What is Mother's day REALLY about?

So I've been on this new part of the journey where I'm looking at everything with my new lenses. My lenses have a couple of basic premises.

1) It's all about God.

2) Everything we experience is about making us holy...molding us into the image of Christ.

So, Mother's Day is no exception. When the world would tell us mothers that today is all about us, my guess is that God still says it's not. So what can we gleam from a day that honors our contributions to the world? I think there is still much value in honoring each mother to the degree the Lord honor her. What does God honor? As our pastor shared with us this morning...simplistically, He honors the woman who fears Him. Fear, not in the sense of dread, but fear in the sense of the woman who stands in awe of Him and all that He has done, is doing and will do.

It is amazing to me to realize that no matter how big my view of God gets, it'll never be big enough! So I have this mixture of honor and humility today as I think about how God has richly blessed me in the fact that He saw fit to give me stewardship of a child...an amazing child. My son is a tool in the Father's hand to mold me in ways I never thought imaginable. Every ounce of selfishness is bared to see. Every bone of pride stands to be broken. So because God has the objective of being known and knowing me, He blessed me with a child. And now I receive never-ending gifts.

Oh sure, some of those gifts come in strange packages; I'll admit that. But they are gifts...Let's review the gifts I've received as a mom:

1) A disfigured body and stretch marks

2) Sleepless nights for one reason or another

3) Embarrassing scenes in every public place imaginable

4) Heartache and worry beyond reason

5) Tears of frustration

6) Anger over consistently poor attitudes and behavior

7) Withdrawal from social functions that are not "kid-friendly"

8) Never-ending laundry, dishes and housework associated with family life

9) Bounty of all things disorganized when I just got done organizing

10) Surrender to complete inadequacy for the job of "mother"

Before your brows get too overly crossed at this list of "gifts", I want you to take a second look at these things with me. It would be so easy to list all the wonderful things we normally enjoy about motherhood (kisses, sweet memories, learning victories, milestones accomplished after hard work, notes from school or church, small hands that want to hold yours, and the heart that never can hold the love felt for every child given you...) But those things can easily bypass the wonder of what happens in my list of gifts...so please...let's look beneath the "strange" packaging....

1) Disfigured body and stretch marks. Perhaps not every mother experiences disfigurement or stretch marks, but let's face it...our bodies are never the same after having a child. We can either stand in disgust at the weight gain or the red streaks that mark our bodies...or we can see the blessing in that the God of the universe chose US to be a vessel of His creation! Is that not so humbling to you? To know that it was no accident...no "random" occurrence, but that before time began, YOU were chosen to be the mother of that child or those children? WOW! That blows me away...and I can now look at my body and see a gift.

2) Sleepless nights. How often are we, as moms, kept up by crying babies, sick or scared children, or just the hours needed to accomplish all the motherly things we do? Why would being tired, cranky or even "half-dead" be a gift? Because in those moments, we have numerous opportunities to choose selflessness and loving others over getting the sleep we desire. We get to see just what it looks like in action to say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". We get to experience the grace of God in a way we wouldn't necessarily experience with a full night of sleep.

3) Embarrassment. Simply put, this is the gift of humility! There is nothing like a child doing something in a public place to test how much pride you have. Admit it with me that we all at some level care what others think about us. We somehow have the notion that what our kids do, reflect on us...and we don't want that to be a negative image. We know what the other people in the restaurant are thinking when our kids are throwing temper tantrums, because we think those things of others when we see them. What a gift to have pride brought to the surface with the fire of our kids' behavior to let us know...this life isn't about us and it's certain not about what other people think about us as parents when our kids do something unexpected in public! It's about loving that child, obeying the Lord and bring honor to the Name of our Creator.

4) Heartache and worry. There isn't a mother out there that doesn't worry. I have worried about it all. But truth be told...worry is a sin. God has commanded us not to be anxious about anything, but by prayer and petition, present our requests to the Lord and give thanks in all things! That means that every opportunity that comes our way is a chance to pray, to give thanks for the circumstance and to WATCH AND SEE WHAT GOD CAN DO!!! He is amazing!!!! And we miss that by worrying and allowing our hearts to be troubled. So the next time we see our kids report card, choice of friends, or attitude...the next time we think about their current situation or their future...I pray we'll remember...that I'll remember...worry is a sin, but we have The God of the universe who loves us saying...come, cast all your cares on me. Trust me. Believe in me. Believe me. So heartache and worry have been gifts, showing me where I haven't trusted or believed in the One who is worthy!!

5 and 6) Tears and anger. I think I've experienced a lot of tears and anger as a mom. My son has not been easy to raise, the first five years without a father figure in our home. I can remember feeling helpless and resentful over so many things when it came to being a mom. The gift here...the revelation is the sin in my own heart. So often the tears of frustration and the anger were because of my expectations being disappointed...it was sometimes because of the consequences of my own sin (single motherhood)...and very often it was about control. Going through those times of emotional turmoil should have been learning experiences about letting go of my expectations and getting on with God's plan...it should have been times of leaning on Him instead of my own understanding. It should have been about loving my son for who God made Him to be, instead of wanting to mold him into who I thought he should be. These times are gifts in my blessing box because they are used by God to mold me!

7) Withdrawal from social functions. This gift too is about selflessness. I think we can easily get into our own little routines with what we do and who we hang out with, what kind of money we spend on different things, but children change everything! (Can I get an amen?!) :) And so sometimes this withdrawal shows us where we are selfish and self-centered. I tried so hard to "make the best of it" when I was a single mom...but social functions were never the same. Especially not in the single crowd. My pride was wounded, my self-centered life was exposed...this aspect of being a mother is a gift. Because it shifted my focus to see God's glory in loving others. Motherhood is an investment in the eternal kingdom we can never begin to fathom. Being shown that my life is about loving God and loving others...that really and truly is a very precious gift indeed!

8 and 9) Never-ending chores and constant re-organizing: The gift of Servanthood. Our pastor talked about that today in our study of Proverbs 31. God's creation in a woman that fears Him is a woman that lives to serve. Our flesh baulks at that! Especially in post-modern America in the new realm of feminism. We don't want to be servants! We equate that to doormats and those abused and neglected. But Jesus said He that wants to be first should be last. He that wants to be highest should be lowest. God's economy is not the world's economy. And when we "slave" over all that needs to be done to serve our family, can we not rely on Him for the grace to know that we are ultimately serving Him! He who served us perfectly? Is it too much to do the laundry over and over and over again, when Jesus did much more than that? Is it too much to keep cleaning the same messy house over and over and over again, when Jesus did much more than that? This aspect of motherhood is a gift because it takes my eyes off myself and helps me to love my Jesus, my sweet beloved Jesus who was the ultimate servant, and to love those He put in my life!

10) Surrender to complete inadequacy for the job of "mother". This gift is probably the most special to me of all the gifts I've received as a mom. The very gift of a child in my womb was what drove me to my knees before God in the first place. I could never begin to adequately describe my inadequacy to be a mom at the moment in time the Lord chose to make me one. But ultimately my son was the tool in God's hand to bring me to true salvation through Jesus. I had done it all: empty words stating "I am a Christian", empty actions that said, "I will work for you Lord...see what I've done and be pleased.", and none of it was what the Lord was after. He wanted my heart. He wanted me...

How can I possibly not see all the hardships of motherhood as anything BUT a pure and perfect giftbox from my Heavenly Father? Through being a mom, I have been drawn into such a sweet and tender relationship with Jesus. One that I know would not have been as sweet or as tender without the trials and tribulations of being a mom. (If that were the case, God would have designed it differently). So I praise the Lord for all the things that we might miss in our list of blessings associated with being a mom. Mother's Day is about such things...because EVERY day is about the Lord!

Paradigm Shift! - Amazing

So I've mentioned that I have been completely floored by a class I took at church introducing biblical counseling. I took it because I have a burning passion in my heart to be used by God to help others through biblical counseling.

Well first off, the Lord corrected a misconception I had of Christian counseling versus biblical counseling. I had no idea how much man-centered psychology that I had been using, filtering those man-made ideas through the bible and trying to come up with something useful to help people. In the end, I have to admit, I felt pretty ineffective. I learned that biblical counseling puts aside those man-centered ideas and searches the scriptures to understand the person and the problem.

Then, the next step I took in my new understanding was seeing the problem accurately. I would say that my primary lens of seeing crisis in my life and others' lives was through the lens of what psychology calls "Father Wounds". I saw just about every problem a person has as something related to their upbringing. But as my view shifted, I began to understand that seeing things this way doesn't allow much freedom and it certainly doesn't line up with what I've begun to see accurately in the Word of God. My view left no room for the law of sin at work within us.

I used to see sin as merely an act...a behavior. But the struggle...the internal struggle we really identify with in Paul who says, "I do the things I don't want to do, and I don't do the things I want to do."...is about the law of sin. The desires of the flesh work in opposition to the desires of the spirit. That conflict is a civil war inside of every believer. Even though I knew that, I admit I rarely thought of that when dealing with a problem in my life or another believer's life.

I didn't see that the Sovereign and Perfect Father in heaven orchestrates every detail of life with a single purpose in mind: His Glory. A vehicle of that glory is our sanctification and transformation into the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. So everything from the traffic jam I'm stuck in, to the conflict in my marriage, to the problem in my parent/child relationship is useful to reveal the sin in my heart. Sinful desires that need to be crucified with Christ so I can bring glory and honor to the Lord!

I love being a slave to Jesus! And now I am on a whole new level of walking with Him because I am seeing things with brand new eyes! I knew before this life wasn't about me, but WOW, do I feel like this new conviction of being created by the Lord, FOR the Lord's purpose has taken on a new and fiery passion!!

Lord, please direct my steps by your Word and let no iniquity have dominion over me. Show me the wickedness in my heart and give me the grace to walk by faith in righteousness! I want to serve you and bring glory to your name! In my own strength and my own will, I am fallen and cannot do anything worthwhile, but in You, I can do all things!! Thank you for reviving my heart and for the passion and hunger you've given me for you word! I am so grateful for what you are doing in my life! Praise your name!! You are good, so good, Lord! I love you!

Revival

As I'm sitting here, I'm listening to people pray for our nation. They pour out their hearts lifting up requests for marital reconciliation, national repentance, personal responsibility, resurrection of morality, wisdom and holy leadership in schools and government, and the glory and praise of our Heavenly Father...but what I hear in every prayer is the plea for revival in America. That touches my heart in ways that are nearly inexplicable. How desperate I am to see revival in my life and the lives of believers all over. I so desire to see Christians transformed into the authentic warriors that God wants to use in this spiritual battle. Apathy and disobedience are the general marks of today's Christians...and I have been no exception. But as the Lord stirs our hearts for Him, I see something new. Spring is now the season of so many souls!

Pastors are rising to the occasion of preaching Truth instead of comfort! Congregations are getting bold for ministry locally and abroad! People are getting spiritually healthy through the application of basic disciplines of the Christian faith! I see brothers and sisters hungering and devouring the Word like no other time! We are so coming upon revival! It so encourages my heart to see this! I have not enough words of praise for my Father to see His glorious work in us!

But I still see the darker side and the discouragement of Americans everywhere. I still see apathy, hardened hearts, biblical illiteracy, and rejection of the gospel. So to every believer out there, get a clue! We are here to fight a war! We are here as soldiers to the Kingdom of heaven and you are fighting for one of two sides. You can fight the good fight to speak truth and spread the good news of Jesus Christ, or you can let apathy work for evil and further corruption.

Each of us makes a choice every day that we are blessed to live. The choice is deciding whom we will serve. I fear that many of us lack the open eyes to see the eternal repercussions of choosing to serve ourselves. When I get so focused on my day, my work, my duties, my friends, my family, my activities, I have no time for God's purpose, God's plan, God's desires, and God's activities.

So today, Lord grant me the grace to make the better choice of serving You instead of myself. Help me to see every activity, every move I make today as an act of worship! Help me to have open eyes to Your work in the people around me and may I have the wisdom to know how you would use me in your plan! I love you, Lord and I thank you for calling me your own!