Mothering is a beautiful topic that I find very interesting to read, hear and think about. When it comes to parenting children the world has a lot to say to us. The time and place where we live, our culture, tends to shape the way we think and how we approach motherhood. It is hard to escape this, but we must! Because we must understand and act upon the way God views children and mothering. God's word is clear on the subject; therefore we must become students of the word.
It is clear that God wants us to love our children tenderly and truly enjoy being moms. By loving, or enjoying our children we honor the word of God, we are glorifying Him.
In thinking about this I began to wonder why it seems hard to sustain this joy, this love. This is my feeble attempt at zeroing in on a few of the major joy killers in the life of a mommy and then how to fight for the joy God intended.
It seems to me in my life anyway that there are 4 biggies:
1. We do not meditate deeply on the love of God.
2. We allow our culture to give us our view of children rather than the word of God.
3. We neglect to raise them for God His way.
4. Pride.
For more go here.
Contest reminder
Showing posts with label This Age. Show all posts
Showing posts with label This Age. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Sins of a Father
So the other day I was reading in 1 Samuel 30 and 31 about Saul & Jonathon, as well as David & the worthless men that hung around him. As I was reading about Saul and the end which he came to, it caused me to pause and meditate on how the choices we make really do have great effect on those around us, particularly our children. How sad it is to see Jonathon, who by all appearances was a godly man, die because of his father's sinful choices. In contrast though, I can also see how our choices for good pleasantly affect those around us. David is a man who is humble and seeks God. As a result, he is blessed by God and the Bible says that even the worthless men who followed him were blessed as well (at least temporarily while they were with David) (Chapter 30 of 1 Sam).
I wondered to myself: Why would God allow the actions of the proverbial righteous man and proverbial wicked man to affect so greatly those around them? Various thoughts proceeded from this.
Maybe the answer is to build into people an understanding of community, how we need others and they need us. Ultimately, being created in the image of God, who is three in one, and relating to Him perfectly and continually, perhaps we are made to reflect that through our relationships on earth and fail miserably because of the fall. That is, in our selfishness we want to be free to sin with impunity and very little consequences (or no consequences). In our pride we want to live a happy life without the influence of others and as a "lone wolf". But maybe God made this principle of our sin/obedience affecting others, because He wants us to see our need of Him and our need to work alongside the body of God-followers for the good of all and God's glory.
In my limited view of the story of Saul & Jonathon, I may look at a situation like theirs where a son (and entire lineage) suffers because of the sins of Saul their father, and focus on the kids, thus saying "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" However, if I take a few steps back, I may see that the point isn't the suffering kids. The bigger issue is that God is showing us the seriousness of our sin and causing it to adversely affect those around us so we'll see that we're a part of a body. Everyone is a part of some kind of body: As a Christian I'm a part of the body of my husband (Ryan), then of the Ryan Aldrich family (my kids), then of the greater Aldrich family, then of the local church body at TBC, then the greater universal church body and ultimately all of mankind. All of which I affect either for good or evil by either submitting to God or rebelling against Him. Even an unbeliever is at the very least a part of the greater body of mankind and his rejection of and rebellion to God affects mankind.
So then my thoughts go to our American society... which has endeavored to change this God ordained truth/principle of cause & effect. For example, if a father won't work, we'll feed his kids so they won't starve because of their father's laziness. As such, many men don't feel the need to get a job they can stay at home and get welfare and food stamps and energy assistance and even rent assistance. They can even get tax relief and nice sized tax returns for money they could have earned, though they didn't work (and as such didn't pay taxes) because they have lots of kids that they aren't able to support. That's just one of many examples that come to mind. I am sure that our government is (or was when they enacted so many of it's laws) trying to show compassion to the "underdog" and be helpful. But it seems that we have taken our eyes off the ball and so removed the consequences of sin, that we are in reality encouraging sin. I can also see a distinct lack of trust in God in so many of our laws and programs that seek to rescue the "underdog" by relieving the consequences of the person practicing the wickedness (not that I expect our government or society to trust God). Certainly Jonathon suffered because of Saul's sinful choices, but he had the same opportunity to either submit to God or rebel against God (even in his suffering). He chose (seemingly) to submit and though he suffered temporarily and even died in the process, ultimately (I believe) he was rewarded eternally; which is much to be preferred.
Mind you, I am not "preaching" government reform necessarily (I too have benefited in lean times from many of the helpful programs our government offers and understand that nothing is perfect), but I am trying to see beyond the immediate story of Jonathon & Saul & David, to the ways of God and it's effects and application in our daily lives, this age and our perception of things. I hope to see and understand God more as I read His word and these are my thoughts for the day from this particular passage.
I wondered to myself: Why would God allow the actions of the proverbial righteous man and proverbial wicked man to affect so greatly those around them? Various thoughts proceeded from this.
Maybe the answer is to build into people an understanding of community, how we need others and they need us. Ultimately, being created in the image of God, who is three in one, and relating to Him perfectly and continually, perhaps we are made to reflect that through our relationships on earth and fail miserably because of the fall. That is, in our selfishness we want to be free to sin with impunity and very little consequences (or no consequences). In our pride we want to live a happy life without the influence of others and as a "lone wolf". But maybe God made this principle of our sin/obedience affecting others, because He wants us to see our need of Him and our need to work alongside the body of God-followers for the good of all and God's glory.
In my limited view of the story of Saul & Jonathon, I may look at a situation like theirs where a son (and entire lineage) suffers because of the sins of Saul their father, and focus on the kids, thus saying "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" However, if I take a few steps back, I may see that the point isn't the suffering kids. The bigger issue is that God is showing us the seriousness of our sin and causing it to adversely affect those around us so we'll see that we're a part of a body. Everyone is a part of some kind of body: As a Christian I'm a part of the body of my husband (Ryan), then of the Ryan Aldrich family (my kids), then of the greater Aldrich family, then of the local church body at TBC, then the greater universal church body and ultimately all of mankind. All of which I affect either for good or evil by either submitting to God or rebelling against Him. Even an unbeliever is at the very least a part of the greater body of mankind and his rejection of and rebellion to God affects mankind.
So then my thoughts go to our American society... which has endeavored to change this God ordained truth/principle of cause & effect. For example, if a father won't work, we'll feed his kids so they won't starve because of their father's laziness. As such, many men don't feel the need to get a job they can stay at home and get welfare and food stamps and energy assistance and even rent assistance. They can even get tax relief and nice sized tax returns for money they could have earned, though they didn't work (and as such didn't pay taxes) because they have lots of kids that they aren't able to support. That's just one of many examples that come to mind. I am sure that our government is (or was when they enacted so many of it's laws) trying to show compassion to the "underdog" and be helpful. But it seems that we have taken our eyes off the ball and so removed the consequences of sin, that we are in reality encouraging sin. I can also see a distinct lack of trust in God in so many of our laws and programs that seek to rescue the "underdog" by relieving the consequences of the person practicing the wickedness (not that I expect our government or society to trust God). Certainly Jonathon suffered because of Saul's sinful choices, but he had the same opportunity to either submit to God or rebel against God (even in his suffering). He chose (seemingly) to submit and though he suffered temporarily and even died in the process, ultimately (I believe) he was rewarded eternally; which is much to be preferred.
Mind you, I am not "preaching" government reform necessarily (I too have benefited in lean times from many of the helpful programs our government offers and understand that nothing is perfect), but I am trying to see beyond the immediate story of Jonathon & Saul & David, to the ways of God and it's effects and application in our daily lives, this age and our perception of things. I hope to see and understand God more as I read His word and these are my thoughts for the day from this particular passage.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Remember Them In Prayer
I remember thinking when I was a little girl that I would like to grow up to be a missionary. Although I am not completely convinced that this is not the Lord's plan for me, I do know that it is not His plan for me now. However, as we are continually reminded at Temple, there are two kinds of Christians: those who are missionaries and those who send missionaries.
Many women are moms who bring little or no actual income into their households. Others, like myself, have a small income and are only able to give to missions from this amount. If you are like me, often times you have felt like you wish you could do more for the people who devote their lives to spreading the Good News of salvation to the world. Let me encourage you through the reminder that prayer is a powerful tool.
I may not be able to get on a plane tomorrow and fly to Cameroon to share Christ with unbelievers, but I can actively lift up in prayer those who have. I may not be able to give large sums of money to believers working in Myanmar, but I can richly bless them through my continuous prayers. Psalm 6:9 "The LORD has heard my supplication, the LORD receives my prayer."
With this in mind, please be in prayer this week for the people in Burma. They are now estimating that the deaths from the cyclone earlier this month are close to 100,000. This number will go much higher if survivors are not able to receive adequate and timely prayer.
Also, keep in mind the people of Myanmar, who are still receiving little aid. Government officials are refusing any foreign aid to come to the survivors of the cyclone and these deaths are now estimated to be over 28,000.
Keep these people's physical needs in your prayers along with their spiritual needs. Pray for believers who are present, that they would be bright lights amid all the darkness and that the Lord would use them powerfully to spread the gospel.
Many women are moms who bring little or no actual income into their households. Others, like myself, have a small income and are only able to give to missions from this amount. If you are like me, often times you have felt like you wish you could do more for the people who devote their lives to spreading the Good News of salvation to the world. Let me encourage you through the reminder that prayer is a powerful tool.
I may not be able to get on a plane tomorrow and fly to Cameroon to share Christ with unbelievers, but I can actively lift up in prayer those who have. I may not be able to give large sums of money to believers working in Myanmar, but I can richly bless them through my continuous prayers. Psalm 6:9 "The LORD has heard my supplication, the LORD receives my prayer."
With this in mind, please be in prayer this week for the people in Burma. They are now estimating that the deaths from the cyclone earlier this month are close to 100,000. This number will go much higher if survivors are not able to receive adequate and timely prayer.
Also, keep in mind the people of Myanmar, who are still receiving little aid. Government officials are refusing any foreign aid to come to the survivors of the cyclone and these deaths are now estimated to be over 28,000.
Keep these people's physical needs in your prayers along with their spiritual needs. Pray for believers who are present, that they would be bright lights amid all the darkness and that the Lord would use them powerfully to spread the gospel.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
This Age
In But not Of
The fact that you’re reading this blog and I wrote it for you to read, shows the times and age we live in. It is a stretch for me to be doing this, this is a girl that only until recently began to venture into the blog hemisphere. The extent of my internet surfing encompassed sending e-mails, paying bills, checking out the news, and balancing my bank account. I feel we’re living in the Hellenization (spread of the Greek language, culture, and religion throughout the Middle East and Central Asia.) The spreading of the gospel was made possible across the region because they all spoke the same language. Our common language, in this case, is of course the internet. It is amazing to me how we can use this avenue to reach out literally to people from all over the place, if God is willing. As Christians we are called to live in this world, and not be of this world. The internet has been used, as we all know, in more evil ways than we can imagine, but using it to glorify God and exhorting others to do so, is a privilege I’m blessed to be part of. So I decided to come out of my cave and expand my idea of serving and spreading the gospel.
In the section of our blog called “THIS AGE” you shall see issues of life that this world throws at us or Satan uses to rob the joy and sufficiency in Christ that we feel. We hope to challenge you as well as ourselves in the many areas that pertain to our everyday life which could really include anything from the clothes we wear, to the things we eat, the movies we watch (or not), the music we listen to, and of course the people we vote for to lead this country…
To give a token of what we’re talking about and keeping with the Mother’s motif, I found this thought provoking article in the Kenosha News (April 29, 2008). It was entitled "Sacrifice: An American Virtue on Rebound". While the article argued that Americans are sacrificing more, though they don’t recognize it as that, our government and leaders keep avoiding asking people to sacrifice more. Nevertheless, government data shows that people are volunteering at historical rates and that whether we’re asked to …”join the military, feed the poor, conserve energy…", the next president is likely to find the most receptive audience since John F Kennedy’s “ask not” address…”. He goes on to quote people about what they think of the sacrifices they’ve made; one says “I think there’s something in each of us which wants to make things better for other people….I get more out of this than what I give—by a longshot.” That sums up the article, it starts with man and it ends with man—no thought of God and that is how the world works.
What in the world does this have to do with Moms you may ask yourself? Motherhood comes with a great deal of sacrifice. Physical sacrifices are the name of the game, just ask a new mom. Our bodies change never to be the same again, sleeping eight hours straight is a thing of the past, and the list goes on. But more than that, moms (myself included) are far too often, willing to sacrifice truth for a lie. In I Samuel 15:22, God tells us what He thinks about sacrifices “…to obey is better than sacrifice..”. Too often, we buy into the lies of this world that define what we should be doing, for the sake of gratifying ourselves. It may be a shopping spree, a makeover, or giving all our time and energy to our jobs, when our time should be spent at home caring, teaching, and correcting our children. While I was writing this piece, I had a deadline and was trying to meet it, but this time my kids kept needing me to break up “selfish fights”, refill their sippy cups yet again, and to make things worse; my littlest got behind the computer desk and turned off the computer. Yeah, I lost most of my article. I disciplined him, but then I realized that my job was to care for these guys first and if God wanted me to do this blog, He would have to provide a way for me to do it. And He did.
There are a million ways we can sacrifice our God given role and responsibilities in the name of a “good cause”, but as I was reminded: to obey is far more honoring to God than to make sacrifices…. Let me ask you Moms, what sacrifices are you making today that are keeping you from obeying God first?
The fact that you’re reading this blog and I wrote it for you to read, shows the times and age we live in. It is a stretch for me to be doing this, this is a girl that only until recently began to venture into the blog hemisphere. The extent of my internet surfing encompassed sending e-mails, paying bills, checking out the news, and balancing my bank account. I feel we’re living in the Hellenization (spread of the Greek language, culture, and religion throughout the Middle East and Central Asia.) The spreading of the gospel was made possible across the region because they all spoke the same language. Our common language, in this case, is of course the internet. It is amazing to me how we can use this avenue to reach out literally to people from all over the place, if God is willing. As Christians we are called to live in this world, and not be of this world. The internet has been used, as we all know, in more evil ways than we can imagine, but using it to glorify God and exhorting others to do so, is a privilege I’m blessed to be part of. So I decided to come out of my cave and expand my idea of serving and spreading the gospel.
In the section of our blog called “THIS AGE” you shall see issues of life that this world throws at us or Satan uses to rob the joy and sufficiency in Christ that we feel. We hope to challenge you as well as ourselves in the many areas that pertain to our everyday life which could really include anything from the clothes we wear, to the things we eat, the movies we watch (or not), the music we listen to, and of course the people we vote for to lead this country…
To give a token of what we’re talking about and keeping with the Mother’s motif, I found this thought provoking article in the Kenosha News (April 29, 2008). It was entitled "Sacrifice: An American Virtue on Rebound". While the article argued that Americans are sacrificing more, though they don’t recognize it as that, our government and leaders keep avoiding asking people to sacrifice more. Nevertheless, government data shows that people are volunteering at historical rates and that whether we’re asked to …”join the military, feed the poor, conserve energy…", the next president is likely to find the most receptive audience since John F Kennedy’s “ask not” address…”. He goes on to quote people about what they think of the sacrifices they’ve made; one says “I think there’s something in each of us which wants to make things better for other people….I get more out of this than what I give—by a longshot.” That sums up the article, it starts with man and it ends with man—no thought of God and that is how the world works.
What in the world does this have to do with Moms you may ask yourself? Motherhood comes with a great deal of sacrifice. Physical sacrifices are the name of the game, just ask a new mom. Our bodies change never to be the same again, sleeping eight hours straight is a thing of the past, and the list goes on. But more than that, moms (myself included) are far too often, willing to sacrifice truth for a lie. In I Samuel 15:22, God tells us what He thinks about sacrifices “…to obey is better than sacrifice..”. Too often, we buy into the lies of this world that define what we should be doing, for the sake of gratifying ourselves. It may be a shopping spree, a makeover, or giving all our time and energy to our jobs, when our time should be spent at home caring, teaching, and correcting our children. While I was writing this piece, I had a deadline and was trying to meet it, but this time my kids kept needing me to break up “selfish fights”, refill their sippy cups yet again, and to make things worse; my littlest got behind the computer desk and turned off the computer. Yeah, I lost most of my article. I disciplined him, but then I realized that my job was to care for these guys first and if God wanted me to do this blog, He would have to provide a way for me to do it. And He did.
There are a million ways we can sacrifice our God given role and responsibilities in the name of a “good cause”, but as I was reminded: to obey is far more honoring to God than to make sacrifices…. Let me ask you Moms, what sacrifices are you making today that are keeping you from obeying God first?
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