Episode Summary: Christy, her two kids, her mom, and (occasionally) Luke spend time in the motel, dealing with their near-miss eviction. Christy's dad refuses to help get them out of the jam, the motel blows up in a meth lab raid (forcing them to move in with Marjorie), Christy's attempts at increasing her tips fail, and Violet calls Christy a failure (and they fight). Oh, yeah, and (**Spoiler Alert**) Jill falls off the wagon and Violet moves out.
Looking at the IMDb Message Boards for "Mom", I saw a recurring opinion: the issues that this show addresses (addiction, teen pregnancy, poverty) are too serious for a comedy show; observing how one family deals with all of this through the lens of a sitcom is irreverent and inappropriate.
I don't know that I agree with that. Do I think that the way in which the family deals with all of their issues are in line with the Bible? No. But they're not claiming to be followers of Christ, so why would I expect that of them? (1 Corinthians 2:14)
Therefore, I am not holding up the show as a paragon of morality, but I am holding up the show as an example of, when we dig deeper, a sitcom with value. The show's willingness to tackle the hard issues allows us to also wrestle with those same issues.
Think on this: if you had a neighbor (in the Biblical sense of the term) who was struggling with one or more of these issues, how would you use that opportunity to share Christ's message? People around us are struggling with raising kids, making ends meet, and dealing with the consequences of their choices, and they need our message of hope and peace, not judgment.
Think on this: in the same way as the characters in the show, we are probably dealing with some (or all) of these same things... or we have other issues we're dealing with. Are we willing to be vulnerable and share our struggles too, in order that we can be encouraged and held accountable by our brothers and sisters in Christ?
Think on this: in the same way as the characters in the show, we are probably dealing with some (or all) of these same things... or we have other issues we're dealing with. Are we willing to be vulnerable and share our struggles too, in order that we can be encouraged and held accountable by our brothers and sisters in Christ?
My take-away from this show is not judgment. "Mom" serves as a call for me to look for meaningful ways to share God's love with the hurting around me. "Mom" encourages me to be honest about my own humanity as I seek to stop resting in my own strength and rely fully on God, as I seek to grow in Christ-likeness.
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