Where do I fit in?

I was out at dinner last night with some of my husband's co-workers and one man turned to me and said "So, what do you do?" My mind immediately went to something my friend Hillary asked a group of working-turned-stay-at-home-moms a few years ago: When people ask you what you do, how many of you start your answer with "Well, I used to ... "? That question has always resonated with me, so in that split second I made the conscious decision to proudly say, "I get to stay home with my kids right now." Well, his reply was "Oh, that's a really good thing ..." {silence} Well, thankfully, for the benefit of the conversation-hungry people at the table, my husband volunteered the "she used to be a teacher part", and we all joined in a lively conversation about the educational system in this country.

Hey, I tried, right?!

Isn't it strange how we can spend our time doing such important things as making lunches, teaching sunday school, or helping our kids with their homework, and still feel like we aren't doing something note-worthy?! I can tell that God is working with me on this, because it's been coming up a lot lately.  Simply put, I'm adjusting to the new life God has given me.  My "up-front, in-charge, teacher, worship leader" personality is having to get used to doing some of the behind-the-scenes, neccessary, repetitive tasks that are important and need to be done.  

A few weeks ago, I came across this story in I Samuel, and I was immediately struck by the last verse.  I didn't know why at the time, but now I do!  (my paraphrase) ... David and the six hundred men with him came to a ravine, where some stayed behind, for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross.  Therefore, David and the four hundred men continued the pursuit, defeated the Amalekites, and brought back all of their possessions.  Immediately, some of the men who had gone to battle with David said "Because the two hundred men did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered."  But David responded by saying "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given to us.  The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to battle.  All will share alike." (I Samuel 30: 9-25)

Isn't that a wonderful picture of how God views us?  We are all part of the body of Christ, whether we are are the hand or the foot, the beautiful eyes or the stubby big toe, and we are all important!  In this beautiful life that we live, there are exciting jobs and mundane jobs.  There are famous writers and those that do their editing.  There are ministry leaders and those that clean up after everyone leaves.  If you find yourself feeling like what you do is unimportant, remember that what we do, we do for the Lord and not for men, and the Lord promises that we will all share in His glorious reward!

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And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.  (Colossians 3:23-24)

Renewing our strength

I've been feeling a little weary today, in mind and body, and I've realized I have the tendency to look to other people to lift my spirits.  Yes, there are times I just reach for a cup of coffee or dream about taking a nap, but more often than not, I look to someone else to give me a bit of sympathy.  We all know, though, that when we're spending our day with children (or even co-workers), sympathy can be hard to come by!  What we can't forget is that we have a loving, heavenly Father with open ears and open arms, waiting patiently for us to run to Him!

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Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

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The Lord is our Comfort.  In these verses, He meets us right where we are, and gently reassures us by saying even youths grow tired and weary.  He knows exactly how we are feeling!  God's blessing, though, is that He gives us so much more than sympathy ... He gives us hope.  When we place our eyes on the Lord, and not on our circumstances, we will find strength.  We will soar on wings like eagles, we will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not grow faint!  We can take comfort in the fact that God, our Father, understands us and wants to lift us up!

If you have a special verse that ministers to you when you're feeling weary, please share it with us!

The confidence of David

I read about David and Goliah this morning, and I am blown away by the confidence of this young man!  As Goliath makes his threats to Saul's army, the soldiers around him tremble and begin to run, but David stands firm and boldly responds: ... who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? (I Samuel 17:26)  It is as if he is saying "Who has the right to threaten my God?  Don't you know who He is?" 

When God calls us to action, do the doubts of others cause us to question our own convictions?  When the world around us buckles under the pressure of compromise, do we stand firm?  When others disagree with the tough decisions we make on behalf of our families, do we keep silent or do we boldly use the opportunity to share our faith with them? 

Even as believers, we may be like the rest of the army and run from time to time.  But through prayer and time in the Word, we can rebuild our confidence and refocus our minds on our all-powerful, all-knowing Father who has our lives and the lives of our children securely in His hands! 

In 2 Timothy, Paul says, "... I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." (2 Timothy 1:12)  I love that!  FOR I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED!!!  When the Lord calls us to act, let us all stand firm as David did, knowing without a doubt that our confidence is found in Him!

A sacrifice of time

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

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Sacrifice. God loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son on the cross for us. Jesus sacrificed His own flesh so that we might live in eternity with Him.  We know we are supposed to love others as Christ loves us, but how do we apply this sacrificial love to those around us, particularly our children?

For me, I have to be willing to sacrifice my time. My personal, this-is-what-I-want-to-do time. What is it that you want to do? In reality, the “what” doesn’t matter so much, it’s the desire that goes along with it. My desire, my plan, my expectation for how my day is going to go. (Notice all the “my” statements!)

I came face to face with this today when my daughter came out of her room early during naptime. I was happily doing what I wanted to do, and instead she wanted me to color with her. My first response was … ok babe, why don’t you bring your paper over here and color next to me? (While I keep working on this.) Thankfully, she wasn’t content with that answer, and I quickly realized that this was one of those moments. A chance for me to offer up my time, my own fleshly desires, as a sacrifice to the Lord … and as a blessing to my daughter.

You can probably guess what happened!  God totally blessed our time together. While my other children were sleeping, we colored together, side by side, and she loved it. It’s something that I’m realizing is very important to my daughter, and I am so thankful to the Lord for giving me the chance to spend that special time with her today!

Do you struggle with sacrifice?
In what ways have you been able to show sacrificial love for your family lately?

My Prayer

God has blessed me with many wonderful friends that I look up to and enjoy spending time with. But, like many of you, time is the one thing I don't seem to have a lot of! As a mom, life can get busy, and even when it's not, I try my best to protect those few days we have each week to simply enjoy being at home!

If I could, I would invite each of you to my house so we could sit around the kitchen table and visit. We'd laugh about the funny things our children have said and share stories of what God is doing in our lives. We'd talk about what's been working lately, maybe share a few recipes, and we'd pray together.

Motherhood is an exciting adventure filled with rewards, but our desire to be present for our children can sometimes leave us longing for fellowship. So if you find yourself needing to be refreshed, inspired or simply reminded of the good work you are already doing, it is my prayer that you would come find us here ... and be encouraged!

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Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)