This morning I am reading in 1 Thessalonians. First and Second Thessalonians are two of my favorite bible reads. I just love the nuggets of encouragement and guidance that Paul gives. The one that struck me this morning began in verse seven.
"but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8
Am I gentle when I care for my children? If I am honest, I know that the answer is, at best, sometimes. Sometimes I am not. Sometimes I let my mind become focused on other desires I have in life and I'm short with them. Sometimes I let fatigue win and my tone is harsh. Sometimes I place my expectations on them, instead of God's, and I'm astonished when they fail. Sometimes, though, I hear their laughter as they play together and I remember the distinct privilege I've been given.
In the next verse, verse nine, Paul says, "worked night and day in order to not be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you." Just like a parent works day and night, so did Paul as he "raised" the small church in Thessalonica. He admits that it was hard work, just as parenting is but he was delighted to do it. He later goes on to say that the words "holy, righteous and blameless" could be used to describe how he was. I'm not sure those will be the words my kids use to describe my mothering but I'm convicted by that.
A while back I was asking Madeline a question about her piano teacher when she said "Which teacher? I have several teachers." Curiously, I asked who all these teachers were. "I have Miss Erika for piano and voice. I have Miss Strebeck for fourth grade and you are my teacher for life and how to love God."
I couldn't help but smile and yet feel a little overwhelmed by the important role she gave me, "life and how to love God."
I am confident of this, if there is a job that I will do more important than that of parent, I cannot imagine what it could be!
Dearest Madeline & Gavin, I am delighted to share the gospel of Jesus with you and it is a privilege to share my life with you every single day! I promise to work day and night to not burden you by my own selfish junk but to love you as you are. I will remember that my mothering should be gentle and I pray that God will make a miracle happen on the days I'm really struggling with that. It's never your fault. It's always mine and my trying to do too much. You are supposed to act like kids. I love you both with everything I am and I am convinced that being your mom is the greatest contribution to this world I can make! Love~Mommy
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
No comments:
Post a Comment