The Accidental Pastor's Wife

Hi Julie,
I'm right there with you. Before kids/marriage I was a successful college student, then a teacher, then a real estate professional who worked alongside my hubby to build our finance business.

Today, I rarely leave the house.

You hear a lot about "being a SAHM is the most important and difficult profession in the world." (thanks Oprah.) But in truth, it doesn't feel like a profession most of the time. However, I have been trying a few things, silly as they seem, to view my life professionally.

First, I get up and get dressed and put on makeup.

Also, use a daily schedule..flexiblee though it is, but I have a task list that I go by.

I try to have an "ending time" to my day. Dh has agreed to give me at least 1/2 hour when he arrives home to be off duty...something that is so, so, refreshing and lets me move from daytime/homeschooling/work mode, to evening family-time mode.

I also USE a lot of the skills a aquired professionally to teach my kids, plan my lessons, and manage my home, particularly those computer and techie skills!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Julie,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this - a topic I frankly think alot about these days. Our children have not been homeschooled, and I worked many of the years they were in school. I value more than I can say the vocation of wife and mother - I think there is nothing more worthwhile a woman can do. I also very much value education. I think God has given us brains to use and learn, and our children were raised to excel in their studies, and to go to college/graduate school, etc. My daughter has married into a family of home schoolers who don't have this same view of education. Their sons aren't expected to attend college - but to join the military. Their girls are trained to keep house and pray that God will provide a husband and many children for them at an early age. My daughter quit college the semester after she married, which is totally her decision. She is now a new mom, and I am thrilled she is happy being a SAHM. She's doing a great job at it. She just as easily could have excelled at this vocation with a college degree.

i'd love to hear about what you think is unbiblical about feminism...

i always think of Jesus as one of the first 'feminists' of his time... he treated women well, he didn't discriminate, etc.

i'm not into the whole abortion thing that can get connected to feminism, but i'm curious as to what is good/bad about it all, from your perspective. write more!

(and i'm so sorry i missed the post that was deleted as 'in bad taste.' it must have been a good one!)

Julie,
I love it! You wrote what I've thought so many times. In, Ecclesiastes 7 it says...

16 Do not be overrighteous,
neither be overwise—
why destroy yourself?

17 Do not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool—
why die before your time?

18 It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
The man who fears God will avoid all extremes .

I quoted it to a friend of mine who has gone to those extremes- dresses only, no education for daughters, no jobs for women ever, etc., etc. She audibly gasped.

I think if we would ALL avoid extremes things would be better. It is so good to hear someone else say these things. I always enjoy reading your thoughts.

Dena
(Really Trying from PWonline)

Hey Dena! I was wondering about you the other day when your username came up for me to moderate, I guess maybe because you hadn't commented in a while? I could have deleted it, but I didn't because I was hoping you'd be coming back when you had more time over there. ANYWAY...

How wonderful for our lives to be bound by Scripture and not extra biblical ideas. Over at thatmom.wordpress.com, Karen has been doing some podcasts on the patriarchy mvtmt within homeschooling. Fascinating stuff.