Article I read today
Humbling the Grumbling
One of the most powerful, life-changing scriptures for me comes from 1 Peter 5:6, 7. It says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.”
I have mentioned this scripture before in a prior piece called Humble Pie’s Powerful Nutrition. These verses actually initiated a turning point for me in the midst of great challenges in my work setting a couple of years ago. It triggered a time of deep reflection and searching for God’s will, not my own. In time, I came to see that His will was for me to be home for my children and my husband.
Now, for the past year the setting has been my home. I have absolutely loved being home. However, in some ways I feel like I am trying to blindly be the “homemaker,” because really I was never taught how! I know some may be thinkingCome on! How hard can it be? When I think of all that I juggled when working full time, I too, have been a bit perplexed as to why this new role seems to be so challenging at times…until now.
As a teacher in the classroom, I received many heartfelt, tangible rewards when working with my students. The exchange of ideas, the Ah Ha! “lightbulb” moments, the praises for a job well done! Those were incredible external motivators each and every day. Also, all that work created a great excuse for why the house was a wreck, and our family in disarray.
Now, as a SAHM whose children are in school most of the day, I don’t have any excuses for not having a clean home, but there are very few external motivators for cleaning the bathrooms! While boys have a sweet, amazing love for their mommas, they are not the greatest at noticing those little decorating details or understanding how much time you spent organizing all of their book bins by genres (I can’t help it! I was a language arts teacher!)
Unfortunately, I am realizing that when I do clean up the house and cook dinner, etc…and I don’t receive the “praises,” I tend to exude a tit-for-tat attitude, and I take on a selfish tone when someone asks me to do something for them. I then justify my response by thinking that I’m not going to raise any lazy children who won’t do for themselves! If they’re not going to help me—huh! I’m not going to help them.
But here is where the frying pan recently whacked me over the head: Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…” Wow! That has been a game changer for me. It has made me realize that I need to humble myself under God’s mighty hand…
And you know what? In time, He has been lifting me up by helping me see that my attitude, motivations, and reactions do not do much to reveal Christ to my children! He’s also helping me understand the true meaning ofhumility, and from whom it comes.
Karol Ladd, author of A Woman’s Passionate Pursuit of God , explains that “an important step in our journey toward humility (is) realizing that God is working in us not only to do what is good but even to want to do what is good! That pretty much knocks out our own prideful attitude when it comes to living and doing things for Christ. Knowing it is God who works in us to both give us the desire and the ability to follow His ways keeps us humble as we depend on Him to carry out His good purpose. We can’t take any credit.”
By drawing closer to Him, He alone is giving me the DESIRE to want a better attitude, and He alone will give me the ability to follow the path on which He has called me. How can I not say to God be the Glory!
Lord, thank you for continuing to open my eyes to your ways. I still have so much to learn.
Amen.
Amen.
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