The Gift Of Giving Part Two

Source for this image here.

Yesterday I wrote about some of the spiritual aspects of giving gifts - and how in fact, our material possessions really can't bring us true happiness or contentment.  However, the act of giving - and of receiving gifts - does still bring us much pleasure, and I'm sure that almost everyone who celebrates Christmas, birthdays or other special days where gifts are exchanged, would agree!

Set Apart For You, Lord

Purify my heart

Let me be as gold and precious silver

Purify my heart

Let me be as gold, pure gold

Refiner's fire, my heart's one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You, Lord

I choose to be holy

Set apart for You, my Master

Ready to do Your will

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within and make me holy

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from my sin, deep within.

Wonderful Peace

"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." (Philippians 4: 4 - 9)

Equal In God's Eyes

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2: 1 - 26).

Pray Without Ceasing

Source for this image here.

Today we went shopping in town.  As part of his birthday present, I wanted to give Papa Bear a new jacket.  That is the sort of thing that is best for the wearer to choose, so we decided to do that today, whilse the cubs were busy with college.  It was a lovely day out!  We got Papa Bear a beautiful new warm jacket to wear, and he surprised me by buying me several new tops, and also a new coat!  He said they could be part of my birthday gifts too - although my birthday was more than a fortnight ago!  They are lovely though and I am very happy with them - as is he, with his new jacket.

Our Walk With God

Source for this image here.

Footprints In The Sand

One night I had a dream-- I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord and across the sky flashed scenes from my life. 

 For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints, one belonged to me and the other to the Lord. 

 When the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. 

I noticed that many times along the path of my life, there was only one set of footprints. 

I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life. 

 This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.

 "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way, but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. 

 "I don't understand why in times when I needed you most, you should leave me."

 The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you during your times of trial and suffering. 

 "When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

Mary Stevenson

Safe In His Love

Oh dear me!  We have got the most terrible weather here just now.   It is freezing cold, the wind is blowing, and it is pouring with rain. Outside it is so dark that it is almost like evening although as I write it is only just after lunchtime (this post won't show on the blog until later, because I like to leave what I have written unpublished until Papa Bear has had time to check it through). The bad weather is affecting the internet connection, so everything is also taking much longer than usual to do. But that's not all it has affected! Papa Bear had to come home at lunchtime today - the weather was so bad that his brother told everyone it was too dangerous to keep on working (they are restoring the roof of a church at the moment) and so he laid them all off until tomorrow, when hopefully the weather will be a little better. I was so pleased to see him back home in time for lunch instead of at tea time as I had expected!  It has made me feel very happy indeed to get an extra afternoon to spend with my precious husband!

It feels very cosy here in our small home, with it so gloomy outside, and everyone together safe indoors. We have been listening to some nice music recently, and one of the pieces I've especially enjoyed I am sharing with you in that You Tube clip above. It is the second movement of Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto ("The Emperor"), and it is such beautiful, tranquil music that I hope you have time to listen to it too. As I listened this morning, feeling so peaceful and safe, I was minded of Psalm 33 - a Psalm that to me reminds us of God's greatness, His all-knowing, all-powerful reign over us, and of how we can trust in Him and be secure in His care, for His unfailing love will shield us.

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.
Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.
 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 
 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.  (Psalm 33: 1-22)

Sweet Fragrance Of Grace

We had such a lovely service at Church yesterday.  Although our Church is not all that far from where we live (in a busy town), it is a small, pretty, very ancient building that looks as if it had been picked up from a wee village hamlet in the countryside and set down again in the centre of town, like a toy in a game of make-believe.  Somehow it seems cruel to have such a pretty building set against a backdrop of ugly modern concrete structures such as malls, car parks and tower blocks.  But step through the gates and you are transported somewhere else entirely.  It is surrounded by a high flint wall, and within the Churchyard are several very old cherry blossom trees that form a canopy above you in the sky.  The grounds are planted with pretty bulbs and flowers for every season -  snowdrops, daffodils, bluebells, violets and wallflowers, michelmas daisies, gladioli and aconites, and the lawns are stippled all summer long with hundreds of daisies.  It is all so beautiful and tranquil, and within it is beautiful too!  Almost unchanged through the centuries.  Through the stained glass windows you can see the blossom trees outside and it is especially lovely to see the turning of the seasons represented in the changing appearance of those trees, framed by the coloured glass windows.  Yesterday they were heavy with frilly pink blossoms, that barely moved in the warm still air.  Oh I did enjoy being there in the cool gloom of the Church.  We had some lovely hymns yesterday too - the one that I shared yesterday (Come Down O Love Divine) was another of the hymns that Papa Bear and I had at our wedding service! 

When we got home my mind was buisy with the words from our second Scripture reading - which I also posted yesterday - Galatians 5: 16-26.  I kept especially in my heart the words of verses 22 - 23 -

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance ..."

It has been so warm here the last few days, that I felt it was particularly fitting that we should have had this reminder of how our Father God wishes us to conduct ourselves!  Hot weather can lead to frayed tempers, and sometimes we need to step back, take a deep breath, and remember that losing our tempers is not Godly behaviour - even when the temperature is rising, and everyone around us seems to be in a bad mood!  Remembering these precious verses has helped me to keep cool and calm these last couple of days!

As I lay in my lovely rose fragranced bath yesterday evening, with soft vanilla scented tealights flickering at my toes, I thought again of these words, and of how important it is that I keep hold of God's commands, even when (in fact, particularly when) I don't naturally feel like I want to!  It's easy to endeavour to conduct ourselves in a way that glorifies God when life is treating us kindly, and we have no worries or concerns to weigh us down.  But it's equally important that we remember to carry on glorifying Him when times get tough.  Only that way can we be a true example to others - a beacon for Him in a world of darkness.  The beautiful scents of my lovely bath creme and the tealights that my sweet husband has given me, also served to remind me of another very important passage of Scripture - one which I really love, and which I feel is one of the most important of all, as a guide to our conduct.  Here we see that we have a very high calling indeed, as God's children - we are to imitate Christ.  In so doing, we will become a sweet fragrance to the Lord - expressing the beautiful scent of grace to all those around us.  Ephesians 5: 1-33 ...

"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 
 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband". (Ephesians 5: 1-33).

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to commit this whole Chapter of Scripture to memory, to use as a blueprint for our every action?  Papa Bear and I plan to do just this, over the next few weeks.  And in so doing, I also hope to give this passage some deeper consideration which I intend to share here, on the blog.  I may not be perfect (I know I am far from!) but I can strive to be better - my best - for the sake of my Salvation.  And so can anyone!  All we have to do, to start with, is open our hearts to the words of our Saviour.  And then, work hard to ensure that in all that we do, we are as sweet and beautiful in our demeanour, as our Father God created us to be.

Our High Calling

Source for this image here .

Yesterday at Church we had such an interesting sermon.  The theme of our service was love - not our love for God, but His love for us, revealed through His son Christ Jesus - "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". (John 3: 16).  That love should be, our pastor explained, what motivates all our behaviour.  As Christians, we too, as did Jesus, should witness to others through our behaviour.  Like Him, we should be patient, gentle, wise, truthful, helpful - and caring!  Our Pastor gave the examples of people whose lives involve showing love through caring and selflessness - nurses, firefighters, carers, teachers - and of course, mothers! And he said that these roles were in themselves a form of witness for Christian people - not everyone is called in the same way, but whatever our calling, that should be our witness to others, and we can use the natural skills and qualities that we have, to bless other people with the examples that Jesus gave when he walked the earth.  Everyone has character qualities that they can use to witness to others with - they do not necessarily need to be gifted with the skills of writing or speaking to groups.  Just by their everday actions, they can inspire others to seek to know our Saviour Lord Jesus.

I was very inspired to listen to this sermon as I felt that it linked in well with what I had talked about in Saturday's post about how our "meek and gentle spirit" (1 Peter 3: 4) should be our outward witness - showing the working of the Holy Spirit within us and blessing all those around us.  To show love is a natural extension of this.  The pastor went on to say that this is our way of "preaching the Gospel".  Unlike him we do not need to speak to witness - our behaviour speaks for us.  But equally importantly, he also talked about how the "beauty of holiness" can be experienced through our behaviour, and it got me thinking some more about this.

I was minded of some of the lovely, inspirational books I have read over the years by Christian authors such as Emilie Barnes, Ann Ortlund, Elizabeth George and Stormie Omartian.  In particular, Emilie Barnes writes much about the importance of creating a calm and pleasant environment as part of a woman's ministry to her family and friends.  I had never really thought too hard about this in terms of how this could be seen as a way of witnessing to others - I considered it more to be of importance in our role as God's servants - keepers of our homes - and how our work there is done in accordance with His will for us as married women.  But clearly it can be seen as a way of witnessing too.  I was quite excited to think of this, as I sat in Church yesterday!

Of course, writing here on the blog is a form of witnessing too.  By sharing our experiences and ideas we are witnessing to others who, we hope, may be inspired to apply some of our suggestions themselves - or to perhaps be motivated to make some changes they had already been thinking of in their own homes so that they too can bear witness of the brilliance of God's glory in their lives.  It made me feel greatly encouraged that the time I spend writing on the blog (and that Papa Bear spends checking it) and, more recently, our website (which is taking quite some time to get to grips with!) is actually time invested as part of my duties as a wife and mother.  Just in my everyday activities, working to create a pleasant and clean home, well organised and attractive, welcoming and peaceful, I can still work to be an inspiration to others.  I had never thought of my role as a Helpmeet in that way!  In fact if I am honest, I have leaned more towards thinking of anything else beyond keeping our home clean and functional - the extra "frills", that make it pretty, rather than just tidy - as an indulgence that isn't strictly necessary!  Now however, I see that creating a pretty home can also be an extension of the role of home keeper and Helpmeet that I am called to - and so I shall enjoy spending a little more time focussing on this!

I am not talking about spending money, or having everything co-ordinated and matching.  That is fine if you can afford it - but we can't (and even if we could, I know that Papa Bear would have other, more important things, to spend that money on) but about making the best of what we have - giving attention to the smaller details - and ensuring that wherever anyone goes in our home, there is something nice to look at.  Not opulence, but something uplifting, or calming, or just purely beautiful.  Of course everyone has different ideas about what is beautiful.  And ultimately, the things that are most beautiful of all, are those which are God's creation - the world around us, and the people in it.  Our Pastor spoke also of this, and of how those who are able to draw out the beauty of holiness, such as artists and writers, also have a gift for witness.  In God's creation, we see something of His nature -

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof" (Psalm 19: 1 - 6).

We do not need to speak to share the beauty of God's glory - but we do need to be conscious of our actions.  As a Christian wife and mother, it is my duty to serve God through my work at home - work which should speak for itself of His greatness.  What a wonderful privelige to have this role - my High Calling as a servant of God.

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
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, 3 - 5).
.

Carrying The Burden For Us

Papa Bear chose this clip from YouTube for us today! He likes Country praise music a great deal, and has the most lovely singing voice. I adore hearing him sing along to praise music such as this, which he does often, but especially when he's really happy!

Another thing I adore just now, is the wonderful selection of books that he gave me, for a Mothers' Day gift last week. I am of course not his mam, but he still gives me such beautiful gifts every Mothers' Day! Aren't I lucky to have such a generous, caring and thoughtful husband! He is always surprising me with treats and wee presents, not just on the days when the world says he should, but in between times too, and likewise I enjoy being able to do the same for him. We don't need an excuse to celebrate our love - every day is a celebration for us - and there are some very special days coming up soon. It will be our wedding anniversary soon, but before that, we also celebrate the anniversary of the day that we fell in love (we have known each other all our lives, but haven't always been lovers! Oh Papa Bear, those wasted years! He says we have plenty of time to make amends for that. He he!). I have some special plans for these celebrations, but I'm not going to share them, or it will spoil the surprise for my precious husband!

Two of the books that he gave me are by one of my favourite Christian authors, Emilie Barnes, who is most famous for writing books on organisation, as well as devotionals and guides to healthy living to name but a few. I really enjoy reading her books and have been inspired by several of them that I already have. To add to my collection Papa Bear gave me "The 15 Minute Home & Family Organizer" and "Things Happen When Women Care". He had to get these second hand, as they are both out of print now, but I am so glad that he did! They are wonderful, and don't look as if they have ever been read. When I opened them up, their pages had a beautiful soft scent of lavender, which instantly made me feel as if Emilie Barnes herself had sent them to us! So far I have only had time to browse through them, but they are brimming with a wealth of useful information and I know they are going to be read from cover to cover, and turned to a great deal in the future. I especially like all the hints and suggestions Emilie Barnes has for getting your home running efficiently and smoothly, but also at the same time managing to make it cosy and welcoming. I also like the way she weaves Scripture into her writing, so that it is always spiritually inspiring too. At the beginning of "Things Happen When Women Care", she writes about how there are so many different ways for women to demonstrate caring - such as through hospitality, nurturing, giving and listening. There are many more examples throughout the book though I haven't had time yet to read through it, of course, but I know it will encourage me greatly. She also writes however about how it can be easy to lose a sense of balance in all that we do, if we focus too much on only one aspect of our God-given role. It's important to achieve a healthy sense of balance, so that we don't overlook what is really important. No extremes - just a wholesome mixture of all the different qualities that every woman needs to fulfill her Godly role effectively. She even shares a poem with us, which she attributes to a lady called Dorothy Main, of Boger, Texas, to help us understand what she means ...

My Martha Side

My house is a tyrant, demanding each hour. Imperiously ordering: "sweep, mop and scour! Do the dishes, the laundry, then iron, dust and cook! And there's mending to do if you'll just take a look. Now, Martha, get busy and don't waste a minute: dirt is a sin, and you're wallowing in it!"

My Mary Side

My housework can wait... there's a friend I must see, who's lonely and frightened, she's looking for me. Then I'll tidy up quickly and hurry to hear that fine missionary we support every year. Home again, "Father, thank You, please help me to care for the hungry and homeless who live in despair."

Mary-Martha-Me

Martha nags me to keep my house spotless each day; and Mary says gently, "I need time to pray. Martha's concerned with "what neighbors might think if they dropped in and found dishes stacked in the sink." While Mary chides, "selfish! I think it's a crime if you don't share with others your talents and time."

My Prayer

Oh God, in compassion, so order my days that Mary might serve Thee and Martha may praise Thee. (Emilie Barnes, "Things Happen When Women Care", pp 8 - 9).

What a beautiful, heartfelt prayer! After my super-busy day yesterday, I think this poem is very valuable advice! I'm going to print this out and keep it in the kitchen where I can see it every day, to pray over and remind myself that as a woman who cares, I need to ensure I am keeping a balance between the chores I have to do, and the caring that is needed for my family, and so please God as I work and grow. Sometimes I can get over-focused on the small details, and forget the bigger picture, and that's when I need to stop, take a breath, whisper a prayer and remember that I only have to do enough - I don't have to be perfect! Papa Bear was so happy to hear me say this, as I began to write this blog post a wee while ago! He was also happy to see how much I am enjoying my books! As he sais, they are there to use as a support to the teachings of scripture, which also command that we keep a balance - and that we make sure we allow ourselves, through His son Christ Jesus, to lean on our Father God, to help carry our burdens for us through the days. Thank you Papa Bear, for being such a wonderful guide! We are so lucky to have you as the wise and caring head of our home.

"For with God nothing shall be impossible". (Luke 1, 37).

Equal But Different

(Picture from Mama Bear's own personal collection).

I have had a lovely Mother's Day! Oh I was so spoilt! So many treats and presents, and a lovely rest from my usual Sunday duties too! It was a perfect day from start to finish, and what was especially enjoyable was how we all had such a wonderful time - not just me! Papa Bear had a big smile on his face because his football team won their game (and he got to see it on TV!), and the cubs were happy too because we'd spent the whole day all together, worshipping and doing fun things as a family, which nowadays doesn't happen quite as often as it use to when they were younger. One thing that we did do, was switch off all our electronic gadjets (apart from the TV when the football was on!) and it made a huge difference to how much time we were able to spend together, and the quality of that time. Papa Bear especially was pleased at the extra time it bought us all, not having radios, computers, laptops and iPads switched on. He said that from now on it would be a good thing if we made it a regular, weekly rule that we cut back on our use of gadjets on a Sunday. And of course, we all agreed!

There was really no argument about it, as we had all felt the benefit of the extra time, with no distractions, that being together as a family had brought us. And we all found that we were more than able to enjoy our own entertainment - sharing news, reading together, worshipping together, singing together, playing games together. We also went for a walk when the sun finally came out and the football was over - and that was lovely too! But even if we had not personally felt all the benefits of this deliberate decision to avoid technology for 24 hous, we would still, the cubs and I, have agreed willingly with Papa Bear, in principle, because he is the head of the house. We might later have suggested that we try a compromise, after a month or maybe 2 of doing things his way, if we felt it wasn't working well. But we are happy to let him take the lead on decisions about how our family life is lived, because that is God's will for him - and for us too. And do you know, for us, this works beautifully, because we're all much at peace with the order of things in our home, and secure in the knowledge that as the "captain" of our "ship", Papa Bear is almost always steering it in the right direction!

A while ago on this blog I mentioned a book by Martha Pearce entitled "The Excellent Wife - A Biblical Perspective". This is quite an academic book and written in a slightly more literary form than I am use to. As a result, I have not yet read this book from cover to cover, but I have read one very important chapter in it, chapter 13 - "Biblical Submission - Basis of the Wife's Protection". I understand that the book needs to be read in context to get the full message and breadth of what Martha Pearce is writing about here, but I have found that this chapter has some powerful things to say, as a stand-alone piece of text about the Biblical role of women in society today.

One of the most valuable passages that I have read in this chapter relates to the often overlooked and misunderstood teaching of Ephesians 5, in which women are commanded to " ... submit yourselves unto your own husbands ..." (Ephesians 5, 22). I've read many criticisms of this passage of Paul's teaching, in which people argue that this command of Christ, if taken (as it should be, if we are to be God's servants) literally, implies that women are to make themselves doormats - submitting to each and every whim of our husband's, even if these are damaging or dangerous. Not only are women, these Biblical opposers say, making themselves into feeble, childlike little weaklings, shadows of the sort of women that they say we should be, by obeying God's commands - unable to make a decision for themselves, too powerless and insignificant to be allowed to have any choices or freedom in their own lives - but in addition, they are, by so doing, making themselves vulnerable to the abuses of men who are taking advantage of a distorted interpretation of the Bible's teaching about the role of husbands in a marriage.

But this is wrong! This isn't what Paul is teaching us at all, in this passage in Ephesians. Read only a little further, and you will see what he says Christ has commanded for husbands. Men, he says, are to cherish and adore their wives, as they would their own bodies - not to treat them like slaves! This is God's will for the married couple, because as the wife is in submission to her husband, so is the Church is in submission to Christ Jesus - it's the natural order of things. Husbands aren't directed to enforce this submission, or to take advantage of their wives, or to bully them. They are to LOVE them -

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having a spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself." (Ephesians 5, 25 - 29).

This is a really important passage of teaching in Scripture that is often overlooked by those who choose to oppose the clear and powerful teaching of God's Word. It is not at all His will that men and women should not be equal. We are ALL made in His image - not just men. Once again Paul, this time writing to the Corinthians, reminds us that because we belong to God, we must all treat our bodies with care and respect -

"... know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6, 19 - 20).

However, we are DIFFERENT. God created us with different roles in mind. We are not, as Martha Pearce writes, to be "passive" (p 137) victims that submit without question, even if our husbands are commanding that we engage in an act of sinfulness. She writes quite clearly that the wife is not "inferior" (p 139), but "different" (ibid). We are to submit because our ranking, in the natural order of things, places us beneath our husbands, but this does not make us subordinate in value before God. We are to support our husbands, as they lead our homes (and only OUR husbands - that's what verse 22 in Ephesians 5 teaches - "submit yourselves unto your OWN husbands"), in order that the work they are commanded to do, as heads of the home, is done efficiently and effectively. I like Martha Pearce's analgoy of an army squadron - with the husband as the Sergeant Major, and the wife as the second-in-command! That's a little like the way I see our domestic arrangements - I like to imagine that our home is like a boat, that's being steered across an ocean which is normally quite calm, but occasionally does get a little choppy, when storms crop up - some anticipated, others unexpected. It needs a brave and experienced captain in charge - but a crew of able-bodied seamen to assist, and a very skilled chief cook and bottle washer to support his endeavours! The boat wouldn't be able to get where it needed to go without all of us aboard, but it only needs one captain to steer it. And that's just how God wants it to be. We all have our roles to play, within the family. Roles that are distinct, and Biblically delineated, but nevertheless, complimentary and mutually supportive - and equally valuable. Without each person playing their role, the family unit won't function properly, and that's when problems begin.

I'm glad that I can take on my role so enthusiastically - and embrace it so joyfully. I'm lucky. As I've said before, Papa Bear and I were raised in a culture where the roles of men and women, quite aside from the teaching of the Bible which we've also grown up with, are still maintained in the time-honoured and traditional ways, and it hasn't been at all hard for us to adopt these and maintain them in our marriage - or for our children to follow in our examples. I can understand that for many people, raised in today's modern, secular culture, it can't be so easy, to turn away from this. There are many temptations and distractions. There are strong feelings about the roles of men and women - views that are being coloured by some very controversial values and ideas that are being discussed today, in England and abroad. It's never felt more important to turn back to the teaching of Scripture on such matters, and be reassured of what God's commands are, for men and women, husbands and wives. There can be no doubt then, and that's what is most reassuring for me. Whatever the words of the world are, I know what God says, and those are the only words we really need to hear.

"And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." (Genesis 2, 18 - 25).

Casting Your Care Upon Him

Oh my goodness! I have a really big post that I am working on today, but I haven't been able to get all my thoughts drawn together properly yet, so it must stay in draft format until I am happy with it.

I've been so busy the last few days! There have been a few practical things that came up that weren't in my schedule - like Little Bear's door key snapping in the lock, and Papa Bear having an emergency dental appointment. Then Cubby had an important presentation to prepare for at college.

And I've been busy making sure that everyone had what they needed, got to where they had to be, was reassurred when things went wrong, and didn't have their own timetables disrupted, when the emergencies happened! It's at times like that, when I am so thankful that I have our Father God to turn to. Without Him, the burdens of my responsibilities would sometimes become quite difficult to bear! But I offer them up to Him in prayer and know that I can trust in Him to carry me through even the greatest challenges.

The key and lock got fixed, Papa Bear's tooth was fine, and Cubby's hard work was rewarded and he did brilliantly with his presentation.

Thank the Lord!

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time:
Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. (1 Peter 5, 7).