Mother's- Slow down and Rest in God (part II)

 

"Her children arise up, and call her blessed..." Proverbs 31:28

I find this painting very touching. The little baby is resting on his/her mother as if saying "you are my haven, mom." The older sister has her hand on her little brother's shoulder, a gesture that shows how much she cares for him. The mother is dropping off her offering in the box. She looks contented as if saying, "Lord, I never knew how much these children, your children God, would bring me closer to you." She looks content. She is probably tired and has not gotten enough sleep. She probably stayed up too late finishing chores. But she looks as if she has seen the face of God. She looks as if she has slowed down for her children. She doesn't look like a mom who has been driving her children here and there to activities all day. She looks like she has a rich and deep home life with them. Her children look contented. In her love, they see God's love. They have all they need.

God has convicted my heart lately. He wants me as a mother to have a rich home life with my children. He wants the roots of their hearts to be firmly planted in Him and in their first home, with me, where I instruct them in the ways of a wise life and of God. They can't have that if God doesn't dwell in me, and they certainly can't have that if I don't slow down. He has shown me he wants my roots to be firmly planted at home, with my family. My heart needs to dwell at home. You have probably heard the saying "the mother is the heart of the home." If we are never there, how can our heart dwell where it needs too? How can our heart be at home? Who will set the atmosphere of the home?

If I don't slow down to teach them of God's ways, how can I expect them to learn? Mothers, if we don't do it, who will? It isn't only the church's responsibility. We know society won't do it. It's our job, we are the one that God put right in front of these children. The more I grow in my mothering years, the more I see how God sent children to slow us down as mothers, to grow us, to sanctify us. Children don't know they are missing the best preschool the town has to offer, or the best gymnastics class, or the best dance class. Mothers, it is only us who think that. It is only us who put that pressure on ourselves. Perhaps the enemy is trying to distract us? Children just want and need you partnered with God. They need our time, our whole hearted effort and love for them. We can only do our best at mothering when we are giving ourselves to God.

Slow down. It's ok if you are home for a whole day, or even two, or three. My kids enjoy playing with the hose outside and filling up buckets. My daughter enjoys "watering" the leaves with her watering can. In fact nothing in our whole day seems to make her happier. My son is happy as a clam with his cars and trucks all day. They are happy when I take the time to play with them. It's in these moments that I can teach them a Bible verse. It's in these moments I can teach them a virtue of life. It's in the walks around our neighborhood collecting rocks that the lessons of God come in. It's in the everyday home life that the silence and stillness of wisdom can be taught. I couldn't do this if they were toted around in the car all day. I've had to learn to see beyond the world's wall of busyness and accomplishment driven society and adopt a renewed, holy spirit driven mindset on busyness.

I know it's hard. Real life distracts. There is laundry, dishes, bills to pay, people to keep in touch with, grocery lists to do and phone calls to make. I'm there with you. It's tiring, the days are long. They are even more tiring if we are going around to endless distracting activities! What God has shown me is to try amidst it all to keep my eternal vision. That my goal partnered with God is that my children will dwell in eternity and that they can see God's love for them in me. What a challenge. I doubt myself most days, can I meet this call God? The truth is, that we are the mothers to our children. No one else can meet those needs they have. God will equip us if we call on Him and follow Him to be the mother we need to be.

Amidst our weariness, amidst our tired souls, God is there. He'll give us the strength to meet these needs again each day. Mothers, dwell at home with your children in whatever way God provides you in your life. Slow down however you can. Slow down yourself, to grow and learn the ways of God. Then pass it on to your children. In real life there are classes that will be taken and social activities. We are made to be social creatures and a lot of that is healthy. It's important to have balance and we can pray to God for wisdom in this area. Most of the social health is first learned in the home. We don't always have to go outside to seek that. It's right where it is supposed to be, inside our homes, when we slow down.

This is an excellent verse that gives a picture of the world's addiction to busyness. Busyness is also a form of idolatry. It is put before time with God and time with our own families pouring into them.

"When will you stop running?
    When will you stop panting after other gods?
But you say, ‘Save your breath.
    I’m in love with these foreign gods,
    and I can’t stop loving them now!"
Jeremiah 2:25

Mothers and wives, our main call from God is to live a life of love and of a slower, less worldly pace, for our families. Let's not fall into the trap that "life is passing us by." It is only passing us by if we don't pay attention to what is right in front of us. The only lives that would pass us by if we don't slow down are our children's lives.

 “Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to him.” ~Ephesians 5:2 

Amidst the long days and the endless repetitive tasks, do it all for God. It is a fragrance to Him. He is smelling it in heaven. He is pleased with you. He is even pleased with the load of laundry you did, because you did it out of love for your family. Yes, HE SEES all you do.

This has encouraged me in the ways my husband and I are choosing to raise our children:

“A true Christian must not be a slave to what’s currently ‘in-fashion,’ if he wants to train his child for heaven. He must not be content to teach them and instruct them in certain ways, merely because it is customary, or to allow them to read books of a questionable sort, merely because everybody else reads them, or to let them form bad habits, merely because they are the habits of the day. He must train with an eye to his children’s souls. He must not be ashamed to hear his training called odd and strange. What if it is? The time is short—the customs of this world are passing away. He that has trained his children for heaven, rather than for the earth—for God, rather than for man—he is the parent that will be called wise in the end.” - J.C. Ryle 1860

This has also encouraged me, in how much the home environment has on the joy of our children:

O, Mother, whether you live in a palace or a hovel, if your chief care be to have God ever live in your heart, His light within you will shed such unearthly beauty on all things that you will make your little ones see a lovely palace in this world, in spite of a meager income and you life of hard labor. So keep that light ever full in your child's soul.  -True Womanhood

Blessings to you mothers. May God's light shine upon you.

In the next part of the "Rest in God" series, I'll talk about practical ways to structure our schedules to slow down.

Prayer: God, give me wisdom to know what you want me to be spending my time doing. Show me your light on the things that I need to eliminate and how my days should be spent. Show me how to live the rich life you want for me and help me to not be tempted by what the outside world has to offer if it is not what you want for me. Amen.


Hebrews 4: 9-11 “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

 1 Peter 3:4 “Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

 John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Proverbs 19:23 ” The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”


 For "Rest in God (Part 1) click here: http://thewallofgodstruth.blogspot.com/2013/06/rest-in-god.html



May God's peace and wisdom be with you as you build your own wall of God's truth.