The chapter we are on last week, and this coming week in our ladies bible class is called, "Managing your Home." She is talking about how we need to make our home a "heaven on earth" for our families and has some ideas on how to do that.
The part that really stood out to me this week was a section where she said, "..the wise woman builds her house. Its her assignment..and she willingly takes on the challenge, with passion and purpose."
She is, of course, referencing that woman of Proverbs 31 and the wise woman that Solomon refers to through Proverbs when advising his son on the type of woman to seek out. This woman (who I am conivinced is just ALL of his wives rolled into one..cant be that hard to be perfect when theres 1000s of you to work on it. ha!) challenges us from 1000's of years ago to be more, push harder. We have compared ourselves to her since he mentioned her ..woman are so competitive!
But, I digress.
That quote really hammers home something I have really been pondering ..that is, what is my purpose? And, is my purpose different than every other moms'? Or, as moms and wives do we share that common bond?
I think we do.
I believe, and am now convinced thoroughly, that it is my and every woman who has a home and family that our purpose IS that home and family.
Our homes are to be little Christian factories. We are the foremen, the training officers, the medical team, the floor managers. We are all important to this system of turning out more and more little worker bees for the Lord's kingdom.
Does this mean that we arent to have any activities out of the home? Nope ..how else would they learn to serve the church, keep a moral compass in the "real world", serve the poor, share the Good News with strangers, be a light in a dark world, be kind to those who are not kind, etc.
We are simply make our homes and the little people (and one other big person) our JOB. Its about making them the first priority, and everything else falls behind and answers to.
OH, and realize that its about something bigger than you.
That is the key. Because, being a mom is not fair. Really.
I have had a day like that this week. When I am faced with a full-frontal attack from Satan where he shows me so clearly how its not fair that I am responsible for EVERYONE in this house. Not only their clothes, food, hygiene, schedules, health ..but also their moral and spiritual development.
Its not fair that I have to think about all of them before me, or that I cant even go potty without considering how it will effect them first.
Its not fair that I cant eat dinner, or even make a plate until all have been fed and filled.
Its not fair that I am responsible for cooking, cleaning, planning, budgeting, managing ...for all of them.
But, its my job. Its my purpose. And, its not about me. Its about God's big picture.
And, my doing my job well, with passion and purpose of a person filled with the understanding that this is a HUGE part of God's plan - is all important.
This little Christian factory is only one in generations of Christian factories. And we will be turning out Christians for generations to come...if I do my job right.
So, when you are considering your stress. First consider your purpose.
Put it into perspective - you are part of a whole. A HUGE part of a whole. Your role is all-important.
No complaining, whining, bitterness ..just accepting. Its not fair - but its the way it is.
God has given us a wonderfully huge responsibility, one we accepted the day we committed our lives to God, and then made a family to go with that commitment.
So, lets do our jobs well. Lost souls depend on it. Once you accept that, some of your stress will go away. I promise.
I completely agree with the idea of putting things in perspective. That's one of my tools I guess. (or at least I like to think it's one of the tools I use.) I always try to look at either a) the other person's perspective, b) scriptural examples, and/or c) remind myself of things like "if a real crisis hit, what would actually be important at this point?" Anyway, I feel like I can let a lot of unecessary things go if I just remind myself to look at the big picture, and remember our purpose. That way, whether or not you're a mommy, a career woman, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend, or all of those things at the same time, you're still managing your world and working on doing God's will. Of course it's a lot easier said (or written about) than done, but that's where I feel encouragement for our sisters comes into play. And how I depend on that!
ReplyDeleteOh my, thank you for saying it!! I've recently been thinking about the "not fair" part of being a mama, but I hadn't figured out my thoughts yet to realize that it's "not fair". I hope that with God's grace and strength, I can roll with the punches instead of letting them roll over me. I am so glad I found your blog. Each post I read I get another "Yes!!" "A-Ha!!!" or... "ouch, that's me." Bless you!
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