I fell into an Instagram hole the other day and came across a meme aimed at moms. While the exact wording of the meme and comments have escaped me, the basic point was that moms are too quick to look down on other moms. Mom-Shaming, they called it. While that term is a bit new to me, the idea is not.
She has it all together. Must be hard to be that fake!
She is a hot mess! Always talking about how hard her life is. Buck up, sister. Everyone has challenges.
Is she ever even home? Not sure how she has time to clean with all that exploring and nature walking.
What I realized when considering this is that we, as Christians, have a biblical mandate to confess our sins to one another and to be all things to all men, that we might save some.
How do these two things go together? Perfectly, in my opinion.
The first thing we have to remember is that the only thing you can control is you. Your words, reactions, feelings - yes! You can control your feelings! Is that a separate post? - your attitude, your heart towards the other women around you. That's it. Sure, you can unfollow people on social media but that's not really solving the problem. If you struggle with a jealous or judgmental attitude towards those moms, it's time for you to pray for them and for you. God can help you change your attitude towards others, if you ask and believe that He is able.
The second thing is to put aside your own pride. That mom on Instagram that is so perfectly put together -- why not ask her how she does it? Be willing to admit that you need help in the areas that she excels rather than just sitting back and quietly judging. This to me is a modern version of confess your sins. Is having a dirty house a sin issue? Maybe. But it's more likely that it's the result of an area of weakness that needs to be developed. By saying to a woman that has that strength,I need your help with this, you are confessing your lack and opening the door for a relationship to deepen. And that is when true discipleship can begin.
And the last thing. Those hot mess moms? Just pause for a moment before you open your mouth or hit send on that snappy comment. Rather than becoming all things to all moms, just use that idea as a reminder to put yourself in their shoes for just a moment. Do you know what their upbringing was like? What their home life is like? Do they have any experience with teaching children to listen? Have they spent a lot of time around other moms that have helped them? Do their children have developmental or behavioral issues that you have no experience with? What must it be like to me that hot mess mom? Odds are you can't even understand what she is living through. But what you can do is offer friendship, a prayer, a helping hand. I think that's what the Bible means when it says that I might save some.
Especially around the holidays, it is so easy to just sit back and cruise social media rather than getting involved with the women around you. Let's use this holiday season to build up other moms, rather than shaming them for being too good or too bad. Confessing your sins doesn't have to be an impossible task. One moment at a time, be willing to be transparent. Learn from some. Give grace to others. Trust that God can help you move forward with a pure heart.
She has it all together. Must be hard to be that fake!
She is a hot mess! Always talking about how hard her life is. Buck up, sister. Everyone has challenges.
Is she ever even home? Not sure how she has time to clean with all that exploring and nature walking.
Get the point?
What I realized when considering this is that we, as Christians, have a biblical mandate to confess our sins to one another and to be all things to all men, that we might save some.
How do these two things go together? Perfectly, in my opinion.
The first thing we have to remember is that the only thing you can control is you. Your words, reactions, feelings - yes! You can control your feelings! Is that a separate post? - your attitude, your heart towards the other women around you. That's it. Sure, you can unfollow people on social media but that's not really solving the problem. If you struggle with a jealous or judgmental attitude towards those moms, it's time for you to pray for them and for you. God can help you change your attitude towards others, if you ask and believe that He is able.
The second thing is to put aside your own pride. That mom on Instagram that is so perfectly put together -- why not ask her how she does it? Be willing to admit that you need help in the areas that she excels rather than just sitting back and quietly judging. This to me is a modern version of confess your sins. Is having a dirty house a sin issue? Maybe. But it's more likely that it's the result of an area of weakness that needs to be developed. By saying to a woman that has that strength,I need your help with this, you are confessing your lack and opening the door for a relationship to deepen. And that is when true discipleship can begin.
And the last thing. Those hot mess moms? Just pause for a moment before you open your mouth or hit send on that snappy comment. Rather than becoming all things to all moms, just use that idea as a reminder to put yourself in their shoes for just a moment. Do you know what their upbringing was like? What their home life is like? Do they have any experience with teaching children to listen? Have they spent a lot of time around other moms that have helped them? Do their children have developmental or behavioral issues that you have no experience with? What must it be like to me that hot mess mom? Odds are you can't even understand what she is living through. But what you can do is offer friendship, a prayer, a helping hand. I think that's what the Bible means when it says that I might save some.
Especially around the holidays, it is so easy to just sit back and cruise social media rather than getting involved with the women around you. Let's use this holiday season to build up other moms, rather than shaming them for being too good or too bad. Confessing your sins doesn't have to be an impossible task. One moment at a time, be willing to be transparent. Learn from some. Give grace to others. Trust that God can help you move forward with a pure heart.
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