Wednesday, January 4, 2012

New Years Resolution

"She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27


Oh, idleness. I must confess something to you - I am definitely prone to be lazy. It's probably my biggest weakness. 


Sure, I wake up with all of these ideas of how to be productive...but then somehow time just slips through my fingers. I go to check my email "real quick" and next thing I know, hours later, I've ended up watching random Super Bowl commercials on YouTube ( a bit of an exaggeration, but you know what I mean). 


I then am in a rush to cook supper, get the house straightened up for my husband...and when he gets home and asks what I've been up to all day I feel so ashamed. I also again feel ashamed laying down at night feeling so unproductive. 


You see, my husband is very self disciplined and plans out practically every minute of his day. He LIVES for his to-do lists and he always has a plan! Me???? Not so much, but I know that I MUST start making plans and to-do lists to get things done. I'm the person who waits until the last minute to do pretty much everything, thus, it's an adequate job, but not my best. Not only will be being productive please my husband (drives him NUTS when time is wasted - can't tell you how often he has reminded me of Ephesians 5:16), but because it pleases the Lord for me to be productive and to not be given to idleness. 


Every time I read Proverbs 31 - which I try to do every day, and I recommend every woman to do the same - I not only feel convicted but soooooooo inadequate. I keep thinking "I don't even have children yet, how in the world am I going to manage once there are all these little people running around???" 


One thing about the virtuous woman is she was BUSY! The woman was always cooking things, making things, selling things, buying things, planting things, etc. Lately I've reflected on why the Lord wants us women to be busy and not idle, and I've come to a few conclusions:


1) Idleness can lead to sin. I know this for a fact! When I'm busy being lazy and not attending to my home I am more likely to fall in to sin which includes not spending time with the Lord, therefore, leading to bitterness against my husband, etc. etc. Not to mention, as women, how much more likely are we to gossip or put our noses in other people's business when we're not busy!


2) Idleness makes me neglect my home. This is kind of a "duh." If I'm being idle, then obviously I'm not attending to my home. Now, it's not a sin to relax every now and then. For me, since I do not have any children (at least not for a few more weeks), I do have more free time on my hand - but even during those moments I need to guard myself in what I do to make sure that it's still glorifying the Lord. For example, during free time this is a great time to read a book about homemaking or something to encourage me in my walk with the Lord, in my marriage, and as a mother. 


3) We, as Christians, need to "redeem the time because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16). This verse isn't just geared towards women but to ALL Christians! We are in the last days, and we need to make sure that in EVERYTHING we do we are glorifying the Lord. Again, I'm not saying that it's a sin to relax, we certainly need it at times and God even set aside an entire day of the week to rest. But, we need to always be conscientious of what we're doing to further the Kingdom of God. Our reason for being on this earth is to glorify the Lord in everything we do!! Always keep that in mind!


So...I say all this to say that this is my New Years Resolution. I usually don't do these, but, since the Lord has recently laid this on my heart and it's a new year, I think it's appropriate. 


If it didn't look so tacky, I would have post-it notes of Proverbs 31 all over my house as a reminder lol but for now, I think I'll just stick it in certain places - like my computer, over my oven, etc. Also, I'm going to be making up a schedule so I'll always know what I'm doing and when! 


I hope this encourages you all! I'm sure that those of you who are mothers of children laugh at this post because relaxation is probably the thing of the past for you - but for us who aren't as busy, it's a good reminder :-)


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Photobucket A-Wise-Woman-Builds-Her-Home

A Mother's Sacrifice

Today I received a copy of the January 2012 American Baby magazine. Not really sure why I'm receiving them - I think it was from signing up with Publix's Baby Club, but either way, it has some good info in it.

At the beginning of the magazine, they had these quotes that were posted on Facebook about moms and one of them especially caught my attention:

"A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." 


This immediately made me think of my mother. She passed away November 21, 2010 from cancer, and I miss her so very much. I think I miss her more throughout this pregnancy - I can't go to my mom to ask what it was like for her, compared to what it's like being pregnant for me, etc.

Since she passed away I've had so much time to reflect on who she really was as a mother, a wife, as a person. My mom was such a hard worker. No, she wasn't a stay at home mother - she worked full time as a teacher, played the piano at church (about 7 times a week between rehearsals and services), not to mention being a mom and a wife. To be honest, I have NO idea how she did it. I think the only times I saw my mom sit down was when she was at the piano lol She was up later than everyone and woke up earlier than everyone else. She always looked amazing - she was the most beautiful woman I've known.

One word, among many, that can summarize my mother is sacrificial. Looking back she did SO many things for her family despite how tired she might be or how much she might have desperately wanted to sit down. She always stayed up late to make sure my dad's shirts were ironed for Sunday morning, always made sure she was attractive for my dad, she was our biggest cheerleader, always gave hugs freely. She was fiercely protective of her family and loved the Lord and serve him with all her heart.

As Baby J's due date comes closer and closer, I've been thinking about the type of mother that I want/hope to be. To be honest, I hope I can be half of who she was. I hope I can serve my family and be as much of a hard worker as she was. I hope that I can love my family as much as she did. I hope I can be as self-sacrificing as her.

Mothers are very special people. They have the ability to love like no other. They can go from dealing with a dirty diaper to making a meal for her husband. A mother's kiss can magically heal wounds and a mother's hug can suddenly make the world a better place.

Momma would have said she never liked pie so her family would be able to have some. I do hope I can be the same as her.

I love you, Momma, and I look forward in seeing you in Heaven one day. We all miss you like crazy, but thank you for teaching me what it means to be a sacrificial mother.