This is an update for the blog I wrote earlier. I came across this entry in another blog, and it touched me. Like she says, dying to self is not popular, nor is it understood, but this is something I need to work on. Perhaps this is what God is telling. Take everything away from me, bit by bit, and I will see what I am really made of.
Have I done everything I can for my family today? Have I listened and nurtured and taught my children 100% today, or have I brushed them off in favour of a textbook or educational website? Have I focused on my marriage, or have I found fault in the way my husband has reined me in to tend to the here and now instead of what maybe could be kinda might happen? Have I been too busy building myself up, worrying about me, my education, my desires?
Ouch, this entry hit home - and rightly so. I may have been pushed off my pedestal, but it was kind of shaky anyway. I am humbled.
I still need the prayer, though, please.
Finding Joy in Losing Me
I have found one simple answer for finding the greatest joy in being a wife, mother and keeper of my home, and that is in losing me. There is hardly a moment in my life when I have time to myself. Hardly a second when I don't feel someone else very close to me, if not literally climbing all over me :0).There was a time in my life when I definitely felt tied down. My heart was not right at all. I was full of my self. Self is a HUGE joy killer for many women today and one of the main reasons why there is no joy in the home. It isn’t popular opinion, I know, but I am not writing for popularity. When even an ounce of “self” is allowed in, the joy of the home is squelched. It cannot run properly, according to the will of God, when self is an issue for the home keeper.One of the most difficult things for the SELF to do is to put OTHERS first. One of the sweetest blessings in life is when we learn to put ourselves aside and live in servant hood, dedicating our lives to the service of others! When we love God and want to serve Him, one of the best ways we can do this is by serving those that have been placed in our lives.Christ was a perfect model of servant hood. He never put Himself first. The verses in Romans 15:1~3,5 say:We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell upon Me.”….Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like~minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus…There are so many ways we can seek to serve those precious people that been placed in our lives. We do not even have to leave our homes to begin! Wives have their husbands and children to think of. Girls have their mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers to think of. The Bible says in Galations 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”How can we help bear the burdens of those who are under our very own roof tops? Ask yourself, “What can I do for this person, whom I love, to bless them and make their life more joyful and pleasant?” Live according to 1 Corinthians 10:24, which says, “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well being.”Serving others is the Lord’s perfect will! It takes the focus off of ourselves and we begin thinking of ways we can bless the lives of others! The most beautiful gift you could ever give to someone is to show them how much you love them, by laying yourself aside.And you know what!? You will find that it is the greatest gift and blessing you could ever receive yourself! When we put others first and ourselves lastly, we begin to experience bountiful joy!
www.awomansjourneyhome.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment