Can One Mom Make a Difference?
I am obsessed with the news right now. I check it several times a day to see what’s going on. I think we can all agree that it’s mostly bad. I get sad and I get angry. I wish that I could do something to make a difference in the world. I wish I had a way to speak up and let my voice be heard, since it seems the loudest voices are the ones saying the most stupid things! But the truth is, my voice is small. I have no platform, no influence, and no real way to change the world. I’ll admit, it’s pretty discouraging.
I think that most moms deal with feelings of inadequacy. Am I doing enough? Am I doing it right? Are my kids learning all the things they need to learn? Will they grow up to be functioning and productive members of society? When we look at the state of the world, it seems like those of us who are just regular, ordinary people really can’t do anything to make a difference. But, then I realized that as a mom I have one of the most important jobs to change the future.
You and I, mama, are shaping the minds of the future leaders of our nation. Our children will one day be the politicians, the news writers, the voters. There may not be much we can do about the world right now. We can’t change minds of those who oppose all of our values, those who don’t hold the very beliefs our nation was founded on. We can’t force grown men and women to respect our president, our flag or our heritage. But we can teach our children these things, and hope that they will return again to the values of our forefathers.
As mothers we can teach our children that no one color skin is better than another color, but we’re all created equal by God. We can teach our children to have pride in our flag and our military and our nation’s history. No, our history isn’t perfect, but Americans have a way of figuring out the right way in the end. We can teach our children to honor and respect those in authority, whether we agree with their policies, or not. We can teach them that, if we don’t agree with someone’s policies, violence is not the answer, while also teaching them that it’s our right as citizens to own and carry guns. We can teach our children that our military members and police officers deserve our highest respect and loyalty, because it is through their sacrifices that we have our freedoms. We can teach our children the Biblical institution of marriage, and the value of the family unit, dad, mom and kids all working together to make a happy home. We can teach our children that life begins at conception, and every life is valuable to God. We can teach our children to love, honor and obey God, Who gives us everything we have–whether it be the tangible things like food and clothes, or the intangible, like peace and hope.
The question that I keep asking myself is, “Can one mom–me–really make a difference in the world?” Maybe not. I can’t draw a crowd to hear my opinions. As a matter of fact, if I called a rally tomorrow, I doubt anyone would come. If I tweet about this post, it may be read by 20-30 people. There’s not much I can do to change the world. But, I have two little boys. I can certainly change their world. I can teach them the Biblical values that God wants them to learn. I can make sure they aren’t the kind of people who will vandalize public property, or kneel during the nation anthem. Mamas, our job may be more important than we even know!
This morning as I found myself angry that the news kept replaying stories about spoiled-brat millionaires who disrespect our flag, I heard my four-year-old singing these sweet words, “God bless America, land that I love, stand beside her, and guide her, through the night with a light from above.” That’s when I realized, there is hope. You and I can stand right now for what we believe is right. We can voice our opinions at the ballot box, and maybe even by campaigning for politicians we support. We can pray for our leaders, our military and our police officers. And we can raise children who are kind, respectful strong, Christian members of society, and that can change the world.
Free Stock Photo courtesy of picxclicx.com
