My husband, Kevin, has been dressing our children for church for years. It’s not because he’s such a wonderful husband, although he is, yet I believe it’s because he doesn’t care for the way I dress them. Fine with me! This past Sunday, as he did his thing, I imagined myself completely removed from my family and yes; my family would get along just fine without me. Although my role in the home is vital, I am not so significant that I can’t be replaced and I do nothing so important that someone else can’t do. When I think about how the sun rises each morning, the shining stars and moon, the unseen blowing wind, and the changing seasons, who am I to think I’m so significant? My life is just a vapor soon to vanish away. How I use my vapor is what is significant!
As a mother, I often ask myself if I’m satisfied being ‘ just a mother’ or do I need another status and other stuff to define me? Do I feel I have so much to offer that I should be doing more than raising the children God put in my care? Do I value my family enough to spend time learning to manage, organize, and create a loving home environment? If I can learn to love being just a mother and genuinely love with the love of Jesus, I will have accomplished an immeasurable task. Children learn more from a mother’s actions than from anyone’s talk – our influence is inconceivable and we are unquestionably our child’s first teacher. Am I using my vanishing vapor to make a difference in my child’s life? In my home? Am I using my vapor to try to change the world or am I making a change in my little corner of the world? Am I using my vapor to bring God glory or am I bringing glory to myself? When my vapor vanishes, did I make an impact being just a mother?
James 4:14 (NKJV)
“…whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
Sour Milk
Although my two sons are home educated, they attend school once a week. I look forward to that day and having the house to myself for a few hours. Last week when I dropped the boys off, I could hardly wait to get home and enjoy my favorite breakfast, which is a bowl of Rice Krispies and a scrambled egg-white sandwich. Well, as I sat down to have my first spoonful of cereal, I noticed a smell from my bowl – the milk was sour. I continued smelling the milk hoping it wasn’t too sour to ruin my moment of pleasure. My mother called while I was evaluating the milk and I immediately regressed to a small child and whined and complained about my sour milk - I just wanted to enjoy a simple bowl of cereal. “Get some more,” she said. Sure, that would have been a simple fix, yet I had emptied the box of Rice Krispies and no other cereal would have satisfied my desire. I was frustrated, yet sat down with my cold egg sandwich and embarrassingly thanked the Lord for my meal. The Lord showed me how I almost let a little sour milk topped with my sour attitude ruin the day. He told me to look around and I was reminded of the many blessings surrounding me – a warm home (to enjoy alone), furniture to sit on, and pictures of my loving husband, children, and living parents. He went a little further and reminded me of my ability to prepare my own meal, the ability to smell the sour milk, and even the ability to inhale and exhale. I didn’t even want to eat after this experience, yet praised God for His grace and mercy on my selfish life. At that moment, it didn’t matter if I never received another blessing or taste another sip of milk; I had more than enough to praise God for the rest of my life! It’s funny how simple inconveniences and troubles of life can hide the many glorious blessings around us. This usually happens when we are full of self and take our eyes off Jesus. I thank God for my abundant blessings and my sour milk experience.
Phil 4:11 (NIV) I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
Phil 4:11 (NIV) I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
Check The Calendar!
Are you feeling irritable and just a little on edge? Check that calendar! One day we can be mild mannered and the next day we feel like crying because someone stepped on our toe. Hormones can take a toll on a woman’s mind and before you know it, we’re out of control and can SNAP! I felt a little edgy this morning and just didn’t want to be bothered, so I checked the calendar and sure enough…I’m a week away from the wonderful visit of The Curse! I know, I know…it’s not a curse and should be considered a beautiful thing, yet I don’t feel so beautiful during that time (smile). I decided to exercise a little and I immediately felt better. I drank my soy drink and that helped a lot also. Sometimes, if we take care of ourselves a little better, we don’t have to deal with that other person within us that enjoys creeping up when we least expect!
Labor In Love
How I would love to go into the kitchen sometimes and prepare myself a meal without having to consider others in the family. Mothers don’t ask for much – we just want to enjoy a simple snack alone every now and then. Our family depends on us like we depend on Jesus and our mission is to serve. As we labor in love for our family, we have to remember all our acts of kindness, sacrifice, and serving are for Christ’s sake. Although it would be wonderful to cash in reward points for our everyday deeds, we are not here for personal gain and recognition - we were created by Jesus for Jesus. I pray to develop a strong spirit of humility and self-denial in order to erase the common question, “What about me?” God has placed the woman in the most demanding role of all times – to keep the world in order as we stand by our men and raise up our children. A woman is one of God’s most precious and invaluable possessions and surely He will take care of us – He promised! As we often wonder if anyone notices or thinks about our heavy burden, we have to remember Jesus is The Burden Bearer. He is fully aware of what we do on a daily basis and He knows our particular situation. Self pity and stubbornness blinds our blessings and Satan enjoys this. Yes, nurturing a family is a challenging charge for us, yet our family is a blessing not a burden. God reminds us daily that He loves us and He promised to never leave us as we continue to labor in His love!
No Breaks Allowed!
As I prepare to speak at an upcoming Women’s Retreat on the topic of marriage, Satan is revealing a side of himself I’ve never seen before. He is always on his job and I’ve had to be on my job, plus work overtime - in prayer, praise, and fasting. I’ve been exhausted with the enemy’s trifling tricks to cause confusion in my marriage and attempts to take my mind off Jesus. The more my husband and I strive to live our lives for The Lord and glorify Him in our marriage, the more time the enemy spends at the drawing board trying to come up with a more clever plan than the last to cause division in our home. It amazes me how a carefree conversation can turn sour in a matter of seconds. What happened? Did I say something? Did I miss something? My goodness, can I take a break from the battle? No! There is absolutely no time for taking breaks. I must always keep my mind on Jesus, maintain a praying spirit, and continually praise God regardless of the situation. Taking a break is a breakthrough for the enemy!
My husband and I have been led to lead the Couples Ministry at our church, which means the battle gets bigger; yet praise God it’s already won! God has prepared us for battle and we are more than conquerors. All that we have gone through and will go through is God’s perfect plan for our marriage and for His glory – it’s not about us. We are together today because of God’s grace and mercy – not because we are such a strong couple, yet we must be strong in the Lord! Yes, I get tired sometimes and wonder if the constant matrimony battles are worth it, yet if the suffering Jesus endured for me was worth it, so are my light afflictions for Him. My job in these endless battles is to diligently pray and praise God from the sidelines, remain Christ-controlled in my thoughts and actions, and share His awesome power with others as it is repeatedly revealed to me.
Psalm 34:1 (NKJV)
I will bless the Lord at all times and His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My husband and I have been led to lead the Couples Ministry at our church, which means the battle gets bigger; yet praise God it’s already won! God has prepared us for battle and we are more than conquerors. All that we have gone through and will go through is God’s perfect plan for our marriage and for His glory – it’s not about us. We are together today because of God’s grace and mercy – not because we are such a strong couple, yet we must be strong in the Lord! Yes, I get tired sometimes and wonder if the constant matrimony battles are worth it, yet if the suffering Jesus endured for me was worth it, so are my light afflictions for Him. My job in these endless battles is to diligently pray and praise God from the sidelines, remain Christ-controlled in my thoughts and actions, and share His awesome power with others as it is repeatedly revealed to me.
Psalm 34:1 (NKJV)
I will bless the Lord at all times and His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Take A Break
Have you stopped to catch your breath lately? The mad rush of the holidays is over and homes are finally getting back to normal – sometimes it takes a while. We have a tendency to push our bodies to the limit without realizing the toll it’s taking on us. We usually don’t realize what is going on within our bodies until we notice the physical results of fatigue, stress, and busyness. Stop for a minute (a whole minute) and exhale! One minute of quietness can make a difference in your entire day. Stop, relax, and renew your mind. Be good to your body because it sure has been good to you!
Spare The Rod
My husband and I have been blessed with well-behaved children. We receive compliments everywhere we go on their conduct and we’re quick to give God glory because we know they are who they are by the grace of God. We are well aware they act differently when we’re not around, yet we’ll take whatever compliments we can get! It’s been a while since either of our sons has been ‘touched’ in regards to discipline. Taking away privileges and other forms of punishment has sufficed, yet recently we’ve noticed our eleven year old being a little more forgetful than usual and covering up his mishaps. I guess this is called deceit huh? No mother likes to attach a negative word to her child, yet I must call it what it is. My husband and I had a long discussion about our son and as difficult as it was for both of us to “touch” our child after so long, we knew there was nothing else to discuss. It hurt me and it hurt my husband more because he delivered the pain, yet it would hurt our son more if we were not obedient to the Word of God in regards to disciplining our child – the situation needed to be addressed and our son needed to be “touched.” Our obedience to God’s Word and the lack of is a cost to others – not only in the home, yet outside the home as well. As our son quickly approaches the demanding teenage years and then adulthood, there is no room for disobedience on our part. I must obey God and raise my child in the admonition of the Lord without compromise, thought, or discussion. Parents have one shot at raising a child and the blueprint, The Word, is not up for discussion. The following morning, my sweet eleven year old gave me a big hug as he does every morning with his sweet morning smile. The pain of punishment lasts a short while, yet the results are for a lifetime.
Proverbs 13:24
He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)