Good Intentions

A Wise Woman Builds Her House....

Well, it appears that I am in the habit of posting once a year, around this time!  I always seem to have "good intentions" of blogging more and getting back in the groove, however life enters and here I am one year later.

I came across the above FB page and Proverbs 14:1, just happens to be one of my favorite verses..."The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands."

Now again, we are here at the idea of intentions.  None of us wakes up in the morning and purposely intends to tear down our own house. I love that this verse speaks to the inner, hidden part of me~ my heart.  God knows my heart and He sees my thoughts and knows if I am intentionally aligning them with Him or if I am haphazardly going through my day on my own "good intentions."

"For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart." Matthew 12:34b

I didn't intend to speak quite so harshly.  I didn't intend to anwser e-mails for that long.  I didn't intend to get caught up in the phone conversation for 45 mins.  I didn't intend to forget to take out the meat and now have to pick up something quick for supper on our way there.  

 Please don't hear me saying that occasionally we forget or some things must temporarily take priority over others.  I am trying to communicate the importance of being intentional with my intentions and aligning them with God's purpose for me each day.  He has been incredibly gracious in giving me a husband and three sons to care for, serve and love each day.  In this calling,  I long to do well and glorify God. Therefore, I must be checking my heart and what motivates me.  I should be finding my love for God at the top of the list, along with my desire to serve and love my precious family.

We are a busy people, filling up our lives with nearly anything that comes knocking on the door.  I think about women of the early 1900's and how much they were required to do in order to just simply provide the daily needs for their families.  I also think about how they did not have near as many distractions.  They did not have blogs, FB, Pinterest, twitter, Bunko club, shopping, the fitness club,  etc...

They woke up with the purpose of meeting the needs of their family.  In Genesis 2:18 God says, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." Survival in that day kept them from being distracted by self-fulfilling enjoyments.  I am assuming that each woman fully walking in the will of God was fulfilled by living out her God-given purpose of meeting the needs of her family. Of being that suitable helpmate...

I am convinced that I too will be fulfilled in living out the purpose God has called me to in serving my family with the right intentions. The intention of building my house, and not tearing it down. The intention of building up the lives of those in my home, rather than tearing them down. There are noble callings that God gives each of us that may call us out of our home, but I know in my heart that my husband, children and home come first.  Ministry can happen with my home as the hub, making my ministry linear and not a list that leaves no time at the end to serve others.  All of my life is a ministry and my home is the place in which I start and finish each day, so I long to give my best there and not my leftovers.

Isn't it tempting to give others the best and then rest on the "grace" my family offers when I give them the tired, worn-out, spread thin rest of me?  Isn't it easy to want to give the right impression to others and rest in knowing that my family loves me no matter what?  Since, my family and my home are good gifts from God, I am certain that He longs for me to give my best there also.

Too much in the world tells me to empower myself and seek out what makes me happy and fulfilled.  The job of telling me what I need to do with my time and resources belongs to God alone. Married, single, divorced, widowed, a mother, an aunt, a sister~ each of us has a "home" in which we can build and invest.  May each of us be careful to live wisely and find our fulfillment in Christ alone. I pray that building your house will be enough to fill your cup!

Vulnerable

vulnerable ~ exposed, open, sensitive


These are not words we tend to gravitate towards in a positive way.  In fact, I am sure that each of us has a way of setting up boundaries so that we do not expose too much of ourselves to others.  Fear and uncertainty can plague us and in turn cause us to keep the "real us" at a safe distance.  


First, I want to say that I believe it is incredibly important to first filter everything through God's word, so we can be within the guidelines He has given us to follow. Our thought life, our speech and our actions must be motivated by our love and desire to please Him.  


So, with that said, freedom should follow.  


Freedom to follow the call that God has placed on our life.  Yes, there are absolutes in God's word that apply to all of us.  The beauty in His master design of each of us is that we will flesh that out differently.  For one example, this afternoon I had a wonderful discussion with a young woman about having children.  She was saying how she was really wanting to search our her own answer, according to God's word, in regards to married people having children. Is it an absolute?  Is in required?  Commanded?  What about those that are unable to have children due to medical reasons?


I said that I believe God tells us to raise up generation after generation for HIM and for HIS glory.  We need to be obedient to that command.   But to me, here is the beauty of it all.  It is fleshed out in a unique way in homes all over the world.  


I have a friend who has adopted four children and has two of her own, a friend who has only adopted even though she is capable of having her own children and one who adopted after trying for 10 years.  I have friends that only have biological children and friends with no children who are investing in those children around them.  I also just recently heard the amazing story of this young woman, Katie.  Talk about having the freedom to live your life to what God is asking!  

This is where it becomes important that we become vulnerable.  Where we are open to share what God is doing in our life and stand boldly on the foundation of His master plan for our lives.  It is so easy to begin to "mark" our lives by those certain success "markers" that the world so easily places on us.  


college....check
a good job.....check
marriage.....check
a home of our own.....check
children......check
great family vacations.....check
successful children.....check


None of these things is bad.  However, I do believe there are things that carry a great significance on which to build one's life. The list of "markers" goes on and on. I think the list could be much shorter.....


Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul and your mind.  Love & serve others.  


vulnerable


exposed to let others see your heart burning with passion for God
open to letting Him use you in the ways He created you to be used for His glory
sensitive to His call on your life in whatever form that may take


Not all of us will be called to serve a people group on the other side of the world, but I know that whatever God calls you to do for Him, it is a high and holy calling, so do it well.  Do it for Him with all your heart!


motherhood
ministry
teaching
financially supporting
adopting
writing
sacrificing
building
mentoring
creating
fatherhood
friendship
submission
obedience
serving


You can add your own to this list and if you don't know what it is that He has called you to at this season of your life.....stop right now and go before Him.  Do not move forward with your own plans until you have heard from Him about what His plans are for you!  If you have not surrendered your life to Him, then stop and do that now.  Don't wait, time is short and there is much to be done for Him.  


If we are moving forward with God, then we are moving in the right direction!  Let Him show you the "markers" by which to mark your success in this life.  Oh how different they will be than what we imagine!  

Note to Self....

I too often say.....

Just a minute..... When I get finished I will come..... Not right now..... I don't have time for that at this moment..... No...... I'm busy right now.....

Jesus said......

Permit it at this time.... (Matt 3:15) I will come and heal him. (Matt 8:7) Come! (Matt 14:29) Let the little children come to Me.... (Mark 10:14) Let us go...... (Luke 8:22)...for today I must.... (Luke 19:5)

Jesus' time here on earth was brief. In fact if I lived the same amount of time that he had, I would already be dead.

So this is a "Note to Self"~

Dear Melissa,

"Life is not about all the extras, it is about the purpose for which you were created. It is about pouring yourself into the small things that really matter because in the end when it is all poured out, it will be something big... it will have been your whole life lived for the pleasure of self or for the pleasure of God.

You have been given a huge task to share the truth and love of Christ. He chose you to walk alongside Wesley as his helpmate and to train up your three little men in righteousness. These are no small tasks girl! So don't miss out thinking you are too busy with all the stuff that needs to be done, to do those little acts of service and love for those little feet that follow you around all day long. For those little voices that ask a million questions before 10am each morning!



Pour your heart into living all out for the glory of God and it will not have been wasted. Right now all around you there is disaster from storms that have ripped through homes and lives. You don't need all the stuff of life to live life. Fill up your heart with the truth and invest in the eternal.


God does intend for you to enjoy those extra blessings He bestows, but not to live for them. He does want you to be responsible with working at home, so you must not be idle and discern through prayer how to use your time each day wisely.

Live for Him and for them, it's worth all that you give up. I promise....."

Through the lens of God: Motherhood

I stopped and sighed. "Why dear Lord, does this precious child insist on taking every book out of the rack? I really do not have the energy to help him pick it all up, again!"
Do you have moments like this? If you are a mother, I am going to guess that this occurs at least twice a day if not more, depending on the age of your precious blessings! So, what am I learning about raising my sweet, charging, strong boys?

Motherhood~ "No one can do for them, what I can do for them!" Are you surprised to find the same statement made about motherhood that I made about marriage? Well, it is true. So, I must ask again, what am I doing for them?

I was chosen to be their mama and although honestly there are tough days where I am sure God mixed my name up with someone else's, it does not diminsh the fact that indeed I was equiped to be their mama, not anyone else!

In her book, The Mission of Motherhood, Sally Clarkson so beautifully states, "children, by nature, are designed to take up our time. We develop the heart of our children by spending time with them, just as Jesus spent time with his disciples. He not only taught them truth but also practical application. Jesus invested in them and gave them his whole life."

And so it is also my calling to invest my whole life into them. Motherhood has gotten a very skewed modern-day vision placed upon it. I don't need to list the many things said about motherhood these days, I know that you can already think of many. So, instead I will ask this question, "Where do you stand on the debate?" This is where God says we should stand: on the side of yielding. Not half-heartedly, but whole-heartedly to the vision He gives us for motherhood, because His original idea works and it is also the path to much joy, contentment and peace.

Now those may not be the first three words that come to every mother's mind when she thinks about the highchair that is dirty again, the laundry that never makes it to the drawers, the potty-training 3 year old, the homeschool papers to be graded, the whining that needs to be dealt with at the heart level. No these "things/circumstances" do not seem to be high joy-producing circumstances, but I am going to be brave and say that is because our focus and lens is skewed.

Clarkson also states in her book that every act of disobedience and foolishness is an opportunity to point our children to their need of a Savior. It is my opportunity to train their hearts and minds in righteousness. Wow! Now, do you think that is how God looks at my foolishness? As an opportunity? To be honest, I cannot think of a time that I heard from heaven, "Melissa~ do you understand what I am telling you? Why on earth would you do that again?" No, I feel the tug at my heart and hear the call of my Father to be still and get back on track. That gentle and loving way that He has when disciplining His children, those whom He calls His heirs.

Whatever vision of motherhood I have, I need to leave it behind and get into God's word to see what He says it should look like. Then I have to "clean house" and get busy about being the kind of mother that builds life into her children and says, "Thank you Lord that my precious child has a desire to read and learn! Oh, my sweet boy!" The feeling I had when I rounded the corner and saw this....

The depth of my relationship with my children provides them with stability (or a lack of). They will either believe my words because they see my life authenticating them or they will know the shallow depth of my attempt at connecting with them.

Love is spelled T.I.M.E. in the eyes of a child. What else is more important than cultivating their hearts for the precious message of Christ's love for them? I simply cannot think of anything...

So, won't you join me in the 32 day challenge to grow more deeply connected with your children? Won't you take the time to invest in them like God calls us to do? Come back tomorrow to start the challenge! See you then~