Pulling off our masked identities to risk revealing our true selves to the world

Photo: Copyright PhotoXpress.com

Title: Professional SAHM & SAHD

Key Accomplishments:   Provide senior leadership in the collaborative and coordinated logistics; public relations; activities; security; medical treatment;  meal preparation; facility improvements, upgrades, and maintenance; budget development and administration; scheduling; goal-setting; daily instruction, and other varied functions as the need arises for the husband/wife and children I am happily responsible for.

Stay-At-Home-Moms & Dads (SAHMs & SAHDs) have no gaps in their work experience…

LifelineExtensions.blog’s theme for March, "Celebrating Women’s History Month ~ Great Women Who Make/Made It Happen;" couldn’t have come at a better time for me, personally.

I have been reading about someone I believe to be one of the greatest women from biblical times, Esther.  For me, Esther exemplified a woman who made things happen and risked her life in doing so.

Raised by her cousin after her parents had died; Esther was adored by the king of the land, who just happened to be looking for a new queen around the same time he met her.

Esther’s cousin had given her strict orders not to reveal her true identity, background, beliefs, race, or ethnicity to anyone as a way to avoid being tortured or even killed.   

This forced her to have to pretend to always be someone else to the world, even though inside she cried out to just be herself.

Her cousin, someone else truly liked by the king, had to hide his identity, as well.   

 But, when he uncovered a deadly plan that had been made to murder the king; he knew he had to do something about it. 

So, he went to his cousin, Esther; and asked her to break the news to the king, who by now would respond to practically anything Esther told him.

In what probably seemed like a split second, Esther had to make a tough decision:

Did she take off the “mask” she'd been wearing in order to “save face” and not allow people to get to know and understand who she really was?   

Or, did she risk pulling off the mask that had been on for so long, and possibly be mocked, tortured, ostracized, or perhaps killed as a result of her action?

Esther chose the high road, which can at times be the most risk-filled road to take. 

She knew there were so many other people who were depending on her lone decision to help decide their own fate, so she bravely told the king of the plan that had been set to destroy him.

In doing so, Esther and her cousin were both promoted to even higher levels within the king’s court because of his gratitude about being loyal to the king.

But perhaps more importantly, through Esther's brave and true leadership she demonstrated to others who trusted her; that in order to rise to the level of their full potential in life they could and should expect to sometimes get out of their comfort zones, risk being unpopular, and pull off the masks they may have become comfortable wearing.

Celebrating Women’s History Month…pulling off our masked identities to reveal our true selves to the world!

Stephanie Evans
Professional SAHM

Stephanie Evans and her husband, Bill, live in New Jersey with their three daughters who are ages five, three, and one.  Stephanie has a B.S. degree in Music Education and taught Music for 11 years in the public school system.  She loves children and enjoyed being a teacher, but she loves being a SAHM even more!  Stephanie is a regular Contributing Writer for LifelineExtensions.blog.

Sharon M. Biggs, M.A., is a wife, mother, and 21st Century educational leader who serves as Co-Chair & President of Lifeline Foundation, Inc.  This 23-year educator is also Founder, Editor, and Chief Writer of LifelineExtensions.blog. 

View Sharon's other published works at http://www.examiner.com/.

Contact Sharon directly for more information: sharonbiggs@mylifelinefoundation.org

"Children are the globe's most precious commodity."
(Terence H. Biggs, Jr. ~ 2009)