First Five Challenge

As mothers we are nurturers, encouragers and supporters.  We also manage to be a chauffeur, maid, chef, referee etc. but have you ever considered that being a mom is a ministry?  I believe God has put me right where I need to be.  He has entrusted me with four girls and expects me to raise them in love and faith.  Being a Mom makes us disciple makers.  We are made in the image of God.  He has blessed us with children and asked us to fix His commands in our heart and minds: teach them to our children, talk about them when we sit at home or walk down the street, when we lie down and when we get up.  As we make these disciples, God sees and is by our side cheering us on!

Proverbs 14:1 states "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."  How can we build our home with God as our foundation.  We can pray, worship, and do devotions together.  We can read the bible, serve one another and remind others God is there for us.  I  have enrolled my children in a Lutheran School, attend church weekly and get involved in our church community, but still feel I can do more.   I believe we can tear down just as easy as building up and at times without even realizing it by breaking commandments or not leading well by setting good examples.  How about when my kids do something nice, like the dishes, or display very polite behavior? What I should do is praise them for it, but I have caught myself stating, " I wish you would do that more often or why don't you do that at home."

Raising four girls is challenging, ok who am I kidding, it is difficult, I could never do it on my own.  I admit I have a loving, compassionate, hard working husband which helps, but I have the Lord by my side day in and day out.  I have recently been challenged to include Him in the first five minutes of my day.  Not realizing it, I had my alarm set to my favorite song, You are My King (Amazing Love) by the Newsboys, but I wanted more.  Next a friend suggested I put a flip calendar in my bathroom, so when I brush my teeth I read a little devotion with bible verse. Then on the way to school we read and discuss a devotion.  Finally, to keep God in my day I try and keep Christian radio on in the car, where we spend most of our time.  Putting God first helps everything fall into place.

If you have any suggestions on how to start your day with Jesus please leave comments.  I encourage you to take on our challenge!

Resigned

Do you ever get tired of life? Maybe the word life is too broad... do you ever get tired of facing the same issues over and over again? As a wife and mom of three, I find myself doing and saying the same things. On occasion, I also find myself starting to feel sorry for myself.  While going down this road a few weeks ago, the idea popped into my head that I was going to write my family a resignation letter.  I was going to officially resign from being the "scape goat".  I'm sure you've been there, everyone needs you to help them keep it all together, you do your best only to end up being blamed for whatever was missing or went wrong that day.  I was going to officially resign from being the "referee" of the many petty arguments between my kids.  I was going to officially resign from "search and rescue" and wasting countless minutes looking for the missing sock that was thrown into the back corner of the closet or kicked under the bed.  I was going to officially resign from the "complaint department".  I am tired of telling them how blessed they are when they can't see past wanting the latest gadget. I could go on but I'm sure you get my point :) 

Well, I actually sat down to write this letter recently, but the first thing I did was to get the dictionary definition of the word resign.

Resign, resigned, resignation:

To give up an office or position.

To accept that something undesirable cannot be avoided.

Be submissive or humbly obedient.

Yield. 

To submit passively (without resistence).

To relinquish a right or claim.

An accepting, unresisting attitude.

The first definition was exactly what I was looking for, but when I read the rest, I was humbled.  Isn't that exactly what we talk about in Bible study? That God wants us to be submissive, humbly obedient to Him and His calling for our lives?  My family is part of my calling, not to be a doormat, but to be Jesus to them.  No they aren't perfect, but neither am I.  Jesus loves us, and while we were still sinners, gave His life for us so that we could live that "ideal" life with Him in heaven.  I'm glad that Jesus resigned - He gave up His position in heaven to be human, to humbly take our sin upon Himself, to submit passively to His death on the cross, with an accepting attitude that He was doing God's will.

My resignation letter will read a little bit differently than I originally anticipated.  I will pray that God helps me give up my selfish nature, that He helps remind me daily that we are all sinful and accept that sometimes undesirable things cannot be avoided, and finally that He gives me an accepting and unresisting attitude to His calling.

This also proves that God will speak to us even through a Webster's Dictionary!

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24