I fit my life onto a piece of paper this morning, in the form of a mind-map – one of those kind of spidery-brainstormed diagrams. I ended up with four circled areas – home, church, work, other – with everything I do, am being asked to do, and long to do, surrounding them.
So many things – I can’t do it all! It helps me to put it down on paper and ask God, “What’s for now? What’s for future? What’s ok to say ‘No’ to?”
As I prayed, I read John 14. The opening verse is, “Do not let your hearts be troubled….”
God doesn’t intend for us to be troubled and stressed. God doesn’t intend for us to be involved in so much that we are actually spread too thin and can’t do what he has put in our hearts to do. It’s hard, but OK to say ‘No’ sometimes.
As wives and mums, our priority is to our family.
Someone else can replace me as Bible study leader or coffee morning organiser. No one else can replace me as wife to my husband, or mother to my children!
Often the hardest thing is to be ‘just’ a wife and mum. The enemy deceives us that we are missing out on other ministry; and others expect us to do ‘more’, or we think they do!
BUT God’s highest calling on our lives, after loving him, is to love and care for our husband and kids.
As we ask him, the Holy Spirit will help us, strengthen us and give us much delight in being wives and mums.
There are seasons in life. As a Mum, I have been involved in many other things – kids clubs, Alpha groups, coffee mornings….and I currently work as a part-time librarian. God does lead us into other areas of work and ministry at different times.
John 14 goes on to talk about the Holy Spirit being our teacher and our friend. The key is to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He will show us what to be involved in, and when. He will give us patience when we need to wait, and give us grace and joy in whatever he calls us to.
I have no immediate answers to my brainstormed questionings of this morning. But as I was putting my Bible away, a verse from John 14 leapt out at me.
John 14:28, Message Translation, Jesus speaking:
“…the Father is the goal and purpose of my life”
I may not know what ‘things’ to pursue at the moment. But I am challenged to make the Father the goal and purpose of my life, and trust him with the other details.
This post is linked up with Velvet Ashes The Grove: Limits
50+ Ideas & Resources to Help Your Family Grow in Love
To have God as the goal and purpose of my life, and being a mom and wife as my priorities – that really sums it up perfectly! Reading Bible verses from another translation sometimes make things very clear. Thank you for this reminder!
You’re welcome Anne. Have a wonderful day 🙂
Found this at just the right moment today when I fought a migraine all night while my littlest one decided to not sleep but cry all night instead
Beautiful encouragement and reminder for the mum (and mom) like me who needed to remember that tending to those cries while praying to The Lord is the very best thing I could have been doing last night! I also appreciate your transparency in just accepting and sitting in the fact that you heard no immediate answers. It’s a hard and yet beautiful place to be isn’t it? wrestling and seeking Him! Thank you so much for this post, you made my day -yet again !
Lee
Oh Lee….I’m sorry…and I’m glad! Sorry that you had a migraine…I pray you’re feeling better. And glad my post blessed you. It was written some time ago, but I still come back to this again and again…hearing from God what my role is for each season of life, and finding peace in that (whatever others think…or what I think others think!) Sometimes it’s hard, but over time, I’ve come to recognise that peace within my heart at right decisions. Yes…loving your little ones is the best thing you can be doing right now 🙂
Thanks for your encouragement and reminder!
You’re very welcome Melissa! Many blessings on you and your family.
Thanks so much for linking up with Velvet Ashes this week and sharing yourself with us. I love this passage you highlighted: “…the Father is the goal and purpose of my life”. So, so good.
Thanks Patty. Yes, The Message translation puts in brilliantly!