What’s Filling Your Pot?

May 16, 2012 by Monica

I was tired. Oh so tired.

Walking into a crowded sanctuary that Friday night, I gazed around the room looking for a seat at our yearly women’s conference. At home, my sweet husband, although tired from a long work week, stayed to watch my two teething, irritable girls. After visiting with a few ladies, I sank into my seat and pushed thoughts of bedtime to the back of my head.

God is so good! He knew exactly what encouragement I needed to get through that weekend. You see, not only was I physically tired from caring for crabby kids, I had begun to neglect the source of true energy and encouragement.

This may be a big assumption, but I doubt I’m the only one who has periods of time where I start to rely on myself for energy, answers, and strength. Why does this happen? Why do we–do I–neglect the Savior of the universe and somehow think that I have the ability to do things by myself?

Remember the first miracle Jesus preformed? He attending a week long wedding celebration that developed a sudden problem. The wine–consumed. The pots–empty. The source for more–nowhere to be found. John 2:5 “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you’.” Jesus knew the wine was gone and He knew how to fill those empty pots. And He did! How? By His miraculous power and the obedience of the servants to do what He said.

This weekend, I was empty. My energy was consumed. I wasn’t even looking to be filled! But, God knew what I needed. He reminded me that I must “Do what He tells me”. And what does He want from me? For my gaze to be on Him! He will bless me when I forsake sin and make my delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:1-3). This is the means he desires to bless me through!

This means I MUST take time to focus on Christ daily to refill my empty pot–and fill it to the brim. When I obey Christ and spend time in His word, my pot will be filled with joy from Him. Then that joy will overflow to others–my husband, my kids, other people I interact with. It becomes a continuous flow–my filling of God, giving that joy to others, then turning for more of God, then back to give, and the constant cycle continues.

“If you poor yourself out for the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong. And you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” (Is. 58:10-11)

Who do you pour into daily? Your children? Husband? Neighbors? Co workers? Those you disciple? Are you drawing from your own wisdom and strength to do this? Or are you running to the only source that can fill you up?

Feast on His word daily! Give Him your fears, worries, and anxieties. Bask in His love and goodness. Yearn for more of Him. When you feel yourself growing weary and tired, reach for more of the One who always has more to give. This simple, basic concept remains key to our sanity, ladies!

Remember though, spending time with Jesus doesn’t make God love you more. When God looks at you, if you are His child, He’s sees the perfection of Christ. His love for you is NOT based on how much time you spend with Him. When you fail to have a quiet time, God is NOT disappointed in you. He is, however, disappointed for us. He knows what we’re missing by choosing to rely on ourselves. He knows what we could have and how much more joy and efficiency we can show because of Him.

Have you ever chopped vegetables for dinner with a butter knife? Carrots, broccoli, and onions for stir fry don’t dice easily with such a dull blade. Sure, it can be done, but it’s difficult! When you grab a nice chef blade with a sharp edge, it glides through those veggies in no time. So it is when we spend time with Christ. When we neglect him, our blade is dull. Yes, we can get through our daily interactions and to do list, but when we spend time with our Redeemer and Lord, our focus is on Him. We are then able to glide through our day smoother because He is our strength!

Since that weekend I have had a renewed desire to spend time each morning filling up my pot and sharpening my knife so that I can glide through my day overflowing with love and joy to my kids and others. Does this mean each day has been perfect? NO! But I’m grateful for a God who fills me up so I can serve Him by comforting those cranky, teething young ones.

Monica is married to Matthew and has two adorable little girls Abigail and Aubrey. She can be found writing at A Godly Heritage and is the newest contributor to Desiring Virtue.

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When Mother’s Day is Painful

May 7, 2012 by desiringvirtue

My first official Mother’s Day was a painful one. A few months before we had lost our first baby in an early miscarriage and now I was pregnant with our oldest son Elliot. Only about a month into his pregnancy I was full of mixed emotions, both joyful and fearful, both hopeful and timid. I was still mourning the child I had lost and afraid of losing the one now growing in my womb. Mother’s Day wasn’t a celebration for me, it was a reminder of the blessing that could be taken from my grasp at any moment–a reminder of the dream I could at any moment awaken from.

Before losing our first baby I was only vaguely aware of the many women around me who either struggled with infertility or with lost pregnancies. The pain and sorrow so many of my sisters-in-Christ were experiencing was a far off notion, something I assumed was happening, but could never truly understand. The depth of pain experienced and the breadth of women affected by such grief was beyond my knowledge. I was blissfully unaware of the realities of infertility and pregnancy loss.

Now, in the middle of the most common years for childbearing, I am surrounded by sisters who have known the pain of losing a baby in the womb or who wrestle with the unfulfilled longing of motherhood. The percentage of women who experience such sorrows is higher than I would have ever imagined and the need for compassion and understanding toward such sisters is a genuine need within the church.

Are you aware of the women around you who have recently lost a child? Do you know which couples are struggling with infertility? As in all circumstances we are called to look outside ourselves and care for those around us. While we may be celebrating the joys and privileges of raising children for the glory of God, others are wading through the mirky waters of grief, trying desperately to honor the Lord in their unfulfilled longing for children. Are you willing to be sensitive to the needs of these dear sisters?

Recently the issue of infertility on Mother’s Day was highlighted by Dr. Russell Moore as he encouraged churches to remember those who will find this day to be a difficult one:

What if, at the end of a service, the pastor called any person or couple who wanted prayer for children to come forward and then asked others in the congregation to gather around them and pray? Not every person grappling with infertility will do this publicly, and that’s all right. But many will. And even those too embarrassed to come forward will be encouraged by a church willing to pray for those hurting this way. The pastor could pray for God’s gift of children for these couples, either through biological procreation or through adoption, whichever the Lord should desire in each case.

Regardless of how you do it, remember the infertile as the world around us celebrates motherhood. The Proverbs 31 woman needs our attention, but the 1 Samuel 1 woman does too.

First, please avoid making a distinction between mothers and non-mothers in a physical way (e.g. having all the moms stand up or giving flowers to all the moms). I well remember sitting in a Father’s Day service where all the dads were asked to stand. I felt like there was a huge neon sign over me that kept flashing “not able to have kids, not able to have kids.” My wife felt it keenly as well: she began to weep. The most pastorally sensitive leaders I know avoid this like the plague. Instead, they acknowledge the day and proceed to pray earnestly for the full range of emotions that are being experienced on that day (since it is often quite painful, not just for those unable to have kids, but for those estranged from their moms, those moms who are estranged from their kids, those who have recently lost a mother, etc.).

This leads to the second thing. As Moore indicates, it is important to recognize that there are many conflicting emotions going on during a Mother’s Day service. It is crucially important to pastor all the people through that time.

Today my sweet friend Melissa shared a similar plea to pastors which I feel can be helpful for all church members to remember:

If you know a woman in your congregation is struggling with infertility, chances are she’s fighting to filter her pain through God’s Word. And no matter her degree of biblical literacy, she probably feels like something is missing in her life. It is all too easy to believe the lie – like the earth’s very mother who fell prey to the seduction of the seemingly lovely and profitable forbidden fruit – that a good gift is being withheld from her unfairly (Gen. 3:1-5). So, the recognition of individuals to whom much has been given can be a bitter pill to swallow.

Similarly, motherhood is often celebrated in our churches solely for what we possess. Timely (and appropriate) verses like Ps. 127:3-5 adorn our prayers and power points on this day:

“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.”

Yet as true as Psalm 127:3-5 is, when we speak those words without the balance ofbiblical perspective we mistakenly make motherhood solely about the have’s and infertility about the have not’s. And before we know it, we’ve missed a crucial part of the biblical story – how God works in and through his people for his eternal purposes. How HE is the ultimate reward for those who trust in Him to build their home (Ps. 127:1-2).

I would like to remind us women of the church, as this “holiday” approaches, to be purposeful about caring for the needs and emotions our sisters may be going through. Whether you are yet in a position to have children of your own or you have been blessed by the Lord with the gift of children, remember that Sunday will be a pointed reminder of loss and grief for many around you.

Would you pray for these precious women and their husbands?

Would you write them a note of encouragement acknowledging their lost children or their unfulfilled desires?

Would you bring them to the Father of Mercy and Grace who withholds no good gift from his children without purpose?

Would you make it a point to not forget their struggle as the days continue on and their longing is not satisfied?

Would you be their friend, their prayer warrior, their shoulder to cry on?

We are all members of one body. As the church of Christ, our sister’s pain is our own pain. We must deliberately seek to encourage those who are in the midst of struggling to find joy and contentment with the providence of our loving God. We must acknowledge the very real pain they are feeling and direct them to the overwhelming joy and hope found in our Savior Jesus Christ.

If you are currently struggling with miscarriage or infertility, what are some ways you have been blessed by other sisters-in-Christ? How can those who have never experienced such loss or pain most encourage you? Please share your thoughts in the comments…

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The First Step to Saving on Groceries: Plan

May 3, 2012 by Hollie

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. (Proverbs 21:5 ESV)

There are plenty of ways to save money on your grocery budget. Searching Google for “how to save on groceries” returns 20,900,000 results! The tip I am going to share with you today is nothing new, but it may be one of the hardest to implement because it takes discipline and time. My first suggestion to anyone who asks me how to save money on groceries (or anything) would simply be, “plan.” If you only implement one of the tips I share with you in the months ahead, it should be this one!

There are a few different ways to plan and save money on your food bill: creating a food budget, menu-planning, and pantry inventory.

First: Create a Budget

Budget can be such an ugly word. When a people hear the word “budget” they normally think of restrictions. I would challenge you not to think of it this way. Instead think of it as freedom and control! You set the budget, you tell your money where to go. Instead of being a slave to your paychecks you are now the master. This is a much better relationship to have with your money! The number one thing you can do to save money on groceries is to decide how much you should spend each month on food … and stick with it! If you are entirely new to budgeting, then you should give yourself at least three months to land on a good amount for your family. A simple way to develop a realistic budget is to record all of your grocery expenses over the course of a few months to see what you typically spend. Once you know what you naturally spend every month you can work out a realistic grocery budget. Doing this will keep you from setting a budget that is too high or too low.

There really aren’t a lot of rules to budgeting aside from setting a goal and sticking to it. Just because you are a family of five doesn’t mean your budget will look like every other family of five’s. We are all different, like different foods, have different dietary restrictions, live in different areas, etc. Don’t get caught up in comparing your budget with others! Comparison is a great way to make yourself feel defeated or to needlessly puff yourself up with pride.

Second: Menu-Plan

Menu-planning is wildly popular these days. Blogs on the topic abound, recipes are easy to find, and plenty of menu-planning systems for purchase even exist. Deciding what you are going to eat each week certainly saves money as well as sanity! Having a menu-plan eliminates that right-before-dinner-panic of not having a clue what to fix. Knowing what is coming up for dinner also prevents you from ordering out on the fly because “there’s nothing to eat here.” (Just as a note: ordering out is not bad! But, it’s less stressful in the long run if you plan it).

There are tons of different ways to menu-plan. You can have certain meals on a rotation and pick from those for your dinners each week. You can plan menus weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Some women menu-plan breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks while others just plan dinner. If you are new to menu-planning try different methods until you find what fits for your family. Desiring Virtue has a free printable you can use or you can try out this helpful menu planning note pad from MomAgenda.

Third: Pantry Inventory

Knowing what food you have on hand will be extremely helpful when menu-planning. Using the food in your pantry first will certainly save money. Chances are the first time you take a pantry inventory you will be surprised by just how much food you have! The first time you set out to take an inventory make sure you block out a good chunk of time to do so. (This is also a great time to throw out expired items and clean your cabinets). If you have kids, make sure to enlist their help. My oldest daughter (9) loves to make our pantry list and keep it up to date. We use this printable and cross out items as we use them up.

Implementing these three grocery tips can help you cut down on waste and save your family money!

From a young age Hollie’s mother impressed on her the mindset of a frugal woman. Her mother taught her an important phrase, “Never pay full price — everything goes on sale eventually!” Becoming a Christian in 2009 made Hollie more aware of the importance of being a good steward of what God had blessed her with and not spending it frivolously. Now as a newlywed, she has the chance to really put all the money-saving tips she’s learned over the years to work. Hollie and her family live in a small village in the Piedmont region of Virginia. She spends her days keeping home and home-schooling her children. In their spare time they enjoy reading, taking historical field trips, hiking and serving their local church. You can find more from Hollie at her blog Reformed Redhead.

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How to Mother Your Husband

Apr 30, 2012 by desiringvirtue

All the premarital books and classes warn against it. I never thought I would struggle with it. Somehow, I began to do it. Just three years into our marriage and I found myself being confronted with a sin I thought was beneath me. What is the dastardly deed that I am speaking of? Mothering your husband.

It is something that slowly makes its way into your speech, creeps into your facial expressions, and alters your submission. Submission? Really? Yes. When you begin to treat your husband like a child and take the role of his mother, you place yourself in an authoritative position within your relationship.

This is something I never would have imagined struggling with, I mean I loved my position as my husband’s helper! I was not looking to usurp his authority, in fact I welcomed it–or so I thought! How is it that my sinful flesh had found this chink in my armor and created friction within my marriage? There are many possibilities, some of them arising from good intentions and some from prideful ones; all of them springing from a desire to see my will accomplished according to my timing. What I know for sure is that hearing your husband say, “you are treating me like a child,” and then hearing the voice of your old pastor in the back of my head saying, “he married you for a wife, not a mother,” is not a good feeling.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:22-24 ESV)

Together my husband and I dissected this growing problem and found there were several ways a wife (particularly this wife) could mother her husband rather than respectfully and lovingly submitting to him as her head. Here’s what we came up with:

1. You mother your husband when you expect him to do things your way and become frustrated when he chooses not to. My husband has a different way of thinking about things, planning things, and executing things. When I look down upon his methods and expect him to fall in line with mine (even though they may not be better), I am treating him like a child and telling him to submit to me.

Trusting/submitting to your husband means believing that he is competent and that his methods have merit and value. Obviously communication is the key here. The first step to understanding another person is to talk to them and find out what they are thinking. We get into trouble when we assume we know what our husbands are thinking rather than asking them. Ultimately I have come to realize that there is a certain level of trust that must be applied to a situation where we disagree. I should not assume that he is doing something the wrong way, but simply a different way. As my God-given head, I must be willing to trust that following him in this different path will bear good fruit as I walk in obedience.

2. You mother your husband when you tell him what to do. Originally I thought there were good intentions behind this, but was quickly convinced that even my good intentions were causing me to sin (by usurping my husbands authority). Often I found myself in the habit of telling Richard to do something instead of asking him to do it because I didn’t want to give him the option of saying no (especially in areas I knew he was going to disagree with me!). Ultimately I did this because I wanted to control the situation; meaning I didn’t want for him to control it. Realizing the heart of this problem was really a shock to me. Could it be that I was really this sinful? Yes, it really could.

Trusting/submitting to your husband means gently asking him to do something rather than telling him to do something and then being content with the results. Again, communication is key as you try to engage your husband with your motives and point of view. Most of the time knowing the reasoning behind your desires gives your husband the opportunity to agree or be persuaded, while telling him what to do conveys that you do not trust him and believe he needs leading. By asking, you are able to make your desires known, and then given the opportunity to follow his lead as he makes a well informed decision.

3. You mother your husband when you use a condescending tone while talking to him. This can happen when you think he is doing something he shouldn’t be (mothering), when you are not happy with something he has done (mothering), or when you try to manipulate his actions (mothering). Somehow this tone is something we as women are either born with or hear so much growing up that we instinctively use it when trying to control the people in our lives (namely our husbands and children). It conveys an attitude of superiority and says, “you are so stupid.” Of course this is something I would have never thought, much less said out loud, and yet it is exactly what my heart was saying through my tone of voice to the most precious person in my life.

Trusting/submitting to your husband means always speaking in a tone of respect and admiration. This can be particularly hard when you disagree, but is a particularly good tool in putting to death the flesh that seeks to destroy. We must seek to bring all things under the authority of Christ, including our tongues. We are called to honor and respect our husbands–even in our tone of voice.

Do you ever find yourself mothering your husband? It has been over two years since my husband and I talked through this issue and I still find myself giving into these tendencies from time to time. The temptation to take charge and give orders is something I am constantly on guard against, and yet the moment I let that guard down I find myself quickly falling into old patterns of sin.

If you struggle with mothering your husband like I do, remember that your relationship with Christ (your Heavenly Bridegroom) has made a way for you to say “no” to your flesh and “yes” to godly submission. His precious blood was poured out so that you could be free to deny your old, sinful ways and walk in newness of life–to honor and respect our husband as the leader of your marriage.

But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV)

Take some time to survey your relationship with your husband. Do you see any of these tendencies in the way you speak to him? What are some other ways that we as wives tend to mother our husbands? Praise God that we do not have to rely on our own abilities to overcome the sin in our lives. He has given us the grace to overcome! Let’s seek together to press on toward greater obedience to the Lord by honoring our husbands and speaking to them with respect.

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You Know You’re a Mother When…

Apr 19, 2012 by desiringvirtue

I was in the process of putting all of your comments from a previous post into an anthology of sorts, when my three year old and (almost) two year old came bursting into the room. The oldest was pushing his little brother in a laundry basket and they were both very please with themselves. I too, was impressed to see them playing with each other rather than fighting with each other. All seemed sublime. My two just-bathed-hair-brushed-pajama-wearing-sweethearts were playing together, grinning from ear to ear. Then the bomb shell.

“Mommy, there’s pee pee in this basket!” the oldest declared matter-of-factly.

Yes, pee pee in the basket that held my smiling two year old.

Boys.

Back to the bath tub we go! All the while I am thinking, what perfect timing. Right as I am compiling all of your hilarious comments that begin with, “You know you are a mother when…”

It is true, motherhood is filled with the strangest, most unexpected of situations. What was once peacefully normal before you had children is replaced by the tiring, confusing, challenging, and very often gross realities of raising little people who need your constant attention. What is a normal “day in the life” for you can seem like a nightmare to another who has yet to become accustom to such “activities.” You, however, have been slowly (and sometimes not so slowly) introduced to the “complexities” of motherhood, and know that even the most unenjoyable moments are overshadowed by the inexpressible joy a child brings into your life. Every day I am blessed by these precious little souls entrusted to my care. From their smiles to their hugs, to their giggles, to their sweet voices. Children are indeed a blessing from the Lord.

Even the difficulties they add to our lives are blessings, drawing us closer to our Heavenly Father. As I bathed my two children for the second time in an hour and cleaned out the laundry basket full of pee-sopping toys, I was “challenged” to remember that this, even this circumstance was sanctifying me. Slowly, ever so slowly, my selfishness, pride, and anger are being replaced by the selfless, humble, and joyful character of Christ. Every moment of the day that I give up my own desires for their good is a day that the Lord is conforming me to his perfect image.

He is doing the same in you too sisters! Take heart and draw near to him who gave everything for his church, to the point of death.

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28 ESV)

All of this to say, I would like to add a new one to the list:

You know you are a mother when you come to terms with your child being completely content and happy while sitting in a basket of pee (and you can clean up the entire mess in a record braking 10 minutes).

And now without further ado, I would like to share the hilarious list of things that become a reality when you are the mother of little ones–all supplied by you, the readers of Desiring Virtue. These comments were just too funny not to put together into one glorious list that I am sure every mother will be able to relate to. Thank you for sharing your “experiences” with DV’s readers! Enjoy!

You know you’re a mother when…

(an in-exhaustive list from Desiring Virtue’s readers)

you’ve changed your shirt 3 times before you leave the house—not because you can’t decide what to where, but because baby threw up his breakfast on you multiple times .

your definition of “mopping” becomes spot cleaning with a lysol wipe.

the word “clean” in general takes on a whole new meaning. (Some days if I can see the floor and we have clothes to wear, I feel like I’m on top of my game.

you find yourself feeling sympathetic rather than judgmental toward the mama with a child having a meltdown and saying a silent, “Thank you, Lord” that it’s not yours at that particular moment.

you learn to chop veggies, serve dinner, or do about anything else with one hand because you are holding your crying 23 month old in the other arm.

you learn to change diapers in midair because the same 23 month old keeps squirming away from you and crawling all over the bed.

you develop night vision that allows you to change diapers and fill bottles with no light for fear of waking up the crying baby even more.

you have forgotten what it is like to go to the bathroom without someone banging on the door and screaming for something.

you find yourself yelling at your child to stop doing something that you haven’t seen him do but just know he’s doing.

you go to a restaurant and instinctively remove all condiments from the table to avoid your child turning their soda into a science project.

the majority of the contact you have with your husband at night is a toe-hug.

on any given day you aren’t sure if you’ve brushed your teeth or applied deodorant.

many of your once beloved, “I would NEVER do ____” you now do without batting an eye. You find yourself giggling inside when you hear another young mom or mother-to-be making her declarations.

you can’t remember the last time you had a full night sleep. Uninterrupted.

half way through the grocery store, you look down and notice green peas all over the front of your shirt.

one little toothless smile makes it all worth it.

peace and quiet cause suspicion!

you can’t have a complete telephone conversation because that’s the exact moment your kids “NEED” you!

all you really need during a bad day is two little arms wrapped around your neck and a wet kiss pressed to your cheek!

you sound like you have Tourette’s during every phone conversation.

your husband says, “I have a really sexy idea!” you secretly hope it has something to do with you sleeping in or him running to the store, because that sounds sexy to you.

you own grubby sweatpants. And nice sweat pants. And maybe even church sweat pants.

you overhear another mother say to her child, “What, do you think I can just pull granola bars out of my pocket?” you have to laugh. Because it’s funny. And because you’ve said something similar before.

you hum children’s show theme songs throughout your day.

you dream in cartoons.

there is more love in your heart than you could ever have imagined.

you can talk on the phone, wear a baby, and go to the bathroom at the same time

you have three sets of clothes for each season–skinny, pregnant, and in-between…

a “sick day” means you still do everything you normally do, only you stay in your pajamas…

you now wake up early on Saturdays to go grocery shopping while everyone else in town sleeps in (whereas you used to put it off until late afternoon before kids).

it’s no longer a question of whether or not you have some bodily fluid on your shirt–but how much and if your cardigan covers it…

going to the bathroom is no longer a solitary pursuit.

your baby’s projectile vomit hits your shoes, coat, and hands on a walk and you don’t turn around to go home and change, you just keep walking .

Ah Motherhood…

Yes, we experience some of the strangest things as mothers, and some of them even become “normal” as everyday occurrences, and yet this list is only a tiny glimpse into the realities of motherhood. It shows the very really, funny, and yet often trivial aspects of motherhood.

What it does not express is the profoundly important task we are assigned as mothers of eternal souls. As we all laugh and identify with the list above, I would like to bring that sacred calling to our minds and leave you with a burning passion to count all of the “inconveniences” listed above as worth it.

It is worth it to have bodily fluids flung on us at various point in time throughout the day.

It is worth it to have little to no sleep on most nights.

It is worth it to be interrupted on the phone for the hundredth time.

One day these little ones will have left our homes. One day they will be be out of our grasp, living the life we have had the privilege to help shape and mold. Don’t lose sight of the work you are called to sisters. Don’t forget you are shaping souls, through the grace of God, for the exaltation of Christ.

“O mothers of young children, I bow before you in reverence. Your work is most holy. You are fashioning the destinies of immortal souls. The powers folded up in the little ones that you hushed to sleep in your bosoms last night are powers that shall exist for ever. You are preparing them for their immortal destiny and influence. Be faithful. Take up your sacred burden reverently. Be sure that your heart is pure and that your life is sweet and clean. The Persian apalogue says that the lump of clay was fragrant because it had lain on a rose. Let your life be as the rose, then your child as it lies upon your bosom will absorb the fragrance. If there is no sweetness in the rose the clay will not be perfumed.” (J.R. Miller, The Family.)

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Created Twice: Once with His Breath and Once with His Death

Apr 17, 2012 by desiringvirtue

Oh what power and what love are expressed through our God’s creative works!

Can you imagine that he simply breathed out all of creation? From the stars in the heavens to the butterflies that flutter across flower laden fields; every mountain, tree, animal, and human being were spoken into existence as though requiring no effort whatsoever, just words, just the desire to create from an infinitely powerful God.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26 ESV)

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27 ESV)

Each of us have been effortlessly woven together within or mother’s wombs by our God, each an expression of his creativity and power.

For by him [Jesus] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:6 ESV)

Then there is our second birth, our recreation. This creation of a new, redeemed nature required an infinite price. Unlike the effortless words that brought man from the dust, blood dripping death was required of our God for this task. A sacrifice was made by the God of the Universe to renew his creation, to create in his people a new heart, a heart that longed after him.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18-19 ESV)

God the Father gave up his only Son to death, crushing him for our iniquities. His Son willingly walked the path of suffering and humiliation in order to wipe our sin away and make us clean again. His glorious love for us was displayed in his horrific death which brings about new life in each of his elect.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)

Sisters, marvel with me at our God, who effortlessly spoke us into existence and yet gave his life, his very life to recreate what sin had destroyed.

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