I remember seeing a post on Instagram about how Karoline Leavitt abruptly ended her maternity leave, inspired by Trump getting back on the campaign trail shortly after the assassination attempt in Butler. She said something like, “if he can get back to work 3 days after getting shot, I can do the same after giving birth.”
I really respected her for it because to me, it proved that she wasn’t just some power hungry politico trying to position herself for a book deal and a cushy tv job when she ended her time at the White House. She really believed in what she was doing.
But the comment section didn’t seem to appreciate her commitment. It was full of remarks like, “let’s not normalize this,” “she should be home with her baby,” “girl boss culture is toxic,” and “your family is more important than a job.”
They said similar things about Kayleigh McEnany when she got pregnant with her first child during her tenure as Press Secretary.
And it really annoyed me, because it reminded me how one dimensional and dogmatic most people are…even the ones I agree with.
For what it’s worth, I generally think most women would be happier at home raising babies than chasing professional pursuits.
Most of our jobs – man or woman – really just aren’t that important in the grand scheme of things. And even when they are, there are usually other people equally capable of doing them. Even if you leave a role of impact and significance, it doesn’t feel like a matter of cosmic consequence. Someone else will probably eventually rise to the occasion.
I don’t think “Press Secretary” is that kind of job though.
When you think about how things changed in Trump’s first term when they brought on someone that didn’t just do the job, but seemed born for it, it’s almost impossible to deny the sheer magnitude of the role.
Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders were fine. Jen Psaki was arguably fine too. But Kayleigh and Karoline are phenomenal.
They aren’t easily replaceable or interchangeable.
They both seem to have this incredibly rare and raw talent, being quick on their feet, sharp, extremely prepared, unflinching in their conviction, effortlessly articulate, and speaking with authority without sounding defensive.
The value they brought on the campaign trail and in the White House can’t be overstated.
And sure, they weren’t the only contenders that possessed these traits.
But the pool of available, competent prospects up to the task for a job of that stature isn’t very wide and isn’t very deep. And for someone that can perform as well under pressure as McEnany or Leavitt, it shrinks even more.
I believe God gave them their gifts for a reason.
And I believe a blind insistence that these women waste those gifts when they’re so desperately needed demonstrates a misunderstanding of our Creator, how He made us, and what He made us for.
The world looked at David’s stature and build, and told him he was better off tending his sheep than fighting Goliath.
The world looked at the woman at the well and saw an outcast unworthy of even basic acknowledgment.
The world never would have chosen a violent persecutor of Christians to become the most influential apostle.
The world even looked at Jesus, and called Him every name but His own, because they didn’t believe the King of Kings could come from such a humble upbringing.
Similarly, the world might look at a woman like Karoline Leavitt, and urge her to stay home with her son.
But God sees what we can’t, and uses who we’d reject.
When we cling too tightly to our expectations, assumptions and conventions, we can easily miss what God could be doing in His defiance of them.
For too long, women have been taught to think of motherhood as a burden, an interruption, and a distraction when for the majority of us, it’s probably the most meaningful thing we’ll ever do.
We’re finally correcting the course, and I generally welcome it.
For many women, motherhood will be the highest calling of their lives.
If you’re making power points for lotion companies or selling houses, there’s an extreme likelihood you’ll find a greater reward in raising children, and you should plan accordingly. But maybe you won’t.
Maybe you’ll find yourself in a predicament like Kayleigh and Karoline, who from my point of view didn’t just have an opportunity to take critically important jobs at a critically important time in our history; they had a duty.
God blessed them with exceptional abilities that were better put to use as the faces of the most powerful government (and presidential campaign) in the world while this country was on the brink of complete collapse.
Karoline even said that she would have preferred a longer maternity leave, but gave it up because she felt a conviction that she couldn’t ignore. And the level of altruism and obligation necessary to do something that shouldn’t be taken lightly, or dismissed as selfish, career-obsessed feminism. On the contrary, it required extreme sacrifice and consideration not just for her child, but for the children of America.
Before God makes us wives or mothers, He makes us servants. And I could be wrong, but I genuinely believe that huge portions of the Bible exist to remind us that serving God won’t always make sense to us, look the same for everyone, or conform to cherished traditions.
That doesn’t mean that tradition shouldn’t be upheld or promoted, but that we should recognize God has a well-documented record of throwing it to the wind for His glory and our good.
Only God knows you in your entirety, and only God knows His plan for your life. If you find yourself at a crossroads, pulled between competing visions for your future, I’d encourage you to take the conflict to His feet, and rely not on your understanding – or anyone else’s.
gender roleskaroline leavittkayleigh mcenanymotherhoodtraditionalism
what do you think?