Although I have written this post in the context of motherhood, it truly can apply to anyone!
I still have so many thoughts swirling around in my mind from the conference, and I have been trying to put it all into practice as well! I have to remind myself - a little at a time. No one ever changed the world overnight, but I would sure love to! :) I thought that today I would share a few things that stood out from all the rest. One of the biggest differences I have found in Sally has been her emphasis of her quiet time. I have always heard so many moms talk about how having babies and preschoolers is such a physically exhausting time (AMEN!) and how during this season of life we may not have time for long quiet talks with God or for saturating our lives with His Word. Because of this, I have always felt that I should long for those quiet times, but a quick read and prayer off and on throughout my day is fine too. Sally, however, emphasizes that we as moms cannot live a holy, set apart, noble life if we do not have a close and intimate relationship with the One who is holy. As Sally reminded us life is not perfect - it never has been, and it never will be. I need to stop waiting for my life to slow down, and instead, I need to make my relationship with Christ my priority. If I do not do this, how can I expect my children to? Do I always manage to have a wonderful, uninterrupted quiet time. Not always. But by dying to myself and my own selfish desires, I have begun to make more time for DAILY quiet times. Now, before anyone accuses me of being a legalist (because we do fling that word around quite a bit, don't we?), let me say, I do not believe that this is something I must do in order to prove I am saved; nor do I believe that if I miss a day, I need to beat myself over the head about it all day. I do believe, though, that the best gift I can give my children is to have a real, living, wholehearted, want Jesus more than anything relationship, and that takes TIME! "If you're not engaging your heart with God, you are dying."
The second big thought that stood out to me during this conference was that God made women for each other - to encourage each other and to teach each other. We women have become enemies to one another in an effort to outdo the other or to look better than the other. We need to put aside our pride, and ask God to help us accept the wisdom other women have to offer while also reaching out to encourage them. Sally pointed out how the midwives banded together to help protect the Hebrew boys from the cruel Pharoah. God blessed them for that! She reminded us of Ruth and Naomi and how God used Ruth who was considered to be "out of the circle" to encourage and lift up Naomi at one of her lowest times of life. Even though Ruth was not who we would have chosen for this job, God chose her because she had a heart that longed for Him. The relationship that Mary and Elisabeth had enabled Mary to walk through what was probably an emotionally difficult and lonely pregnancy. Lois and Eunice appear to be the primary faith builders in the life of Timothy, and from the little God gives us in Scripture, we can assume that they accomplished this task together - helping one another and supporting each other. "When women walk together with God, history is changed."
The last thought that I heard Sally repeat several times was that we are in a spiritual warfare. (You can see another post on spiritual warfare here.) As Christians, we many times forget that we are walking in a world of darkness - a world that longs to snatch our children from us. We cannot forget that the family is Satan's biggest enemy. If he can cause the fathers to quit leading, the mothers to quit caring, and the children to quit listening, then he has conquered. Christians have been so consumed by the world that we do not even realize how much worldly philosophy we carry with us! The most important question is not "What will my child be when he grows up?"! It is, "Who will my child live for when he grows up?" We must fight for our children's hearts, and it is a hard fight! BUT, with God, all things are possible, and we can win the victory through His strength!
God made women for a purpose, and sadly, our generation of women have forgotten, or possibly never even knew, what that purpose was. If you will live your life God's way - whether you are a mom or not - you will find purpose and beauty and rest. No other way will do. Seek God with your whole heart, place Him first in everything, center your entire life around Him - every decision, every thought, every action - and then you will find that all your emptiness and expectations will be filled.
Wishing you a day full of blessings,
Christy
No comments:
Post a Comment