups now for women who decide to leave their children.  So what is happening to motherhood in our generation?  There is more to say about this than I have time or space today, but I do have a couple of ideas:

1] The narcissism epidemic is a contributing factor to walk out moms.  The culture encourages feelings of entitlement.  There is  decreased commitment to the values of duty, self-denial and self-sacrifice today.  These are requirements of parenthood in general and motherhood in specific.  If a mother subscribes to the ‘take care of ‘numero uno,’’ ‘be true to yourself’ and ‘never compromise your needs’ mentality, she will keep the option of abandonment open.  Titus 2:3-5, “Teach the older women to… train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind… So that no one will malign the word of God.”  There is little room for narcissism [self-worship] in this charge to homemakers.

2] Husbands/dads aren’t stepping up at home.  The rise of working women, imposed in part by the economy, is not making much difference in the load moms are expected to carry at home.  There is an imbalance of responsibility.  Men need to realize that their passivity at home is contributing to their wives having to manage elevated levels of stress.  Guys, make this Mother’s Day a new beginning in caring for your wife and the mother of your children in practical ways.  I Peter 3:7, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so nothing will hinder your prayers.”  Someone has said that the discouraged sighs of an over-burdened, under-appreciated wife/mother will come before a man and his God.  So men, let’s refocus!

Pray with me… “Dear God and Father, once again in this week before Mother’s Day, we are impressed with the wisdom of your Word to bring us back to a place of self-discipline and a place of self-sacrifice as we seek to honor you by conforming our family life to your eternal truth.  The family is a reality because of your creation and design.  You know what makes it bless and what enriches us from the inside out.  We submit to You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Blessings,

Pastor Ken