It can be incredibly frustrating to reach a point in your life when you look back on your life and wonder about the point of it all. In my 31 years of life, I've experienced emotional, physical and sexual abuse. I've seen my parents torn apart by domestic violence, alcoholism and adultery. I've been ripped away from my family and spent six years in foster care. I have been married for a decade and have given birth to four children. I've experienced the devastating loss of a baby in my womb. I've questioned the leadership of my husband and we've experienced financial struggles beyond what we ever imagined. We've contemplated divorce and tried to imagine what that would do for our children, in the end, reaffirming our committment to each other. Coming out of these struggles hasn't always been easy, but I know there has to be a point to it. What is the purpose?
How can all of this be used for God's glory? What I have learned from it and how can I possibly put it all into words worth reading? A story like mine must have some value, or else, what was the point. I truly believe that God knows all the events of our life and he knows how we will respond. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) says "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Doesn't this mean that all of my struggles and valleys in life were planned and never intended to harm me? I choose to believe that this is the case, so how can these experiences be used to prosper me and to glorify God.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Significance
Where does your significance come from? Is it your job? Your relationship? Your children? Your education? Your appearance? Most people in today's world tend to think that their significance lies in their financial portfolio or their bank account or their credit score. Others believe that their significance lies in how much and what type of "stuff" they amass.
The reality is that our significance only comes from one source and it isn't any of these! The Bible tells us that God knew us before we were even formed in our mother's womb (Psalm 139). We are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him, for Him and that should mean something. We are granted a life story for one reason - to Glorify Him through our life.
Isn't it amazing that we are still ultimately significant to Him, even when make ridiculous mistakes and horrible decisions. He knows how many hairs on our head and he hears EVERY word we say, EVERY thought we have, and EVERY action we take. We cannot hide from him, as much as we may want to. He CARES that much that even with the billions of people in the world, we, individually and uniquely, are important to God.
In my life, I have fallen into the temptation of identifying myself as "wife, mother, daughter, sister, student, employee, friend, victim, survivor, storyteller, teacher, etc" without ever realizing that it is God the Father that gave me each of those unique titles. I would not have entered this world if it weren't in God's design. I would not have met my husband if it were not in God's plan for my life. I would not have been taken advantage of as a child if it were not for some greater purpose. I would not have my children if there weren't something that I could add to their life, according to God's wisdom.
Why then do we count our "earthly" worth as so much more important that our worth in our Savior? Why do we care more about what other people think of us than how our Father in Heaven looks upon us? Are we merely content to be lukewarm to God while working hard everyday to be "the best we can be" in the world? I'm not. My life has to mean more, not because that would benefit me, but because that would Glorify God. My significance comes from Him and only Him. If I question that, even for a minute, I am insulting God and I don't want to do that...do you?
The reality is that our significance only comes from one source and it isn't any of these! The Bible tells us that God knew us before we were even formed in our mother's womb (Psalm 139). We are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him, for Him and that should mean something. We are granted a life story for one reason - to Glorify Him through our life.
Isn't it amazing that we are still ultimately significant to Him, even when make ridiculous mistakes and horrible decisions. He knows how many hairs on our head and he hears EVERY word we say, EVERY thought we have, and EVERY action we take. We cannot hide from him, as much as we may want to. He CARES that much that even with the billions of people in the world, we, individually and uniquely, are important to God.
In my life, I have fallen into the temptation of identifying myself as "wife, mother, daughter, sister, student, employee, friend, victim, survivor, storyteller, teacher, etc" without ever realizing that it is God the Father that gave me each of those unique titles. I would not have entered this world if it weren't in God's design. I would not have met my husband if it were not in God's plan for my life. I would not have been taken advantage of as a child if it were not for some greater purpose. I would not have my children if there weren't something that I could add to their life, according to God's wisdom.
Why then do we count our "earthly" worth as so much more important that our worth in our Savior? Why do we care more about what other people think of us than how our Father in Heaven looks upon us? Are we merely content to be lukewarm to God while working hard everyday to be "the best we can be" in the world? I'm not. My life has to mean more, not because that would benefit me, but because that would Glorify God. My significance comes from Him and only Him. If I question that, even for a minute, I am insulting God and I don't want to do that...do you?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Mom's Challenge
With children ages 2 through 8, my days are never boring! I wake up before every other member of my family and find myself doing laundry, picking up toys, cleaning the bathroom, or doing the dishes that didn't get completed after dinner the night before because our evenings are so busy. I take refuge in the early morning radio shows that bring me their version of the day's news and completely random and unimportant life events. Then the chaos starts when my husband rolls out of bed exactly 30 minutes before he must leave for work - just enough time to get a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast and walk through the door after kissing me and kids good-bye. The kicker is that I have been up for an hour more than he and now I'm getting the 8 year old to get dressed, eat breakfast, turn off the TV, put shoes on, finish any remaining busy work (aka homework), getting snacks and water bottles for the school day, and walking him to the bus stop. Returning back to the house, the other three are all awake and are already fighting over what to eat for breakfast or watch on TV. Someone notices my return and starts yelling "MOM!" The next 3 1/2 hours are spent checking email, checking the bank accounts to see if we'll be able to make it to next week, working on laundry, getting the kids dressed, cleaning up from breakfast, Facebook visits, breaking up fights and settling arguments, then it's time for lunch and getting the 6 year old on the bus...immediately off to the 4 year old's preschool and then running errands with the 2 year old. When preschool is over, it's a quick jaunt home to meet the bus, make and eat dinner with the kids before driving them to football practice or the babysitter just in time for graduate school.
The problem with this scenario is that it is all too common! Who has time for real family time anymore? Is the weekend really enough? Do we have the chance to see our kids playing with other children from the neighborhood? How often can we really sit down to read with our children? Do they spend more time looking at the TV and the computer (which we justify by saying "It's educational programming or games") than they spend interacting in positive relationships with their parents, their siblings, and other children?
I admit, my answer to these questions are embarrassing. In such a crazy time in our lives, it's way too easy to fall back on "keeping them occupied" without really encouraging them to be imaginative, creative, relational and energetic.
I'm challenging myself to turn off the electronics in my home and spend more time actually interacting with my children...I'm challenging myself to worry less about the mess they make, if they're playing. I'm challenging myself to take them outside to play. I'm challenging myself to make time for play in a time of busy schedules and drive through dinners.
Will you do the same? What changes can you make in your home to make the relationships among your family members more of a priority?
The problem with this scenario is that it is all too common! Who has time for real family time anymore? Is the weekend really enough? Do we have the chance to see our kids playing with other children from the neighborhood? How often can we really sit down to read with our children? Do they spend more time looking at the TV and the computer (which we justify by saying "It's educational programming or games") than they spend interacting in positive relationships with their parents, their siblings, and other children?
I admit, my answer to these questions are embarrassing. In such a crazy time in our lives, it's way too easy to fall back on "keeping them occupied" without really encouraging them to be imaginative, creative, relational and energetic.
I'm challenging myself to turn off the electronics in my home and spend more time actually interacting with my children...I'm challenging myself to worry less about the mess they make, if they're playing. I'm challenging myself to take them outside to play. I'm challenging myself to make time for play in a time of busy schedules and drive through dinners.
Will you do the same? What changes can you make in your home to make the relationships among your family members more of a priority?
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