Tuesday, January 30, 2007
A Call to Faithfulness...in the everyday!
I was very much encouraged by an article that I read this morning about being a young wife. Or maybe the word is more properly, convicted. The article was an exhortation to young wives to spend their time wisely and to not waste the "extra" time that they have now that they are married and keeping their home, but don't have children yet to take up their time! It was a good reminder of how we are to think about our days. It seems to me that this sort of thing would be a good reminder to any of us, whether married with children, or still single. The principle is the same. Our life is the Lord's and we are to spend it serving Him (through serving our families!). I would encourage you to take a few moments and read this article! http://www.kindlingpublications.com/articles/view.php?rid=55
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3 comments:
Katie,
I realize the audience of this is primarily for “young wives without kids”, but as you said there is something genuine about the foundational idea of submitting to God that applies to all of us; even if, as you pointed out, someone is “single”. I might point out also that this foundational idea of submitting to God and to one another is also true for married men.
In the specific scenario being addressed in the article the context is very specific; a young wife without kids who feels called to be the keeper of the home. Let me pause to take a moment to reflect on the importance of context. Maranatha Chapman wrote, “It is so important to identify what is not of the Lord by uncovering lies and tearing down whatever we have built based upon those lies so that we can build a solid and true foundation in the Lord.” I think the same principle is true in regards to understanding context; what is from the Lord and what is simply a particular contextual lens? If we are not aware of our contextual lens then the specifics of our context can unknowingly take the shape of lies that we will come to apply broadly without regard to different contexts. You mentioned how these truths even apply to a single person, and I agree; but they may play themselves out completely differently in the context of singleness.
In my context I feel called to plant a church much like these young wives feel called to be keepers of the home. Like young wives without little ones I can feel like there isn’t that much to do and I can become restless when the demands on me as a “Pastor” are light when our community is small. This is beginning to change because we now have 6 families in our core group and meet regularly enough that I am becoming very busy. Even though a year ago I was very much married to the idea of planting a church, at the time I only had one other family; it was hard to see myself fulfilling my call to be “a Pastor” under those circumstances. I suspect for these young wives in the article, and for yourself, that there is a very real temptation to feel that you are not living up to your calling in life as keeper of the home when your circumstances and context does not yet match your expectation, especially when there aren’t kids to invest in yet.
I have found that for all of us we can only do the next thing and love God and our neighbor to our best ability in the context of today; finding ways to both submit to one another and serve each other for the betterment of the Kingdom. Honestly I felt that the author was coming from one very specific cultural lens and her application would only apply to those who could identify very specifically with that context. This is great when speaking specifically to young wives, without children, who feel called to be keepers of the home (that does appear to be her audience so that is cool). But there were some foundational things in the article even I can hold onto as a suburban/urban, postmodern, married man. I think for all of us regardless of context we can continue learning, focus on managing what God has set before us today, develop a routine and structure to help us, submit to our limitations and do not compare ourselves to others, and go deeper in Jesus!! I think these are the things that the author mentioned that most transcends any context; including my own.
Thanks for sharing what God is teaching you Katie.
Peace,
Jamey
Hello from Texas Katie! I am so glad that you read that article by Maranatha. I thought of you the whole time I read it recently because you are the only young wife I know! :o) I hope you are doing well. Tell your mother hello from me please. I missed her on our last day at church and this past Sunday. :o( Blessings, Jennifer Jones
Hello, Mrs.Jones! Thank you for taking a moment to leave a comment; it blesses me that you would do that! I will indeed tell my mother that you said hello. It was good to see you last Sunday (if from afar!). The articles that I've read by Maranatha have been a real encouragement to me...and timely reminders of what I should be doing and thinking. May the Lord go with you today as you seek to honor Him down there in Texas! Love in Christ, Katie
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