This is an article a friend wrote to me personally, and it really got me knowing that I am not alone, as a wife, in the journey of stepping heavenward.
Not too long ago, I realized that I was feeling uptight and stressed
most of the time. I was emotionally exhausted, and felt trapped, but I couldn't
put my finger on what was creating this dilemma. Then, a few days ago, three
things came into focus that have lifted this sense of bondage.
For a while now, I have been setting aside the time right after I put
my one year old down for her nap to read the Scriptures and pray. It has been a
real blessing, but what I really wanted was to get up early enough in the
mornings to have my time alone with God then. It's been a real struggle though,
and for one reason or another, I just haven't been making that happen. The last
two mornings, however, I have been able to get up and give my God the
firstfruits of my day. It's amazing what a difference it makes, and how much
better my whole day goes!
Then, a few days ago, I realized that I have been avoiding conflict
with my daughter at the price of allowing some bad habits to start taking
root. I didn't want to tell her "no" too often, so I had been letting her do
things that made life more complicated for my husband and I, and didn't
encourage contentment and submission in her. I knew something didn't feel right,
but I didn't realize I was starting my precious little girl down the wrong path.
I'm so thankful the Father brought this to my attention!
The third area I have been struggling in is cooking. I haven't really
been putting my heart onto it, and my husband has been feeling (or eating!) the
consequences of my poorly planned meals. Preparing dinner has become a rather
stressful activity for me, and I get frustrated and discouraged. But I've
decided that that's no longer the way I want to operate. As a wife and mother,
one of the main ways that I can love and serve my family is by nourishing them
with good, tasty, and stress-free food! So rather than just half heartedly
throwing things together, I want to make this an art and really perfect it, and
learn to make food that my husband truly enjoys. This means better planning,
better preparation, and laying down some habits and mindsets I've been holding
on to that don't fit our little family. And though this sounds like more work,
it's actually quite freeing to just give in to doing things God's way.
These three recent "revelations" have allowed me to organize and
prioritize my days, have given me a better outlook and attitude about my tasks,
and have freed me to take the steps necessary to train my daughter in a way that
will honor God, and prepare her heart to submit to Him and will make our home a
more peaceful place. Truly, God is faithful, and to those who seek Him (even in
the middle of the day during their daughter's naptime), He will reveal His
will.
Here's a link to an article I came across. It might give some ideas and encouragement on the getting up early habit. Your heart's desires to be a godly wife and mother are obvious! http://thehumbledhomemaker.com/2014/07/adding-two-extra-hours-to-my-day.html
ReplyDeleteGood article - thanks for sharing!
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