Myth: “Motherhood/ wifehood is a woman’s highest calling.”

The Bible never says wifehood or motherhood is a high calling of women, or the highest calling of women.

(This, of course, does not mean that wifehood/ motherhood is unimportant. Jesus calls us to love our neighbor – in Greek that is not the guy next door, but whoever is near – like ourselves. Married women and men certainly have to love their spouses and their children.)

The term “highest calling” does not appear in scripture. “High calling” appear in Php 3:14, but in relation to Christ, not motherhood.

The Bible gives us some clues as to whether motherhood, wifehood and home-making is the highest duty of a woman:

> 1 Cor 7:34 claims single women care for the things of the Lord and holiness, while the married care for “the things of the world, how she may please her husband.” It directly call pleasing a husband worldly, which is roundabout the opposite of regarding it as a woman’s highest calling.

> In Luke 10, Martha chose to do her household duties, while Mary learned with the disciples. Jesus said Mary chose the good part. Mary’s high calling was not the kitchen.

> In Matthew 12, Jesus said all who do his will are his mother, brothers and sisters. I am sure he did not neglect the command to honor his mother, but He did imply that he would rather honor those who learn from him, than to honor mothers or other family.

Proponents of motherhood/ household duties as a woman’s highest calling may quote Titus 2:5 at me. But Titus 2 never calls itself a summing up of each woman’s highest calling, any more than Ephesians 5 and 6 say that fathers should stay at home full-time because bringing up children (Eph 6) and loving their wives (Eph 5) is their highest calling.

The Proverbs woman looked well after her household (Pro 31:27) even though she apparently went afar to bring in food, planted vineyards in fields away from her home, and went to the market to sell her merchandise.