Monday, April 16, 2007

The Center of My World

It occured to me today that the center of my whole world has shifted. A few short years ago the center of my world was church. I was voluntarily running the children's ministry after our children's minister moved away. I secured teachers for classes, ordered and wrote curriculum, decorated rooms, maintained records, shopped for supplies, wrote newsletters, planned events, taught, and even coordinated VBS one summer. In the meantime, my husband was acting as part-time youth minister (in addition to his real job!). We were one busy family!

Why? Why did I involve myself so heavily in church? Well, because it was my gift, of course! I have been taught over and over by mainstream religion that I should find my areas of talent and use them for the Lord. So I did. I was serving God. What could be a more noble cause than that? I also told myself there was no one else to do it. It will make things better for my children. Lots of really, really good reasons.

I see other women doing this, too. For some it is church. For others it's baseball or whatever sport is in season. For some it's the P.T.A. and school volunteering. For some it's crafts and hobbies. These "good" things that we choose to do. They can easily slip into the center of our worlds.

This is when they become a problem. Oh, these ladies would disagree with you. They would say they put their family first. They can't see how their world has shifted. They are too far involved. I know because that's where I used to be.

The Lord has taught me a few things since then. I have learned that my husband and children and our home should be the center of my world. Each day I strive to serve my husband, train our children, and care for our home. They have become the center of my world. I have found peace, joy, contentment--all sorts of things.

Some scripture to think on...
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:4-5)

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

I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. (1 Timothy 5:14)

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. (Genesis 2:18)

1 comment:

  1. Um, when it says that the women should be sober it doesn't actually mean...

    Well, anyway. I'm not struggling with addiction and my post or blog doesn't talk about addiction so naturally your comment does come across as spam.

    But, maybe someone else can be helped?

    ReplyDelete

I don't get to talk to a lot of actual grown-ups during the day, so your comments make me really happy! :)