Illumination

"Mothering is not the ultimate goal of being a Mom, revealing Christ to the children is." - Priscilla Shirer

Whoa.  Can you handle hearing that today?  Can I?  I have to admit, I posted it because it stopped me dead in my tracks on this lovely afternoon as I sit here on my lanai piously doing my devotions.

Man, am I off the mark this week.  It's frustrating when you read something you know to be true, stop, re-read it, re-affirm it's truth and then feel the weight of truth's condemnation.  No, not condemnation...just illumination.

I'm not naive enough to think I'm alone on this one, thus I share it.  It's easy to do...get so caught up in the "mothering," that we forget the ultimate goal of being a Mom.  And to be honest and a wee bit vulnerable, anytime I'm too focused on the mothering part, there's a REALLY good chance that I'm falling REALLY short of the mark when it comes to revealing Christ to my children.

See, that's the sucker punch.  Revealing Christ can and should happen intentionally.  I work to make sure my kids are hearing biblical truths, putting verses into practice and reminded of Jesus' approach to life's circumstances daily, but it's often the unintentional revelation that resonates with a young soul.  I can't just teach them Jesus...I have to be Jesus.  Even when routines, behaviour and the state of my house are not measuring up.

Again...Whoa.

Being Jesus sometimes seems incongruous with the fine print of motherhood, doesn't it?  "Let the Little Children come unto me and forbid them not...??"  What about when I just need 5 minutes to myself locked in the bathroom?  "Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness...??"  Let's not kid ourselves.  Somedays it's more like half-hearted tolerance, suffering, and World War III around here.  And don't even get me started on Self-Control.  Certainly Jesus was walking those streets of Jerusalem with a full 9 hours of sleep under His belt, right?  I doubt there was a teething one-year old clinging to His leg while He fed the masses from 5 loaves and 2 fish, and I would contend that the guilty party that put a hole in the roof where He was teaching probably cleaned up the mess they made all by themselves.

Kidding aside, it's easy to make excuses for why I haven't been the best at revealing Jesus to my kids lately.  But that's just what they are...excuses.  Often it's easier to make the excuses than suck it up and live out the weighty assignment as we ought: denying self, being a servant of all, exalting others above ourselves, and stepping aside and allowing our own desires to be crucified in order to re-instate Christ as the central authority in our own minds, hearts and homes.

Did I already say Whoa?

But don't let your heart be troubled!!  Sure, it's a seemingly ominous task...but you're up for it!  Not only have you been appointed by Him for such a time as this, but you've been equipped fully for the assignment!!  Read Ephesians and remind yourself that He has given you EVERY GOOD GIFT in Christ!!  Furthermore, if you are a believer in Christ, you have the very spirit of God dwelling inside of you!  Imagine that: the power that turned water to wine, healed the sick and raised the dead is at your disposal. Knowing that should give you a bit of an edge next time you face that two-year-old tantrum head-on.

The good news is that we can't and need not do it without Him.  It takes a bit of the onus off our weary shoulders and reminds us that instead of feeling overwhelmed by the burden of how we must live, we simply need to start by stepping aside and be willing for Him to live it out through us.  More of Him...less of me.

So for me, I think the best plan of attack is to return to my devotions.  Perhaps with a little less piety and a lot more "get on your face and acknowledge again how badly you need Him to do this job" humility.  I know from experience...it's hard to be full of yourself when you're face down on a crumb encrusted floor.

Thanks Priscilla, I needed that!