Be still.... {a message made for mothers}

I was browsing through Instagram last week, as I do. It's such an inspiring place with all the visual impact that comes from the pictures shared.

I saw a picture shared by Rebecca from Grace and Salt ink. It was very nicely showing off her lovely inkDori's (one of which I have), and the words on the journal said simply "Be still and know that I am God". (Psalm 46:10)

As you may know, I have a gorgeous little boy who is now 4 weeks old. Having a baby, and more particularly if you feed them yourself, you are forced to sit down on a regular basis, and sit still.

It's not a natural thing for a busy mother to do. We always have something we can be doing - especially if you have little ones, or if you homeschool like I do. Even if you don't, there are school runs and after school clubs. Mums, by their very definition, are active and "on the go". It's just who we are.

But, this verse reminded me of both a spiritual and a temporal truth.

It's GOOD to be still!

Physically, sitting still to feed a baby gives me the chance to rest. It makes me stop from everything else around me, and JUST SIT. It's bliss. There's no denying it. I love those moments where I get to bond with my baby, and put my feet up. Yes, I am often doing other things (like supervising school work, directing the children in their chores, or talking on the phone), but sometimes I just take the time to read, rest, and pray. Especially in the night, many people are prayed for in those still moments.

Everything else simply HAS to stop, because feeding my baby, which is something only I can do, MUST be done. It's an imposed stillness. If I didn't take that time to be still, my baby wouldn't thrive. He'd quickly let me know he wasn't happy, and he'd end up suffering from my neglect.

Our spiritual life is no different.

We NEED to make the time to "be still".

Why?

It's in those times, when we make everything else stop, and still our hearts before God, that we KNOW He is God. We are aware of His incredible attributes, and His wonderful nature. We truly KNOW He is God when we tune out the clamour of our everyday lives, of the world that surrounds us, and when we focus on HIM.

Mothers can be so busy listening to our husband, children, friends and other "voices" that we can neglect the time to just listen for what GOD wants to say to us. Stilling our minds and hearts, and finding God's voice in our lives.

It may be time spent in prayer. Something I MUST do more of.

It may be time reading His Word.

It may be listening to a sermon, or simply resting and meditating on how much we have to be thankful for.

But, whatever it is, we should take heed to these words if we want to know God better.

Be still.

(pen: Staedtler Noris Club double ended fibre tip

white writing: masking fluid with a paintbrush

background: watercolour wash)

(I listened to these albums during labour again, and this remains a favourite of mine.)

Taking time to see God's Greatness {stepping out of the boat}

This morning, something amazing happened.

I woke up EARLIER than the alarm, and I didn't feel tired!

Yes. You read correctly.

I am equally bowled over.  Maybe it's not a "thing" for you, and you regularly waken early, refreshed and full of vim and vigour.

How nice for you.

For me, it was incredible, and a perfect start to my "working" week.  I was able to get up, and spend loads of lovely time with just me, a large mug of coffee, and God - soaking up His Word, and learning precious truths.

On top of that, I even had time to read some more of Sally Clarkson's new book - Own Your Life.  I must admit, I had been struggling to find time for reading in peace and quiet.  Umpteen Sunday afternoons, I had attempted to read, only to have invading marauders. Yes, I have hit the stage of being unable to read fully without peace and quiet.  *groans inwardly at galloping aging process*
This morning, I had peace.  I had previously been reading it on my Kindle app, on the iPad, but I now have a "hard" copy, and hightlighter in hand, I got back to reading.

I have reached Chapter 6 - Resting in the Transcendence of God - Owning the Mystery of His Supremacy.

Oh, how this comes at the perfect time for me.

It's all about stepping away from the hectic madness of life, and seeing the wonder of who God is, as a little child.

My life has been super busy.  Crazy busy.  I had recently become overwhelmed with so many things I had to do.  Choices to make.  Direction to give.  Planning to do.  Schooling to oversee. Housework to fit in.  Discipline to administer.

I was tired.  I was worn down.

I hit a wall, and had to just step away from things, to get my head in the right place.  I am so thankful that I was able to come to my husband, pour out my heart (which had been burying things, thinking it would all just resolve by prayer alone.... alas, faith without works is dead! Action is always required!), and have him help me to find direction.

One of the biggest helps he was to me, was to see that I needed to slow down and remove a lot of unnecessary pressure from myself.  To take my eyes off perceived expectations from others (including what I THOUGHT was what HE wanted, which I was SO wrong about!), and to just focus on what was right for our family.

I cannot express to you, in words, how much of a load has been lifted from me since then.

I had more to learn, though.

As I mentioned, at the end of last week, I also realised that my focus was on doing, instead of BEING.  Being with my family, fully engaged.  Not rushing about from one job to the next.  Not focussed on academics and neglecting their tender hearts and personalities.  I needed to stop, take stock, and readjust my goals and priorities.

Imagine then, how perfect it was, to then read what I did this morning.  Sally giving wise counsel to my soul, about stopping and seeing how great God is.

She told the story of a night when she had opportunity to view the night sky through a telescope. Her daughter was enthralled, as they gazed at the sky was filled with incredible, twinkling stars.  A breath-taking sight.  Her mind was drawn to Job, and God's question to him.

"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding....When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

Job 38: 4, 7

We are so small.  God is so great.

We need to become like a little child, awed by the things we so easily miss, because we are simply too busy DOING.  I have been rush, rush, rushing through life, trying to cram so much in, all the while missing so much.  I am realising, all the more, that time is precious, and every little moment I can spend with my family, when they need me, is so important.  Every moment I can spend soaking up God, and His Word, is crucial to my growth and peace.  Taking a break from busyness, and just enjoying life, is something I need to MAKE time for.


Sally also relates how she spoke, in a blog post, about taking time with her daughter, amidst the busyness of one day, to have afternoon tea. Tea, scones and candles.  Celebrating life in the busyness of deadlines.  One commenter on the blog chastised her for not understanding the busyness in the life of Mums. This poor, harassed woman suggested Sally was setting unrealistic goals for women who are pushed for time, as it is.

Poor Sally!  Poor LADY!

I can understand the lady's life - whiny children, time your enemy as you battle to get things done.

TOTALLY.  I get it.

What I was reminded of this morning, is the very thing that I so often forget.

It's up to us to FORGE that time out of our day.  To take a step back, and think about what REALLY matters, eternally speaking.  All of the pressures and duties will still be there, after taking time out for a breather. Without a doubt.  But the refreshment your soul receives, from stopping, and resting, and being with JESUS, will be a boost to your day.

No living thing can operate without fuel.  We take time to stop and have nourishment for our bodies.  Stopping, and having a break from the duties of life, is refreshment to our MIND and our SOUL.  They equally need nourishment, and I shouldn't feel guilty for seeing to those needs, too.  That's where I have been going so wrong! We have a responsibility to care for not just our bodies, but our mind and our soul, to God's glory.

If I am having a crazy, stress-filled day, I just need to stop, and soak up God's greatness and glory. To become like a little child, and dwell upon the big things of God, instead of the fleeting, burden filled things of life. Take the time to get my perspective upon heavenly things, and not earthly.

Sally wrote of the disciple, Peter, and how he walked on the water.  How easily, in life, we try to row our way, in our own strength, through trials.  We won't get anywhere in a hurry, if we are going in our own strength.  Peter had to get out of the  boat, take a step of faith, and then keep His eyes on Jesus.  The moment he looked around at the waves, he sank.

That's me.  Rowing, as hard as I can, in the direction I THINK I should be going.  Busy, busy, trying my best to keep afloat.  All I need to do is stop, and get out of the boat.  Step away from the "boat" of life, that's being tossed around by the winds of  circumstances, and step towards the Saviour.  We are able to do great things, if we step out in faith, and keeps our eyes upon God.  I need to "think big", and realise that God is able to do great things in my life, if I just trust Him.  Step away from the storm, and towards the one who CONTROLS the storm.

Humility - bowing our lives before God - was the other area that challenged me today, from my reading in the book.



As mothers, I think there's an incredible pressure placed upon us to "get it all done".  We end up steaming on in our own strength, and forget that our strength is nothing.  We are like tiny specks, next to the greatness of God.  I need to come, with  heart bowed in humility, and see God in His greatness and His control over my life.  I need to remove my focus from the details of life, and remember that *I* am not in control - God is.  He knows the way that I take - He planned it. He, in His greatness and goodness, has planned that my life should be EXACTLY the way it is - it's my cup.

I am nothing, and He has it all in His great plan.

We are having a "week off school".  What a perfect way to launch into it.  Remembering God is great.  Remembering I am nothing.  Focussing on my mighty, awesome God.  Enjoying the moments, instead of being on the go, ALL the time.

Are you living a busy life, and forgetting to stop and enjoy the moment?  Like me, are you so busy doing, that you are not being? Not treasuring the detail that God has blessed us with in life, or the lives that God has surrounded us with?

I trust you will seek to see our great God, as I am, and take time to enjoy the moments we can plan into our busy lives, to enjoy God and His goodness.

Sitting at Jesus' feet {stop being a mother and be a daughter}

Imagine a scene.

You are in a home, where visitors are in attendance.  Naturally, the hostess wants to do her best to provide and care for her guests.  There is food to prepare.  Drinks to offer.  Clearing up to be done.

It's a good thing to be hospitable.  It's a wonderful thing to be willing to care for others.

Imagine a sister, instead of busying herself with domestic duties, sitting.  Sitting at the feet of her Master, the Great Teacher, listening to His words of wisdom and blessing.

No bustling about serving, which was a normal, and right thing to do.

Sitting.

Listening.

Learning.

Martha (yes, you know who I am talking about), was cross.  She was possibly fuming.  Here she was, busy serving, and Mary was SITTING.

SITTING.

Did she not care about the job they had to do?   Did she not think that serving was important?

It was right to look after guests, and she was just listening.

Resting, whilst Martha was busy.

The thing is, I was thinking about this in a new light today.

Work is good.  Work is important. It's right to be take care of others, and be busy.

It's wrong to have a bad attitude about it.  That, I knew already.

What I saw afresh today was to do with my spiritual walk, versus my day to day life - more specifically as a mother.

We have got a mountain of jobs that are forever calling our name.  Cooking.  Cleaning.  Tidying.  Mending.  Caring.  Teaching.

A seemingly endless list of things.

It's oh so easy to neglect "that better part".  It's so easy to place pressure upon ourselves to think that the practical somehow trumps the spiritual.

"But, we have a responsibility to do X, Y and Z...."  we cry out.

My thought for today?

Should that responsibility ever trump the importance of drawing near to Jesus?

Our quiet time can so easily get pushed to the side, because "We have a duty to care for our family, which God gave us".

Perhaps we may think, "I can't possibly ignore my children so I can read my Bible".


No, no, NO, my soul.


"This ONE thing is needful."

This "One thing" - it's not the "Not being cumbered about" part.

It's the sitting and learning at Jesus' feet part.

Mothers have a vital role in a family.  We have the task of training up our children in the things of Christ.  If we are not making spiritual progress, by sitting and learning "at the feet of Jesus", then how can we function in our role as teacher of our children? If we are not first growing in Christ, and desperately soaking up all we can learn of Christ, then we can't impart that knowledge to our children.  We can't apply it to our lives, to make us a more godly example to them.

We don't need to get up before the children, or stay up until the small hours, trying to stay awake and read our Bibles.  What better example can we be to our children, than to have them SEE us read the scriptures!? Not just doing it because it's the only chance we get, but to do it intentionally - for them to see the importance God's Word has in your life.

Reading books that teach us.  Not just ear ticklers, that make everything sweet and simple.  Deep and meaningful literature, that makes us think, and challenges to  understand God better.

Listening to sermons. The world has addled our brains, and listening to God's Word being preached, other than on Sunday in church, seems to be a drudge and a chore.  I challenge my own heart first, here.  It's far easier to choose to listen to an audiobook, or watch a DVD, than to listen to sermon.  It's been a while since I listened to a sermon online, and due to the children being either ill, or potentially contagious, we stayed home from church today.  The sermon was SO challenging.  It was what made me think of this topic at all.  The challenge to "Come up hither".  To aim upwards to being in communion with the Lord and learning of Him.

It wasn't just a sermon for pastors.

Or Office bearers.

Or Sunday School teachers.

Or husbands.

We are all called to "come up" and get to know the Lord better.  To be more like Jesus.  To grow in our spiritual lives. We are His children -  daughters of the king.  That relationship comes above being a mother, or a wife.

It's not going to happen mystically and mysteriously, by some supernatural incident, with no input from us.

WE are required "come up".  WE need to take action.

There are few ways we can get closer to the Lord, and all of them require some action from us.

WE need to open our Bibles.

WE need to expose ourselves to good and faithful teaching - in books or in sermons.

It's not going to happen without effort.

And, it's THIS one thing that's needful

Parenting is right and good, but we can so easily become "cumbered about".  Spending more time searching for ways to make our life more manageable, beautiful, profitable and successful, than we do searching for God's voice to speak to us through His Word.

I heard a very visual analogy today.  Our Christian life is never one that stands still.  We cannot say we are spiritually at a certain point, and have no need to go forward, and that we won't go backwards.  We are either going up, or down.

My mind sprang to someone riding a bike up a hill.  You put in effort, and you go up.  You stop, and you don't stay still.  You will start heading back down the hill!

We cannot be mothers who stop spiritually "pedalling", because we think we have something else that is more important. So busy serving, that we are not actually serving the right master at all. Stressing, and causing exhaustion, over the temporal, and neglecting the spiritual.

We won't just stand still.

We won't just "stop going up".

Slowly, but surely, we'll start to roll backwards, to the detriment of our own life, and the lives of those around us.

NOTHING is more important than making sure that our spiritual life is healthy, and we are growing in our knowledge of Christ.

When Mary sat, she had to stop what she was doing, and rest.  As wives, mums, and women in general, we are so busy DOING, and can be so consumed with it all.  Putting learning about Jesus, above everything else, means a self-imposed sitting, and resting.  If nothing else, the break would do us a physical good.  More than that, we will be blessed, refreshed, and built up spiritually, which will make us more able to get back up and "do".

This week, I need to get into the Word more -  a daughter of the King, wanting to be more in tune with listening out for the voice of her Heavenly Father, as I seek for ways to grow more like Him.  Setting aside the "mother" hat, and basking in the role of "daughter".  Sitting.  Resting.

Making choices that allow me to pedal upwards, and not roll backwards.

Choosing that one thing that is needful.

Sitting at Jesus' feet.

“One thing is needful” -

Life crowds in;

Cumbered about,

Serving Him.

Busy and doing -

Priorities dim.

Make me to sit,

Oh, this I plead,

At Thy feet, Lord Jesus.

“One thing is needful”

Clamouring voice

Of many “things” –

I neglect to rejoice

In Christ my Saviour.

Surrender, by choice.

Make me to sit,

Oh, this I plead,

At Thy feet, Lord Jesus.

“One thing is needful”,

THIS all I need; 

Shut out the world -

On His Word feed.

Seeking Him only

My way to lead.

Make me to sit,

Oh, this I plead,

At Thy feet, Lord Jesus.

“One thing is needful” -

Good, better, best.

Choosing pursuits

Puts our life to the test.

Burdens aside,

On His bosom to rest.

Make me to sit,

Oh, this I plead,

At Thy feet, Lord Jesus.

“One thing is needful”

All else can’t take

That precious time.

Progress we must make,

In our sweet union.

Passion awake.

Make me to sit,

Oh, this I plead,

At Thy feet, Lord Jesus.

C.Cordle 

Calling the Sabbath a delight

"call the sabbath a delight"

Isaiah 58:13

Yesterday, on Good Morning Girls, Courtney shared about the Lord's Day, and how they do things in her home (all connected to the current GMG Bible readings, which I have stepped back from doing currently).  It made me think that I would share with you about how we "do" Sundays.

It was always something that, for me, was just a normal way of life.

The Lord's day is a special day, set apart from all others.  It's a day that was both established at creation, when God rested on the 7th day, and in the Ten Commandments, too.  In the Law, there were a lot of regulations about exactly how to keep the Sabbath, but under grace, the Lord showed that it wasn't about the keeping of the laws.  Rather, it's about embracing the spirit.

You may think, from what I have said, that I am going to tell you that we do what we want on the Lord's day, but that is not true!  Under grace, I endeavour to keep the Lord's Day as the day it was intended.

So, what was the purpose of it?

After God created everything, did he NEED to have a rest?  Was He weary from all the work he had been doing?  Of course not!  God designed that rest day for US.  Part of that reason was because, humanly speaking, we need a physical rest from our labours.  But, more than anything else, it was designed to be a day of worship and praise - it was created, as all things were, for God's glory.  It says in the Ten Commandments that God "hallowed" the day - it became a Holy Day.

So, if God wants us to have this special day, what should we be doing in it, and what should we not be doing.

I'm not going to tell you that!

Why not?

Because, under grace, we cannot give a list of dos and don'ts!  I can't tell you you MUST cook your dinner the night before.  I can't tell you that you must NOT go for a walk.  I can't tell you you MUST read only the Bible.  I can't tell you that you must NOT eat complicated meals.

What I will do is tell you how I plan for the Lord's Day, and what I do, don't do and why.

On a Saturday, I always lift out my joint of meat for the next day.  We always have a roast, with virtually no exceptions.  We LOVE our Sunday roast.  I also peel all my vegetables, and cover them with water, ready for the next day.  It's as much about making sure the dinner goes on quickly, after Church, as much as to do with giving myself less work on a Sunday.

We always tidy the house, ready for the Lord's Day.  If on no other day, a Saturday is the day when we do a really good tidy up - all the bedrooms must be tidied, and all the living areas are tidied.

We all have baths or showers, and make sure that everyone is sparkling clean for the next day!

The day starts as normal, with breakfast.  We put on some nice "Sunday" music, whilst we are eating and clearing up.   Then, we get dressed and ready to go out.  We have the joy of living a short drive from the Church, so we don't need to leave until 10.15am.

Of course, the main activity of the day is attending Church.  I love going to worship with God's people, in God's house.  It's one of the highlights of my week.  We are blessed to be in a small congregation, where we all know each other quite well and it is like a big family.  At the moment, with Simeon being quite "vocal", we don't sit in the service long, before going out to Robert's study, where the meeting is relayed out.  However, I still get to hear the Word being preached, and join in with singing the hymns.  I am really blessed by my husband's ministry, which is very Christ-centred and edifying. We are a "traditional" Church, with simple singing of hymns, prayer, reading the scriptures and preaching. I love it.

When we get home, the children have a special "Sunday sweet".  We have a crystal bowl, filled with sweets, and they get one if they have behaved well enough in Church, and as treats in the afternoon. I get on with making the dinner (cooking the veg, the roast is put on before we leave), and the children (or any visitor's that may help) set the table.  We really do enjoy our Sunday dinner!

On the Lord's Day, we don't allow the children to play with lots of noisy toys.  Part of it being a day of rest, is putting aside all their own entertainment, especially if it is not restful for ME! *grin*  Being a peaceful day, in a busy, noisy household of 9, is a special thing all on its own.  They have special Bible story books, and for the older ones, books with a strong Christian theme or about missionaries.  They have a lovely Playmobil Noah's Ark, which they enjoy.  We bought it for "Elijah and Simeon" for Christmas, but really I got it for all the children's benefit.  But, shhhhhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell the little boys! *winks*

We also do Postal Bible School in the afternoon.  Our Church doesn't have a Sunday School, so they don't have that to keep them occupied.   So, this is a Bible Correspondence course for children, which is all run on a voluntary basis, and free to receive  All we pay is the return postage.  They have one per month, and it is age appropriate. They really enjoy the Bible stories, and lessons they learn from it.

Another favourite activity, for the children, is drawing.  They draw picture after picture, and bring them to show me. :-)

Something we have started to introduce, as a treat for me (now that the children are older) is that the oldest ones clear up from dinner,  load the dishwasher, wash up any dishes and tidy the kitchen.  They are getting better at it, and it allows me to sit down after dinner, and put my feet up.

So, what do I do?  I have people for Sunday dinner at least 2 out of 4 Sundays.  My Brother-in-law, Sister-in-law and their boys come 2 Sundays.  So, on those days, I enjoy having a lovely chat with them, whilst supervising the children's activities.  On the other weeks I tend to read.  I have such a busy week, that I don't always get as much reading time as I would like.  Sometimes I will watch a service in America, via Sermonaudio.  I particularly enjoy tuning in to Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation, in Grand Rapids.   The ministry of Mr Beeke and Mr VanderZwaag is excellent, and I am always blessed upon hearing God's Word being preached by these men.


Twice a month we also have a "tea" together at Church - once before the evening service, and once after the evening service.  These are precious times to chat to those of "like precious faith" and find out how everyone is.

What do I NOT do on a Sunday?  I do NOT do any unnecessary housework.  I consider it necessary to cook a meal, and to clean up after meals.  I do not consider it necessary to do dusting, deep cleaning, vacuuming or any laundry.  I do break the laundry "rule", if bedding needs to be cleaned, or there is some other "biological" incident.  I also pop my first load for the week into the washer on a Sunday night, to get ready for starting all over again on a Monday.

As it is a day to focus on worshipping the Lord, we don't tend to socialise with unbelievers.  It is harder to keep your mind on the Lord, when people are not behaving in a godly way.

We keep the TV off through the day, just to have a break for that kind of entertainment, too.  I make an exception if I have had children at home ill all day, and I let them watch a Bible story DVD before they go to bed.

We do not go out to eat, or do our shopping (including online).  They are both activities that require someone else to be working on the Lord's Day, so we don't want to encourage that.  We virtually never get our fuel on the Lord's Day, or lift out money from the bank.  Robert has a Saturday night routine, where he fills up the car with fuel, and lifts out his offerings for the next day.   It means it has been thought about, and there is no risk of being unprepared the next day.

We don't do school work, of course, either.  The children are exceedingly glad about that! *chuckles*

So, the summary is that we have a restful and peaceful day, with our main focus being upon worshipping God, and focusing upon His Word.   Putting aside the cares of life and focussing upon the Lord.  As the children get a bit older, I want to start doing some hymn singing around the piano.  I have happy memories of doing this in the past, and want my children to enjoy it too.

I really enjoy the Lord's day.  All my other days are so busy, that I enjoy the rest that I get.  I know I still have to make dinner, but because I try and get ready the day before, it's not that much work. I especially enjoying sitting down, whilst Simeon sleeps, and completely RESTING!

There are, finally, some things I WANT to start doing.  From next weekend (following an incident where a certain young man's Sunday shoes were missing, which resulted in frantic searching just before we left, and a reprimand in the car....), we will be laying out all their Sunday clothes at the end of their beds, laying their shoes in a row by the stairs and setting out their hats and Bibles. I think it will put an end to some of the frantic searching we sometimes  often have to do before we leave!

So, how do you spend the Lord's Day?  Do you have anything special that you do, or things you try and avoid?  Please share in the comments below, or blog about it too!