Femina

Probably one of the most common excuses that children like to use is, “I forgot.” Yes, they know that you just told them that, yes they heard you. They just forgot about what you told them before they followed through on it. Or they intended to follow through so slowly that by the time you came back around to check on them you see that they really have forgotten.

Of course as parents, it is our responsibility to make sure that “I forgot” is not a line that gets your children off the hook. That is not a reasonable reason to disobey, it is an additional sin to confess. Forgetting is not something that we are allowed to do. Forgetting is in itself a sin. Continue reading ‘May 2: Remembering Part 1′

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

I am sure I am not the only mother out there who has thought of this passage of Ecclesiastes while wrestling through a challenging phase with your kids. I feel like the very famous lines that follow this verse could be replaced with such common place things as ” A time to be morning sick and a time to feel good. A time to be preparing for birth and a time to have already given birth. A time to nurse and a time to wean. A time to be totally freaked out tired and a time to sleep through the night. A time to feel capable and a time to feel impossibly slow. A time to have well behaved children and a time to have children who are not. A time to feel like the little years will never end, a time to feel like your children grew up when you weren’t looking.” Continue reading ‘May 1: Ecclesiastes 3:1′

(This will wrap up my posts on Matthew Henry’s Quest for Meekness and Quietness of Spirit.)

“We must gird it [meekness] fast to us and not leave it to hang loose so as to be snatched away by every temptation.Carelessness is no commendation of the soul’s adorning. Watchfulness and resolution in the strength of Christ must tie the knot upon our graces.”

If we are really serious about this idea of having meekness and quietness of spirit, we must knock ourselves out to get it. As Henry says, we have to tie it on tightly with a strong knot. We can’t just talk big about it while living, reacting, speaking, and spouting off carelessly. Meekness is not something that will just arrive on our doorstep one morning and, poof, we’ve got it. Meekness requires diligence and watchfulness. We have to mortify our passions, and that means putting them to death.

If we just think meekness sounds like a fun idea, we will let it sort of dangle loosely around us like a scarf. Whenever it is convenient (which means when ever we are not being tempted), we will demonstrate our meek spirit, but when a real temptation  comes along, all our good resolutions will melt away. After losing several rounds, we may be tempted to just give the whole thing up. It’s far easier to just let the flesh have its way. We may tell ourselves that we are too old to change, that this is just our personality, or that our hormones make us do this. But none of those excuses will bring any real peace or comfort.

Notice in the quote above that it is “in the strength of Christ” that we put this meekness on. We must look to Him for it, not to ourselves. He can “tie the knot” of meekness on tight. When this happens, we give Him the glory and we don’t commend ourselves. When God gives us strength to give a soft answer, to overlook an insult, to cover sin with love, and to return good for evil, He gets all the credit and thanks because we know that in and of ourselves none of that would happen.

So don’t give way to the temptation to give up. Bad habits are hard to break, but they are not impossible to break, especially when you have a good, gracious, all-powerful and loving God who will enable you to do this by means of His grace. Pray for this peace-loving meekness and quietness of spirit. It is precious in God’s sight.