Mothers, Untie!
Dearest Sisters ~
I have been remembering you in prayer and pray that the LORD
is sustaining, guiding and providing for everything that
concerns you. I originally wrote today’s letter as a blog
entry. I hope to encourage you in your home and with your
family.
Yep - I let a typo become the title of this Letter.
I say… mothers: Untie!
This, I say, for many reasons. Older mothers have been
afraid to say things to their capable, confident, well
accessorized, independent, younger counterparts. Now, at
first blush, my description of the younger counterparts may
seem critical and maybe even judgmental. O, not so. I
actually marvel at the capabilities of the younger mothers -
and am astonished at the proliferation of
baby-childcare-childhood merchandise and training materials.
But I also marvel at the independence I see and the sad
consequence of that independence. I see many young mothers
as unaware of their lack of skill or unaware of their
self-centeredness or unaware of their marginalizing of their
older counterparts. To many younger confident mothers, the
older mothers are passé – obsolete has-been’s who aren’t
really relevant because times have changed and the archaic
ways have been replaced by the nouvelle motherhood – the,
what I call:
bigger, better,
more motherhood. The “righter than
you” motherhood.
Now, here is a potential for trouble – young mothers may
feel unnecessarily accused or offended at this point and
that’s not my intention. My intention is not to ‘slam’ young
mothers or to reprimand or criticize. But to say: Mothers!
Untie!
Untie! Old mothers… Older mothers… Younger mothers… Young
mothers: Let us
all not be so bound up in
sanctimonious thinking that we forget where we are, where
we’ve come from or where we’ve been.
So that, when a young mom says, for example:
we’ll
never spank
our
children! You don’t reply: “Then you’ll wind up with little
terrors who will destroy the property of every home they
visit and be miserable to spend time with.” Instead, maybe a
better tact would be to demonstrate
how
and
when
and
where and
why
to properly discipline and hopefully the overly
confident- inexperienced young mother will take into
consideration the biblical mandate to discipline properly
and to love and respect properly – and quite possibly
understand the reason
Titus 2.3-5 is included in
the Word. You will gain respect, you will impart
understanding and wisdom and, more importantly, you will
gain a loyal friend in that young mom.
So that, for example, when an older mom describes how to do
something that goes against or doesn’t line up with
contemporary conventional thinking, young moms don’t bristle
and close their ears to other options – and old moms need to
see there are some great ‘new ways’ of doing old things
better and not be so callused, closed minded or hard hearted
to new ways of seeing things. We need to see there may be
new and better ways. We might need reminding that the old
way of doing things just might still be the best way – and
just because appliances and convenience have replaced many
things – that doesn’t mean the old ways obsolete.
Just look at the number of so-called retro things are
popular. Aprons, cookbooks, wheat-grinding, bread,
clotheslines, soap making, herbs and tinctures, natural
products, cloth diapers and on and on.
Untie! Young mothers… untie yourselves from the preconceived
notions that the older mothers think they know everything
and want to ruin rule your lives. Be taught! You’ll
be teachers one day!
Untie! Young mothers… from the thought that generations
before you are antiquated and this generation now (finally
and fortunately) has things figured out. Learn from the old
ways while you’re walking the new paths.
Untie! Older mothers… Untie from the old ways that aren’t
profitable! Be teachable and adaptable to the new ways. Hold
fast that which is good… (1Thessalonians 5.21 “Prove all
things; hold fast that which is good.”)
Untie! Older mothers… be what God has called you to be. Be
it! Teach it! Live by example – and if your example isn’t so
good right now – get it there… study, improve, correct,
change, apply! Get your life in order, learn what you ought
to know, be what you ought to be: that(!) the Word of God
will not be blasphemed in or through your life – Let the
Word be lived through your life!
Unite your heart to fear the LORD and to live in obedience
to Him.
Let us learn from Titus 1.9 and 16 and 2.1: “Holding fast
the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be
able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the
gainsayers… They profess that they know God; but in works
they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto
every good work reprobate… But speak thou the things which
become sound doctrine:”
And older mothers: we need to be sweet. The younger
generation needs an example to follow. Let’s strive together
– not against one another. Let’s unite.
With sincere love,
,
your sister in the LORD
©A Christian Home ~
Letters To My Sisters ~ 2007
http://www.AChristianHome.org
|