Don’t Judge Her…

They made a choice to live off one income and save the other. They bought a modest home. When their first child came along she was able to stay home.

She never thought her husband would one day just up and leave her alone with two children to raise. Alone. Without financial help. She had to go to work.

Her income was twice what he made. When baby number one came along she went back to work. He stayed home.

They had decided long ago that they would be a two income family. They made plans and purchases based on the decision. When she gave birth to the first child she wanted to change her plan and stay home. She couldn’t, they were use to two incomes, she needed to work.

She loves her job. She loves her children. She chooses to work outside the home and be a mother. It’s something she always planned, what she dreamed of doing.

She hadn’t planned on getting pregnant while in college, but she did. She loved her baby. She wanted to be a mother. She would finish school and work hard to support them both.

All she ever want to do in life is be a mother. As soon as she had their first child she quit her job. It was hard, they had to make sacrifices. It didn’t matter the cost, it’s what she dreamed of doing.

I could go on. There are so many scenario's that are not listed. None were left out on purpose, it’s just impossible to list them all. Forgive me if I’ve left out the scenario that would describe your life. It was unintentionally.

But then why list them at all?

I’ve been on several blogs of late that seem bent on attacking one another. The stay at home mom wants to attack the career mom and vice versa. It makes me sad. It breaks my heart. It’s not just the bloggers themselves but those who comment. It sickens my heart at times just how mean some moms are to other moms.

Many are “Christian” sites. Christians, you know those who are called to love one another. To encourage, support and be Christ like. Instead they attack one another. They judge each other.

And it doesn’t just stop at stay at home versus career mom either. They judge one another on whether or not their children are in sports, dance, acting, or music lessons. They criticize each other by their school choices, whether they home school,  send to public or private school.

Isn’t it hard enough being a mother in this world today trying to raise godly children why must we battle each other too?

To be honest I have my opinions on each of these areas and as a fifty something mother of grown children I can promise you that there is far more to worry about than whether someone else is mothering right! As a Christian mom I was, (am) accountable to God for my choices not the mother next to me. My husband and I made choices together, we made mistakes, we totally blew it in some areas but God’s grace covered those areas.

I think maybe we need to stop worrying about whether or not the mom next to us is doing things right and worry about how we are parenting our own children. Maybe we need to stop being afraid that the  mom next to us is doing a better or worse job than we are, or just doing it differently, and just leave her be.

Why not love her? Why not support her? Why not give her a word of encouragement.

Regardless of how she is choosing to raise her children I am sure you both are worried whether or not you are doing the right thing. You both only want to raise godly children for the Lord. You both need the support of one another. You both are doing the very best that you can.

Let’s stop judging one another and embrace our sisters in Christ. If you love them you’ll have no time to judge them.