bondservant > SuperMom

So this past weekend I took a little time for myself to read an actual BOOK.  And it didn't feature a singing cucumber or a little red caboose.  It was glorious.  I really need to make a point to read more.  Anyway, the book was The Homeschool Experiment, a novel my sister loaned me.  Even though it's fictional, it has a Christ-centered focus and a lot of great resources.

The book is told through the point of view of Julianne, a stay-at-home mom who has been called to homeschool.  Throughout the book, Julianne struggles with self-doubt, as well as veiled (and not so veiled) criticisms from some family members about her ability to teach her children.  But in the end she learns that she only needs to please God, not others.  One verse that is repeated a lot in the book is Galatians 1:10:  "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God?  Or am I striving to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ."

I read this verse again today, and it really struck me.  As moms, we really try to do it ALL.  Face it, we invented the WORD "multi-task."  We need a clean, sparkling house adorned with DIY projects from Pinterest.  Our children must be well-behaved and brilliant at all times.  And some of you moms have to do all this while also holding down a job outside the home.  We fear there's a stigma involved if we don't try to be SuperMom.  And this attitude simply isn't from God.

Check out the last part of that verse:  "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ."  I looked up the word "bondservant" in the concordance of my Bible to see what exactly is involved with being a bondservant of Christ (Paul called himself one, so I'm thinking it's a good thing to be).  :o)

"The Lord's bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God might grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."  2 Timothy 2:24-26

Those are all really good qualities.  Especially for moms.  Being kind, patient, and "able to teach" are all qualities of the mom I want to be.  But I can't be those things, and everything else involved with being a bondservant of Christ, if I'm doing what I'm doing for the wrong reasons.  Even if I'm kind while disciplining my son, if I'm doing it to please those watching me then I'm not a bondservant of Christ.  I'm a slave to their expectations instead of to Him and His will.

God has also showed me that being a bondservant of Christ is a powerful thing; not just for me, but for my son as well.  Caleb loves church, worship music, and praying cute toddler prayers that consist of "Thank You Jesus, Amen!"  But I long for the day he accepts this Jesus he keeps hearing about into his heart and truly lives for him.  According to 2 Timothy, being a bondservant for Christ can help others "come to their senses" (verse 26).  My son is still young, not quite three years old.  But when I gently correct him when he misbehaves, I may very well be helping him come to his senses.  I want to be an example of that "knowledge of the truth," and help lead him to repentance so he may also become a bondservant of Christ.  And this cannot happen if my focus is pleasing men (or other moms) instead of God.

I want to be able to look back and know that I did all I could to please the Lord, and in turn helped lead my son to Him.  Because when I'm not acting like a bondservant of Christ, I really do end up being quarrelsome, unkind, impatient, and not so gentle. If I hand over each day to God, He can give me the strength and mercy to be all those things that Paul describes, even when I encounter food spills, temper tantrums, and burnt dinners.

So I need to learn to wait on the dirty dishes and read with my son instead.  To hold off on mopping the floor so we can go exploring outside.  To get off Facebook and let him sit in my lap, because all too soon he'll be too old for cuddling.  To trade off what I think (and what I THINK others think) should be done for what God calls me to do.

And thinking about all this is actually freeing.  I feel liberated from the unrealistic expectations I put on myself all the time.  Instead of thinking "I have so much to do today," or "What would so-and-so say if they saw this mess?!" I really should be asking "Lord, what can I do to please You today?"  On days when I actually do the latter, I find that all that other "stuff" still gets done, or else it just doesn't seem all that important anymore.

So I'm letting go of the whole SuperMom mentality.  I'd rather be a lowly bondservant of Christ instead.  :o)

lessons from the transfiguration

I recently re-read Luke's account of the Transfiguration of Jesus (9:28-45).  Here are some things I learned that had not jumped out at me previously:

• Jesus' appearance changed while He was praying (verse 29, italics added for emphasis).  He had taken Peter, John, and James up to the mountain to pray, and God's glory fell on Him once he started praying.  The same verse says Jesus' clothing became "white" and "gleaming."  My Bible says that the word "gleaming" here literally means "flashing like lightning."  So pretty much VERY glorious.  :o)  The take-home lesson I got here?  Miraculous things happen when we pray.  The very atmosphere can shift, as well as ourselves.  But we can't expect God to move if we're not praying for Him to do so.
• Peter and the other two disciples had fallen asleep while Jesus was praying (is it just me or do they seem to do that a lot in the Gospels?).  It wasn't until they were fully awake that they saw God's glory manifested in Jesus' appearance as well as in Moses and Elijah who had appeared and were talking with Him (verses 30-32).  So we can't be spiritually "out of it" if we want to see God's glory.  There's no way around it...you have to be fully awake to see.
• "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles..." (Peter, verse 33).  It had to have been indescribably amazing and wonderful to be on that mountain during the Transfiguration.  Why else would Peter want to stay there permanently?  Getting even a taste of God's glory always leaves us wanting more.
• In verse 37, they "came down from the mountain." In the verses following, Jesus heals the demon-possessed boy when the disciples were unable to do it.  In verse 38, the boy is described as the only child.  In that culture and time, having boys was important and preferred; I bet having just one boy made for one very over-protective parent!  My translation says another word for "only" in this case is "begotten."  Which of course made me think of John 3:16; Jesus was, and is, also the "only begotten son."  Perhaps that's why the demon held on to the boy so tightly. 
• When Jesus rebuked the demon and healed the boy, the people watching were "all amazed by the greatness of God" (verse 42).  God shows His glory everywhere, not just on the mountaintop.  Even in the worst of circumstances, His majesty is there.  Prayer can change the appearance of the situation so that His glory can be found in the difficult and the ugly.

There's my (somewhat disjointed) take on it.  :o)