Women who are not free to use their gifts to bless others and bring glory to God in the Body of Christ turn on each other.
And the domestic competition is fierce.
On the exterior, smiles are etched into weary faces overworked and oft under-appreciated by the husbands and children at home who are taking from them what only God can replace and replenish.
But they keep moving, stiffly, wearily, with an identity that is "keep at home" and nothing much else.
I lived there, in a place, in a church that said my only roles were daughter of the King (that was correct) and wife to my husband and mother to my children. My identity could not rest in the finished work of Christ, then blossom with the gifts He had given me unless they were somehow directly related to my work at home.
Very, very little freedom to use what He has given. No outlet for creativity that wasn't domestic or church-related. My blogging was especially suspect.
Without freedom to be who and what God is calling us to be, no matter what that looks like, we turn inward and begin to pick at each other because we're squeezed in between walls that feel like prison and our discontent is palpable.
Although we smile at each other at church, we joylessly ache on the inside and compare and contrast and forget that the lover of our soul, the one who gives us our worth and our value, has also gifted us in ways that do not come in a one-size-fits-all box. He's more creative than that.
In our unique callings, inside or outside of domesticity, we can find the freedom to look at our sister and say, "You are amazing!" We can love her because we are so secure in the love that God has lavished on us.
You are loved and have worth and value because of what Jesus did for you. Don't ever let anyone tell you your worth is in how well you perform in the home. Don't ever let anyone tell you your worth is in how well you perform outside the home. You are loved and have worth and value because of what Jesus did for you.
Praise Him for giving His gifts with joy and vigor and riginality. Then turn and whisper in a sister's ear, "You are free. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed!"