The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom

By Rachael Sales  

TLC (The Learning Channel) has produced a new television show called The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom. It is a reality series in which stay-at-home wives and moms get the opportunity to live out their dream lives for a day. It is geared towards women who believe that they have put their lives on hold in order to take care of the home.

As a stay-at-home wife and mom, this show definitely peaked my interests. Let me give some background regarding my connection to this topic. When I first received Christ, I was in a PhD program at Stanford University and on my way to becoming a Professor of History. I enjoyed what I was doing and was looking forward to the pursuit of my career, when I had a true encounter with Jesus Christ.  He won my heart and as bi-products – my life, my dreams and my aspirations. I left the world of academia to answer the call of the ministry. (The Lord informed me that I was to leave school and return to Atlanta in order to birth nations.) After fasting and praying about it, I willingly and joyfully left the program and began pursuing my personal ministry. In the past ten years, much has happened. I have gotten married, I am the mother of seven children, and I am the Director of a growing Christian school. Of all that has taken place, at the age of 31, regret has not been a part of my life.  While several friends and family members rejected the drastic moves that were made in the name of Christ, I have not once regretted the decision to leave school.

What does this have to do with my original statement about the television series? Well, the reality is that the women that consent to this show have experienced the remorse of letting go of a particular life path in order to pursue a seemingly less lucrative one – the life of a family. The purpose of this article is not to debate the morality of the program, nor to judge the participants within it. It is however to put a mirror  in front of the body of Christ, a measuring stick if you will, of our contentment with the lives that God has for us. As those that have abandoned all for the cause of Christ, the Bible lets us know in Mark 10: 29, 30 that "there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." In other words, in spite of what may appear as a loss in our lives, there is always a full return on our investment in Christ.

From watching the show a couple of times, I have concluded that I am indeed content in the life and calling that is for me. As a disciple of Christ whose first ministry is within the home, yes there are days when my flesh gets tempted with the accolades of a seemingly greater title; when the lure of a PhD screams louder than the changing of dirty diapers. Yes there are days when the vastness of ministering to my husband, running our home school, and being active within our local ministry all seem to be more than I can handle. However, when I see the alternative lifestyle through shows like the one that I’ve mentioned, I am reminded that I am blessed. The idea of being pulled from my home to do anything else deeply saddens me. The idea of not being the first face that my husband sees after coming in from a grueling day in the work force is an upsetting one. The thought of missing my children’s first words or their first steps deeply saddens me. The notion of not being available when my Pastor needs me due to a conflict in scheduling is tormenting as well.

Does this mean that I have abandoned every other gift and talent besides these?  Of course not! I know that I am still called to impact the academic field in a major capacity, and I have no doubt that I will. I will produce books, and educational curricula, develop programs and institutions. The difference is that now I actually have content worth writing about and a cause worthy of gathering the masses for. He has called me to be a Christian social activist for family and I would die from the inside out if I did not live that out. The life of a disciple is for me and there are no regrets of a secret life gone by.

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